NBC12 Viewpoint: It’s time to get out and vote!

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - The voting has begun! If you have visited a polling location lately you might be confused by the lines and may wonder if it’s Nov. 3, Election Day. But don’t worry you’re not confused; early voting has begun and it’s in full swing.

As many of you know, during the last presidential election, nationally only 61% of eligible voters even bothered to vote! That means that 61 percent of us who vote regularly during these cycles are speaking for the other 39 percent of Americans that, for one reason or another, have decided not to participate in this part of our democracy.

And when we look at the stats during non-presidential election years, the participation numbers are even lower. I really don’t understand it, but that’s a commentary for another day.

Today, I want to focus on the extraordinary opportunity that all of us have right now: the opportunity to vote early. I can tell you from personal experience that it was truly an easy process. I decided to request a mail-in ballot, and my plan was to mail it back in, but my wife convinced me to go to the polls and drop it off. That was a great decision.

Like many of you, I voted early for the first time in my life and it felt great. Of course, you still have the option to mail it in. And even though the instructions still say you need a witness, this year you do not.

For those of you who don’t have a ballot, but want to vote early, just have the proper I.D. and go to the polls like it’s Election Day.

And guess what, you can track your ballot online and see when your vote has been counted.

If you don’t vote, that’s ok, but please don’t complain to the 61 percent, our backs are hurting from carrying you all of these years. Please vote early if you can, but don’t forget to vote on Nov. 3.

For information about voting, go to NBC12.com and click on Decision2020.

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