P lease stop reading this column. Put down your newspaper now, close your laptop and go to your polling place. Fill out your ballot and feed it into the machine. I’m serious.
Every single day since September, there have been people in the Pit holding clipboards and waiting to attack you with voter registration questions. You’re probably tired of bright-eyed interns asking you if you’ve made a voting plan or want to march to the polls with them.
I get it. We’re all burned out after exams, and there are rumors Beyonce is going to drop a new album this month. Investigating that whole situation (Tracks featuring Nicki Minaj and Rihanna? Y’all!) is obviously time-consuming. But this election is serious. As students, we need to turn out in droves today. We can’t afford to go halfway on this.
We have so little control over our lives as students. A group with significant power over our day-to-day lives, UNC’s Board of Governors, makes it incredibly difficult for our voice to be heard. Meetings are scheduled early in the morning, when most students are in class, and our one student representative is not allowed to vote or speak unless spoken to. We have to take what little power is afforded to us — especially the power to vote in elections, including those for the offices that determine BOG appointments. It’s painful to have to celebrate having even the smallest amount of political power, but that’s where we are.
There are so many people who hope that you — yes, you — don’t vote today. In the past few years, a multitude of voter suppression laws have been implemented to keep young people, people of color and poor people from the polls. Early voting and same-day registration have been cut, and voting locations at universities are becoming scarcer. Soon you’ll have to produce a government-issued ID. Time and energy have been invested in making it more difficult for you to vote.
Let’s take all the energy from two summers of Moral Monday protests and put it to work. To find your polling place, text “FIND” to 69866, or use one of many available online resources.
I’m not going to tell you who to vote for here. You do you. Besides, you probably already know who you’re supporting by now. But if you’re struggling to fit a visit to the polls into your Tuesday, consider those whose livelihoods depend on this election. Undocumented immigrants who want to keep their families together or uninsured patients whose health depends on Medicaid expansion. Think about the pregnant people who need access to health care. Think about the teachers who are considering moving to a state that values their talents and contributions.
If you’ve already voted, text five friends and remind them. Tell them why it’s important to you. Tell them how many likes their post-voting selfie will get on Instagram. Guarantee 30 likes, minimum.
