If you are in the Class of 2020, you have most likely gotten an Instagram DM or a text from Maimoonah Shafqat, asking you to register to vote! Now, both Maimoonah and myself want to make sure that we mention that this initiative is just to make sure everyone registers, regardless of your political affiliation! Registering to vote is one of the most important things you can do as a citizen, regardless of political beliefs.
Why Should You Register to Vote?
Have you ever been not satisfied with government decisions or BOE verdicts? Well, instead of complaining, you can vote for different people who you believe will exemplify what you believe in! Voting is the best way to make sure that your voice is heard, locally or nationally.
Only 60.8% of the country voted in the 2016 primary elections and 49.3% in the 2018 midterm elections! With numbers like that, it’s no surprise that Maimoonah decided to start this initiative. Maimoonah mentioned why she was inspired by this, saying “Originally, before school closed, my plan was to have an in-person voter registration drive around April. In New Jersey, you have to mail in your registration or take it to the county clerk, which I could do. But then, school closed. I was talking to the Head of the Mountain Lakes Democrats and she mentioned that you could use this online tool that would help you manage how many people were registered and how many people still need to be. So, I decided to go for it!”
How Do I Register?
When you are 17 and you go to the DMV for your license, you can register to vote, but you will only be able to vote when you are 18! However, if you are like me, and didn’t get the option to register (we don’t talk about my experiences at the DMV), you can fill out the form to register to vote. New Jersey does not have online registering, so you would usually need to register and take the forms to the county clerk’s office in Morristown or mail them in!
It is a shame that New Jersey doesn’t allow for registering to be done online. As Maimoonah said, “The really inconvenient thing is that in New Jersey, you can’t vote online. I know everyone wants to vote, but it is a lot of work to print it out and either mail it in or go to Morristown and drop it off. The easiest thing to do is to register when you go to the DMV when you turn 18 and get your new license. But, this year, while a lot of people turned 18, the DMV was closed… I really think we could make the process more convenient and easy.”
The Good, the Bad, and the Forms
Maimoonah is really hopeful about this initiative: “My goal is to get everyone in the class of 2020 registered to vote. Even the juniors in the Class of 2021, if they are 18 before November 3rd. The sad thing is that a lot of people in our generation are really politically active online, but they don’t register to vote because it’s not really taught in schools and they don’t know how, so they don’t end up voting. They have so many good ideas about how to change things and I just wanted to make sure that our voices are heard.”
Unfortunately, there are some people that are misinterpreting Maimoonah’s intentions to register people to vote, leading to some arguments. “I would just like [people] to know that I am not telling them who to vote for, I just want them to register. I know I am one of the Presidents of the Young Democrats, but it doesn’t mean that I want you to vote for the democrats. I don’t care who you vote for, I just want you to register!”
Now, the most confusing part about registering to vote is all of the PAPERWORK. Paperwork is like death and taxes: it’s inevitable. For those of you that are registering to vote, you really only need to have the one single paper, which is great news! For those of you who are going to college far away or cannot be home in ML/BT to vote, it becomes a little more complicated because we need to fill out vote-by-mail ballots or absentee ballots as they are called. Essentially, these ballots cast your vote, even though you aren’t present at the polling center (which is also the same way to vote in the primaries this year, due to Covid-19). You could also vote where you are attending college, but YOU CANNOT VOTE IN BOTH PLACES!
Go Register!
Now, those of you who are die-hard Mountaineer stans know that we did publish an eerily similar article about voter apathy that also detailed the steps on voting and knowing what to do to become an informed voter (please go read that, especially because then you get a double dose of the Mountaineer). BUT, this is that important, so if you are 18 or will be 18 in November, please register to vote! If you have any questions at all, please reach out to Maimoonah because she knows everything about voting!
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