Wouldn’t it be great if our elected officials – from Congressional representatives to Commonwealth’s Attorneys and local School Board members – shared in our dream of a Virginia free of violence? A Virginia in which every person not only survives, but has the conditions and opportunities required to fully thrive? Let’s expand the frame of the possible and invest in #radicallyhopefulfutures. We can work towards a vision of a Virginia where our local offices are filled with individuals who understand what it takes and are deeply committed to ending violence together, and our congressional representatives work towards a radically hopeful future every day.
So, how do we make this happen? It begins with each of us using our voice.
Voting is one way to use your individual voice. By participating in elections (and here in Virginia we have at least one every year) you’re choosing people to represent you and your values. Your vote is your way to tell people who currently hold office, “good job, keep it up!” or “you don’t represent me, I choose someone else.” Of course, not every candidate running for office will share your views on every issue. You’ll have to decide whose vision of the future is most aligned with yours and choose based on what matters most to you.Voting’s like public transportation; there may not be a bus going exactly where you need to be, but you take the bus headed in the right direction to get you as far as you can and then keep going from there. If we don’t exercise this right, we can’t expect anything to change.
Voting’s like public transportation; there may not be a bus going exactly where you need to be, but you take the bus headed in the right direction to get you as far as you can and then keep going from there.
Need more of a reason to vote? The ongoing grassroots mobilizing efforts of groups like New Virginia Majority as well as campaigns like #SurvivorsVote in 2019 provided positive results in the makeup of the Virginia General Assembly, and this in turn impacted new laws regarding voting access, criminal justice reform, reproductive health, raising the minimum wage, and multiple other issues that we have been advocating for at the state level.
Some of the more recent changes to ensure voting access are helpful for us to understand. Here’s a step by step outline of some of those changes and how you can have the most impact this election season:
Step 1: Make sure you’re registered by Tuesday, October 13
- Not sure if you’re registered to vote in Virginia? Check here. If you’re eligible to vote and are not yet registered, be sure to register by Tuesday, October 13 so you can vote in November’s election.
- If you’re ineligible to vote because of a felony conviction and want to start the process of restoring your voting rights click here.
- If you’re already registered, be sure to check your voter registration and confirm its accuracy so you don’t have any problems casting your ballot. For example, you may have moved since the last election and need to update your address and identify your new polling place.
Step 2: Make a plan to vote. Tip: there are more options this year!
Once you know you’re registered to vote, make a plan to vote by Election Day (November 3). You may be wondering how voting might look different this year during a global pandemic. Here in Virginia, you now have three different options for voting.
- Mail-in voting: traditionally known as “absentee voting.” Anyone registered to vote in Virginia is eligible to request an absentee ballot, and can do so here. There will be an option to have your absentee ballot mailed to a different address than the one where you are registered. Once you request your absentee ballot it will be mailed to you a few weeks later. Return it as soon as possible to make sure your voice is heard!
- *Note: Traditionally, absentee ballots require a witness signature before being returned. If you are unable to safely have a witness present, this requirement is waived.
- In-person early voting, also known as “in-person absentee voting.” Anyone registered to vote in Virginia is eligible to vote early in person at their local registrar’s office, or other designated early voting location. This begins on September 18, 2020, and goes until October 31, 2020. You can contact your local registrar here to determine your options for in-person early voting.
- In-person voting at your polling location on November 3. You can confirm your polling place here and polls will be open from 6am-7pm. Virginia no longer requires a photo-ID to vote, but bringing one with you will help get you through the process quickly. Other acceptable forms are your voter registration card, employee-issued photo ID, utility bill, bank statement, or other government document that lists your name and the address where you are registered. If you are unable to bring any of these forms, you may sign a sworn statement confirming you are who you say you are and then cast your ballot.
Step 3: Encourage everyone you know to vote as well!
As advocates, we work to ensure survivors are knowledgeable about their options and empowered to make their own choices because they are the experts in their lives. Voting is an extension of this work. If we want to eliminate violence in the long-term and improve interventions for survivors in the short-term, we need to use our voice during elections. We can build a #radicallyhopefulfuture.
One of the tools that can help you do this is our Building Thriving Communities Toolkit. The toolkit includes guides for facilitating community conversations, campaign materials, candidate questionnaires, and strategies that you can use to engage your community and amplify survivor voices in our democratic process. For example, you can encourage others to vote by hanging one these posters in a shared space at your agency and by sharing this handout on why voting matters.
You can also participate in our technical assistance call on the importance of survivors voting. We hope to energize advocates, preventionists, and others in the movement to end violence in Virginia about the importance of building connections between the census, electoral politics, and supporting survivors in our communities. Join us virtually for our voter access call:
The Election is Coming! How to Ensure Voting Access for Survivors
Wednesday, September 9, 2:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern
Sign up for the call on Zoom at: https://bit.ly/votingaccessTAcall
Stay tuned for a call with our partners at New Virginia Majority – registration coming soon
Meredith Smith of New Virginia Majority will discuss a timeline of important dates for voting, options for voting, and information to make sure people experiencing housing instability can vote.
During these unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global uprising in defense of Black lives, and political uncertainty, it is more important than ever that we all do our part to elect candidates who will be supporting us and our communities.
Hannah Cannon is the Building Thriving Communities Intern at the Action Alliance and is a current Masters of Social Work student at Virginia Commonwealth University.
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