Americans have fought tooth and nail for their rights to participate in the democracy this country was founded on. It was found 80 million able citizens did not cast their ballot in 2020.

Georgia southern hosted a voter registration event on September 20th to encourage students to cast their ballots on November 8th. New Georgia Project, Wade Herring for Congress, our AKA sorority chapter and The League of Women Voters of Coastal Georgia come together to spread the word on midterm elections.

Lyft codes and van rides to the polls during early voting are being provided by New Georgia Project to bridge the gap in voting.

These are some common questions asked when beginning to register:

How do you register to vote?
Registering to vote is as easy as going online and completing the application or mailing in your application to the secretary of state’s office. The last date to register is October 11th.

How does voting on election day work?
Once registered, find your designated polling location (find it on your voter registration or online at your my voter page on the Secretary of State’s site). Make sure to bring a valid form of ID.

What if someone can’t vote on the election day how do they vote early?
Early voting in person can be done in any county in the state of Georgia regardless of where you are registered: October 17th through November 4th. Put the nearest county on the secretary of state’s site to check voting locations and times.

What is a mail-in ballot? Is it the same as an absentee ballot?
If you can’t or don’t want to vote in person, mail in voting, formally known as absentee ballots, can be requested online, by email, mail, fax or in person. More information on how to request an absentee ballot at georgia.gov/vote-absentee-ballot.

You will receive you ballot by mail with instructions on how to fill it out. When mailing the ballot back to your county election office, ensure it arrives before the date of voting, November 8th.

How can a voter be best informed on who to vote for?
There are several ways to get informed on who and what aligns with you.

Wade Herring for Congress representative Patricia Youngquist advises catching a debate between candidates to form your decision.

The League of Women Voters of Coastal Georgia president Nina Altschiller recommends ballotpedia, a website that provides information on candidates and what they stand for.

League member Samantha Levine recommends looking at your sample ballot to find your candidates.

New Georgia Project has a candidate research and ballot builder website, readyset.vote, that makes it easy to understand what and who you are voting for.

What are midterm elections?
Midterms are held at the halfway point of the president’s term. During midterm elections, voters are casting ballots to determine 470 seats in congress.

Congress is made up of two parts: the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The House of Representatives is proportionate to population and consists of 435 representatives or congresspersons serving 2 year terms. Main duties include introducing bills.

The Senate is made up of 100 senators with two representing each state. They serve six year terms staggered (1/3rd are reelected every two years). Their main duties include Impeaching Officials and voting to turn a bill into law.

What do you have to say to people who don’t think their votes matter?

Both Patricia Youngquist and Nina Altschiller agree that “ if you don’t vote you can’t complain”

Youngquist goes on to say “The only way to get real change is to get people in that you want… that’s really the way to do it.”

“As young people…we are not in the position to make laws but we are definitely in the position to change them” Aleea Young president of AKA answered, “It’s important to get out there and stand up for what we believe in.”