We encourage all of our readers to vote in the 2012 elections

If you don’t vote, you can’t complain.

There are so many mantras and clichés when it comes to voting, especially during presidential-election years like this one. Admittedly, sometimes it’s hard to make the time to vote, specifically for people who work shiftwork, work out of town, or drive over-the-road trucks. But the moment the right to vote is taken for granted, something happens to jeopardize it, as was the case recently in Lincoln, Neb. Some visually-impaired citizens wanted to participate in early voting. This story, where voting machines weren’t ready for early voting, shows how folks’ ability to participate in the democratic process (note with a little d) is directly affected by their voting access and how they are not taking the right to vote for granted.

But the reality is that elections in the recent past have been very close and very expensive. And politics and government directly affect a great deal of people’s lives, whether you agree with the current government or not. And in some ways, states are making it easier for people to vote early in person or absentee (early voting) by mail. But results do vary from state to state, of course.

The good news is that in many states folks can still register to vote.

Here’s an excellent link to a page called Long Distance Voter that includes information like Continue reading →