Growing up in North Carolina, early voting statewide would kick off in mid-to-late October, and my parents always made sure to take the time to vote for their preferred candidate.
A lesson my dad taught me and my two siblings at a young age was the important role elections have in our country — it’s the most direct method for citizens to let their elected officials know what issues they feel need addressing.
He would vote in every race — from President of the United States to the Goldsboro City Council — so when I moved to California just a couple of months ago, I knew I had to find a way to cast my ballot this election.
Early voting in Yolo County kicked off on Oct. 27, so on Halloween, I decided I was going to go to the vote center at the Veteran’s Memorial Center in Davis to same day register and cast my ballot.
I walked into the multipurpose room on my lunch break — complete with my orange cardigan and my spooky Halloween makeup — voter guide in hand so I could read over what was on the state ballot for California.
I spent some of my free time in the last week researching the proposed referendums on this year’s ballot, but I wanted to make sure I had easy-to-understand breakdowns of the legislation to reference when casting my vote.
A poll worker walked me through the process of same-day registration, as the only time I had registered to vote was in North Carolina when I got my driver’s license eight years ago.
To say it was easy is an understatement — same-day registration, for me, was a seamless and quick process. All I had to do was provide my full legal name, date of birth, place of birth, verify I was over 18 and provide proof of citizenship via California license or my federal identification.
Once I filled out the paperwork, the poll worker explained there were two methods for voting in-person: she could print out my ballot for me to fill out with a marker, or I could use the electronic voting system and print out my completed ballot after.
The electronic voting system uses a special state-of-the-art encryption technology as well as, making it impossible for anyone to access the ballots. No machine is connected to any internet and only needs to be plugged into the wall.
To put it in more simple terms: there is no outside access point for interference with these machines. And because the choices are permanently printed onto the ballot, it makes it easier for election officials to verify and confirm results.
I had never voted electronically before, but after the explanation for how it worked, I decided to use the machine to cast my ballot.
After completing and printing out my ballot, I folded it up, put it in an envelope, sealed it and dropped it into the ballot return box. I was then given my badge of honor: the iconic and forever recognizable “I Voted” sticker.
I share my experience because voting isn’t just our right — it’s advocating for the issues affecting us the most by choosing the people who we believe are best suited to create effective policy addressing those needs.
Participating in the voting process is our responsibility in the effort of maintaining what’s guaranteed in the Constitution: a federal democratic republic form of government where we ALL have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as stated in the Declaration of Independence.
It’s not hard — get out, and vote.
