Time to Vote

It’s that time of year again: the temperature drops, the blue sky becomes clouded, the leaves begin to fall, and campaign ads populate our favorite shows. As is always the case around late September into October, we’re bombarded with campaigning politicians and paid actors telling us why “so-and-so” is great and his or her opponent is going to take their money and their rights. All campaigning aside, I think that voting is a great, relatively easy way to get involved in politics without having to knock on doors or hand out flyers. It often forces you to weigh the issues and form opinions, which then direct you to consider who will best represent and voice those opinions. Some may have already registered to vote in the Virginia elections, which is great, but for those of us who are out of state, you can also register to vote absentee. Generally what this means is you request a ballot to be sent to your UVa address from your home state and then you mail back your votes within a few days of the November elections. It’s a fairly simple process and it allows you to have a voice in who will take office in your home state. If you’re not able to vote in this election, I would encourage you to take advantage of one or more of the many different facets that exist to engage our political system, which is everything from debating issues with your peers to volunteering on a campaign to contacting one of your representatives.-MA