Use Your Voice: Your Vote Matters

Last updated on October 31, 2024

The election is less than a month away, which means it’s time to vote (if you haven’t already during early voting)! Now is your chance to use your voice to create positive, lasting change in your community and our nation as a whole. Plus, by exercising your right to vote — a right for which so many women fought tirelessly — you are showing the girls in your life that they, too, can use their voices for good.

At Girls on the Run, one of our core values is recognizing our power and responsibility to be intentional in our decision making. Voting exemplifies this core value; by acknowledging the power and responsibility we have as individuals in this election, we can effect change within our communities and beyond from the inside out.

Want to be a #GOTRvoter? Here are some helpful voting tips and resources:

• Early voting:
  • Check your state’s calendar.
• Absentee voting:
  • It’s easy! Visit usa.gov/absentee-voting for more information.
• In-person voting:
  • Click this link to look up polling places in your county.
  • Visit Power the Polls to learn how you can volunteer on election day.
• Local elections:
  • Start broadly: If you don’t know where to begin, search online for the secretary of state’s office or the board of elections. You may find a comprehensive list of resources there.
    • Tip! Find credible sources and look for .gov website addresses for resources directly from your local government.
  • Read local news sources: You can often find candidate lists or resources in news sources.
    • Tip! Be sure to check out multiple news resources to ensure you have the most reliable sources of information.
  • Try direct outreach: Contact your local city hall and they can point you in the right direction.
• Election Day:
  • Voter guides provide information on candidates and ballot measures. You can often find these through your local or regional news sources, through local issue-specific organizations, or delivered to your mailbox.
    • Tip! BallotReady.org‘s interactive ballot information helps you explore your ballot, compare candidate stances, and save your choices as you go.
    • Tip! Vote411.org also provides nonpartisan information to the public for both general and state elections.
  • Sample ballots are informational-only ballots showing the candidates and election measures you can expect to see on your real ballot. Unlike voter guides, sample ballots do not provide any information about the candidates.
    • Tip! Your state may mail you a sample ballot, but you can often access one from your state’s election site as well.
• Getting prepared:
  • Schedule time to become familiar with your ballot this year. Prepare the resources you’ll need to vote — whether by mail or in person.
  • Did you find a voter’s guide or other helpful resources as you prepare to vote? Spread the knowledge! Share it on social media or within your friends and family network.
  • Get to know your current legislators ahead of the election — find federal, state or local elected officials at usa.gov.

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