Baggage
By far the most common question I get at public events like a speech, panel, or lecture is, “Delaney, what can I do to help?” The good news is that the answer is rather simple: VOTE. You can quickly and easily register to vote by clicking here.
If you live here in the United States like I do, we have an incredibly important national, state, and local election taking place on November 5th, 2024. And, if you live in Florida like me, early voting begins on October 21st and it’s important to know that in some states early voting has already begun or will start very soon so check with your election’s office for details. And, for gosh sakes, vote.
Nationally, we are about to vote for a new President and, in doing so, select between a well-known former president who, let me politely say, carries a lot of deeply broken baggage with him including being perhaps the most anti-climate candidate in the history of our great country. On the other hand, we have a profound opportunity to make history by electing the first woman, much less multi-racial woman, into America’s highest office by selecting a lifelong public servant who holds the promise of positively focusing on our mutual future rather than its past. A woman, I might add, that I have met and that I have seen within the last year twice visiting South Florida to discuss how important the environment and our climate change crisis is to her.
For me, for many reasons, the choice will be easy, and I literally can’t wait to vote. Here is how the 2024 ballot will look when you vote for President:
As critically important as this year’s Presidential election is, there is SO much more also at stake that requires you to please vote. Federal choices for both the US House and Senate, state House and Senate races that impact your state, and local elections that impact your own community. In just the last seven years that I’ve been able to vote it’s become crystal clear to me that every single one of the decisions that I make on who to support and vote for directly impacts how our country, state, and community is governed in ways that impact all of us.
And in Florida and other states all over America, there are critically important state Constitutional Amendments to vote on this year like Amendment 3 that, if passed, will allow adults over 21 to possess, purchase, and use marijuana recreationally. Here’s what this will look like on your 2024 ballot:
Or, speaking of exercising our rights, Amendment 4 is on the Florida ballot this year and, if passed, it will limit government interference with a woman’s right to decide whether to have an abortion. I don’t know about you, but I am all for limiting government interference on most things and that certainly begins with the decisions I make about my own body. Here’s how Amendment 4 looks on this year’s ballot:
Not YET Registered in Florida? NO Problem!
If you’ve not yet registered you can do so by mail, in person at a designated local election office, or (and this is my very favorite) online up until 11:59 PM October 7th. So, the good news is that there’s still time for you to register. The better, best even, news is that you can register online today and that it takes literally about two minutes (or less) on average. If you are not yet registered, would you please, please, please do it right now? Here’s the link: https://registertovoteflorida.gov/home.
Oh, and if you have friends or family members that are not registered, please encourage, and help them register today too. Remember, every single voice and vote counts in our democracy and that’s especially true this year.
When To Vote
In Florida there are three easy ways to cast you ballot:
1. In Person Early Voting: Here in Florida, you can vote in person either early (in Miami, where I live, early voting starts on October 21st and ends at 7:00 PM November 3rd ). Here’s the schedule for Miami-Dade as an example of how plentiful early voting dates, times, and locations are:
2. In Person On Election Day: You can cast your vote in person at your local Polling Place on America’s national General Election Day (November 5th). Here in Miami-Dade county where I live there are 523 Polling Places where folks vote.
Check your Voter’s Registration Card (and bring it and a picture ID to the Polling Place when you vote) for your designated Polling Place (it’ll be conveniently located near where you live) and go there the day of the election. State Divisions of Elections have links to allow you to look up exactly where your Polling Place is located (you can visit Florida’s by clicking here).
3. By Mail: To vote by mail, you must request a ballot by the October 24th deadline and your ballot must be physically received by the Supervisor of Election’s office by 7:00PM on November 5th. You can also request an absentee ballot online to vote by mail here.
Simply stated, as an American little is more important than each of us casting our vote. Please do the democratic thing, the truly patriotic thing, and vote in the upcoming election. Our nation, the environment, and future generations are depending on each of us (on you) to vote and to make the right choices. Like I said, I can’t wait to vote this year and hope that you will join me at the polls by casting your vote too.
