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We are just under a month away from the beginning of this election season—early in-person voting begins Wednesday, October 12! Now is the time to ensure that every eligible person in our nation is registered to vote, is ready and committed to casting their ballot, and has the support they need to vote.
National Voter Registration Day is today, Tuesday, September 20. It is important for every eligible person to check their voter registration status, register to vote, and make a plan to vote. The Ohio voter registration deadline is Tuesday, October 11, so now is the time for patients and physicians to register to vote.
Although 2022 is not a presidential election year, we cannot sit this election out. We must vote for our health, and our vote is our voice. Local and state elections are extremely important, and we must have our voices and the voices of our patients heard at the ballot box.
Not only will we be voting for our members of Congress in the upcoming November election, which will determine the control of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, but we will also be voting for our state and local elected officials, including governors, state representatives, state Supreme Court justices, state attorneys general, mayors, city council members, local board members, and ballot measures. View your sample ballot on the Ohio Secretary of State website.
Recent elections have shown us that every vote really does matter. There are several examples of elections determined by just a handful of votes, and it is important that everyone eligible to vote actually casts their ballots in the November midterm election.
Voter Resources and Information
VoteOhio.gov is a resource to register to vote, which is particularly helpful for individuals who have recently moved such as students, trainees, physicians starting new jobs, and any faculty, staff, or patients who have recently relocated. This resource provides voter registration deadlines and election dates, information on IDs needed to register and/or vote, where and how to vote, and other frequently asked questions.
Vot-ER.org is another helpful resource that allows health professionals to request a badge with a QR code that can be used to quickly check voter registration status, register a person to vote, and/or request an absentee ballot, including for any patients, students, trainees, colleagues, or other eligible individuals wanting to vote.
Particularly when registering patients to vote, it is essential to determine if individuals may be newly eligible to vote.
For example, those turning 18 years old prior to the election and those recently naturalized as U.S. citizens should register to vote. In addition, due to frequently changing policies, in certain states, specific populations, such as formerly incarcerated individuals no longer in prison, are newly eligible to vote in the upcoming elections.
Most importantly, we must empower every eligible person to vote in the upcoming election and we must normalize asking others if they are registered to vote and offer assistance with voter registration, if needed.
Reminders
Early in-person voting begins on Wednesday, October 12. Now is the time to ensure that physicians and patients know when and where they can vote and select the date when they will vote. Physicians are busy and often lack control of work schedules. Similarly, many patients may not be in a position to easily take the time to vote due to work and family responsibilities. Making a plan to vote is critical. Find your polling location now!
In addition, early voting locations are often different from the assigned election day polling locations and voting hours can vary, so it is important to know where to go and at what time, if planning to vote early or on election day.
Voting represents power, and civic engagement is critical to our health. It is now more important than ever to ensure that each of our voices is heard through our vote and that we encourage full participation of our eligible patients, colleagues, and communities in the upcoming election.
The results of this election will depend on voter turnout, and we must do everything in our power to make sure that every eligible person in our nation exercises their right to vote.
The actions that we take now to register every eligible person to vote, to make concrete plans outlining when, where, and how we will vote, to eliminate barriers to voting that physicians and patients face, and to empower patients and physicians to know their rights and vote this election season will determine the election outcomes and will directly influence patient health and our nation’s health.
Voting is our right and no one who is eligible to vote should pass up the opportunity to have their voices heard at the ballot box because every vote really does matter, and we should ensure that we and all of our eligible patients, colleagues, students and trainees vote this election season from early voting beginning on Wednesday, October 12, to Election Day on Tuesday, November 8.
Please contact Government Relations Director Jeremy Blake with questions or for assistance.