No matter your party affiliation or world view, it’s vital to cast your vote in the upcoming 2024 General Election. This one’s going to shape how our country and the world moves forward.
Voting is a right, responsibility and obligation we have as Americans, and it behooves us to carefully consider whom we’re voting for. After all, we’re giving candidates our representative power to govern.
Every office or amendment on the ballot is so consequential these days. We’re not only voting out of self-interest but also for the futures of our children and grandchildren.
Staying at home and refusing to vote is irresponsible, as is throwing away and wasting a vote in protest on someone we know doesn’t have a snowball’s chance of winning. It’s so important to make our votes count.
Let’s rid ourselves of this divisive “us against them” mentality, consider the issues at hand and vote with purposeful intention rather than herd mentality. I’ve talked with so many people lately who simply vote party line or base their decision on personality alone.
Ultimately, we all pay the price for our collective votes, regardless of which way the election goes.
Let’s not fail to exercise our constitutional right and then spend the next four years complaining about the way things are run in this country. Every vote counts.
Hillsborough County deadlines are fast approaching, folks.
• If you haven’t registered to vote, you have until Monday, Oct. 7. You can do so online at https://registertovoteflorida.gov/home/.
You must be a U.S. citizen, be a legal resident of Florida, be a legal resident of the county in which you seek to be registered, be at least 18 years old to register and vote, not have been adjudicated mentally incapacitated with respect to voting in Florida or any other state without having the right to vote restored and not be a person convicted of a felony without having your right to vote restored.
If you prefer, you can visit any of the five branches of Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office and register in person or download an application and return it by mail to the address listed. As a reminder, it must be postmarked by Oct. 7.
• To vote by mail, you MUST REQUEST a ballot no later than 5 p.m. Oct. 24.
Voted ballots must be received by the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office no later than 7 p.m. Election Day, Nov. 5, to be counted.
This method is ideal for folks who work odd hours, find it difficult to vote in person or have transportation issues and no one to help get them to a polling site.
• Early Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 21 through Nov. 3. Polling sites for this phase of the election can be found at https://www.votehillsborough.gov/VOTERS/Early-Voting/.
The week of Oct. 16, sample ballots will go out to all registered voters who did not request a vote-by-mail ballot so they can spend time making their choices before they go to the polls and take it with them when they go to vote.
• And to vote in-person on Election Day, you must visit a polling site between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5. You can find your polling site at https://www.votehillsborough.gov/VOTERS/Election-Day-Voting/.
Now is a good time to check your election status. For more information, visit call 813-744-5900 or visit https://www.votehillsborough.gov/.
Lois Kindle is a freelance writer and columnist for The Observer News. Contact her at lekindle@aol.com/.