Showing posts with label voting. Show all posts

I AM A GODDESS, A GLORIOUS FEMALE WARRIOR: Leslie Knope | Halloween 2018


The post title is one of my favorite lines in the entire series "Parks and Recreation." The show bears a scarily accurate likeness to my everyday life/work as a city employee. I'm long overdue for a rewatch; the writing is brilliant and I can never decide who my favorite character is, because I love them all. It was especially fun to wear my costume to work last year and to laugh about favorite moments in Pawnee and how we've had similar experiences in many cases in Provo.


I made Leslie Knope's vest accoutrements from craft supplies that I had on hand (sequins, embroidery thread) and some ribbons, felt, and other notions—such projects constitute the majority of what occupies my hands while watching TV/Netflix. The vest itself is a scrub top that I found at DI and altered, as several internet searches yielded nary a satisfactory purple vest to be had online.


Seeing as Halloween was just a few days before Election Day, I made pumpkin waffles to share with my coworkers on Halloween. I ate mine at home, topped with a seasonally and civically appropriate whipped cream message, of which I daresay Knope herself would approve. In her immortal words: "We have to remember what's important in life: friends, waffles, and work. Or waffles, friends, work. But work has to come third."

Above and below: some favorite Halloween costumes at a friend's Halloween party: Professor Trelawney and the best giraffe. My friend Madeleine dressed as Ruth Bader Ginsberg (our patron saint), so obviously Leslie Knope needed a photo with her (my irl reaction to meeting RBG would probably be something like Leslie's reaction upon meeting Michelle Obama. My reaction upon meeting Michelle Obama would also probably be identical).

Our office staff on Halloween—Red Riding Hood, a Canadian hockey player, a Hogwarts student, steampunk Wonder Woman, Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible at his day job, and Leslie Knope.

Happy Halloween!!!! (And Leslie hopes you voted!)

 • V • O • T • E •


Being engaged in politics often feels very outside of my wheelhouse, but working in local government has really opened my eyes to the importance of citizen involvement is at every level of government. I've been trying to put my money where my mouth is (and vice versa), and in the last couple of years, I've become involved with Mormon Women for Ethical Government (a non-partisan group focused on promoting ethical governance) as a member of MWEG's Environmental Committee; participating and attending other political events such as rallies, protests, town halls; and in the last month I've been volunteering on James Courage Singer's campaign for Utah's Third Congressional District (here's a video where I talked about Utah voter ID requirements!—namely that you do not need to have a Utah drivers license to register to vote as a Utah resident; see more details here). My main outlook with my own political involvement is that I am invested in making my community (local, state, national, global) a better place, and becoming involved in politics to an extent myself has been an effective way to do so.

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Did you know? September 25 is National Voter Registration Day! I'm just going to get straight to the point—in talking with friends and acquaintances, I've learned about some commonly held misconceptions and other barriers to voter registration and voting, which I want to do my part to help dispel and overcome. Millennials continue to have the lowest voter turnout of any age group—FELLOW YOUNG PEOPLE, WE CAN AND WE MUST DO BETTER.

There are complex issues surrounding voting: education, access, voter suppression, and more. This NPR feature from a couple weeks ago outlines some of the issues very clearly: NPR: On the Sidelines of Democracy: Exploring Why So Many Americans Don't Vote.

The right to vote has been hard-won, and it is a defining characteristic of the United States' government. It is a rite of passage and it is a singular opportunity to use your voice to make decisions that affect everyone in America (and plenty of people outside it, too). If you don't vote, you deny yourself a voice. That is a powerful notion, and a regrettable one. If you are not registered, why not? If it is simply a barrier of not knowing how to register or not being educated on the issues, those are things that are easy to correct! There is still time before election day! Below are some resources to help you get started, wherever you're at in the process. If you are already registered to vote, it may be worth your while to review some of these resources, so you can do things like verify that your voter registration is current, clarify any ID requirements so you are prepared on election day, and find resources to learn about issues on your ballot this fall.

I'm no expert, to be sure, but am passionate about this subject and am happy to help where I'm able (hence, this list). Feel free to comment or send me a message and I will be your voter-research-buddy-and-partner-in-constitutionally-protected-rights to help you get to the bottom of things and find a definitive answer! xo.
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THE BASICS: VOTE.ORG
After reviewing many voter registration help sites, I found vote.org to be one of the best—it's simple, it's thorough, and they have everything in one place. Use the helpful links at the top to register or check your registration, or scroll to the bottom to the STATE ELECTION CENTERS section and choose your state. Unfortunately, many government websites tend to be tricky to navigate and send you on a wild goose chase to find the one thing you're looking for.  Fortunately, the vote.org state election centers pages have compiled the relevant information in an easy-to-find format that takes out all the webpage navigation guesswork! Use these resources to find details on voter registration ID requirements, important deadlines, absentee or early voting, and more. This page of the National Conference of State Legislatures is a great compendium of information on voter ID requirements by state.

THE ISSUES & CANDIDATES
Often, one individual's views on certain policy or social issues is more nuanced than the extremes portrayed in the partisan political arena. It can be helpful to assess where you stand on a variety of issues, in order to get a sense of what kinds of issues you prioritize and to what extent. It also may be helpful to view issues apart from the stereotypical partisan view; many moderate positions might be reflected by one or another candidate, but by taking only the broad partisan view, you may be writing off someone who actually might better represent your position. There are a number of online quizzes you can take, produced by various organizations, such as the Pew Research Center, which is one of the reputable national organizations on policy research (some examples: Pew Research Center political party quiz & political typology quiz; ISideWith.com 2018 political quiz). For state or local races, I recommend following candidates on social media and going to their websites to read up on their positions. Check out their event calendars for meet-the-candidate events, town hall meetings, debates, or Q&As. If you can't attend in person, they may live-stream a video or share a recording for later viewing.

THE BALLOT
Here's a great summary on sample ballots—basically, the requirements on sample ballots vary by state; some states are required to mail every voter a sample ballot, while others may simply make a sample ballot available online. You may want to check with your local elections office/local elections official to see what is available. Utah residents can look up their sample ballot by entering their address at vote.utah.gov. You can expand the questions and options, and there are hyperlinks showing the candidate profiles and information about specific ballot measures. Also, going back to my comment on poor government web design, the Utah elections page has two buttons that are only visible at the very very bottom of the page for 2018 Election Information and Judge Evaluations (this is its own section of your ballot and I only just discovered this evaluations page which can help you have some context!).

THE POLLS
Locate your polling place using this easy tool. If you are having trouble locating information there, look up the voting information on your local state, city, or county website—you should be able to enter your address to locate your voting precinct and polling places. Get information on absentee voting, early voting, in-person voting, and vote-by-mail.

IN SUM
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission gives ten great tips for improving your voting experience. I think this is a great summary to review and will help make sure you don't experience any hiccups in the process!
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Register to vote, ask your friends/neighbors/dog walker/pizza delivery person/restaurant server/grocery store cashier/fellow shoppers at Target/mail carrier/family members/Instagram followers/book club members/literally anyone and everyone if they are registered to vote, and if they are not, pay it forward with a nudge in the right direction. Our government works best when we are all engaged and active participants—your voice and your vote matters, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
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