While my last few weekly messages have focused on resuming limited onsite library operations, I cannot let this week go by without calling our attention to the history-making events of the past few days.
August 18th marked the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment—giving women the right to vote. Of course, the battle was not over since not all women could vote. Black women and women of color were still turned away at the polls until the Voter Rights Act was signed into law on August 6th, 1965. Women of color have been left out of conversations surrounding their rights for years but, the recent rise in women of color in Congress reached an all-time high in 2018. And this week, history was made again when Kamala Harris, a woman of Black and Asian descent was nominated as the vice-presidential nominee at the Democratic National Convention. Prior to her acceptance speech, she made a cameo appearance to emphasize everyone’s right to vote and encourage all of us to do so. Former Secretary of State and the 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton suggested in her speech that we all develop a voting plan for the upcoming presidential election. Former First Lady Michelle Obama on the previous evening said, “We have got to vote early, in-person if we can. We‘ve got to request our mail-in ballots right now, tonight, and send them back immediately and follow-up to make sure they are received then, make sure our friends and families do the same.”
No matter what your race, religion, or sexual identity, we can participate in the voting process in different ways. We can become informed about the major issues, we can get out and talk to people or follow various media channels. Some may want to volunteer for a candidate or contribute financially to a cause. No matter which way you choose, we can register to vote and then be sure to cast our vote.
The information provided below is for the November 3rd general election so you can begin developing your voting plan. Election day is Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020. All Massachusetts voters are eligible to vote by mail upon application. Massachusetts also offers early voting in person before Election Day and on Election Day. Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.
Dates and deadlines
- Election day is Tuesday, November 3, 2020.
- The deadline to register online to vote is Saturday, October 24, 2020.
- The deadline for registering by mail to vote is (postmarked by) Saturday, October 24, 2020.
- The deadline to register in-person to vote is Saturday, October 24, 2020.
- The deadline to request a ballot by mail is (received by) 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 28, 2020.
- The early voting period runs from Saturday, October 17, 2020, to Friday, October 30, 2020, but dates and hours may vary based on where you live
What’s your voting plan?
Elaine