IGNITE's Blog

Your vote does matter! There is no way to say that loudly enough. We need to knock down every argument we hear about why voting doesn’t matter because it truly does. In 2016, the winning margin in Michigan averaged only two votes per precinct. Even if you don’t live in a swing state, you should still vote. Why? Because there’s a lot of talk about contesting the results of this election if President Trump isn’t reelected. However, it’s awfully hard to contest a landslide win.

A recent analysis found that more than 558,000 presidential primary election ballots were rejected because of mistakes. Yikes! That means that over 100,000 people didn’t get their votes counted or voices heard. 

Unless you're living under a rock, you've probably been hearing a lot about making a plan to vote. Due to several factors unique to this election cycle - the pandemic, cutbacks to the USPS, rampant misinformation, and blatant voter suppression - it isn't enough to be a registered voter. You need a detailed plan to get your ballot, cast your vote, and check that it's counted. 

Elections have consequences. Just as voting has the power to reshape our country with each election, so does not voting. Which is why voter apathy is so frustrating. Deciding who and what to vote for is an active choice, but so is not voting.

Are you one of the younger Gen Zers who can’t yet vote in general or local elections, and are screaming ‘What about me?’. This post is for you.

Elections are one way we can address real-life issues such as climate change, immigration, systemic racism, police brutality, and so on, on a local, state, and federal level. Through voting, we can work toward creating a better future for the generations to come. Elections are important and the outcomes impact all of us. 

During the 1960s, Alabama was at the center of the fight for voting rights yet today, six decades later, it’s still one of the most difficult places to register to vote and cast a ballot. As other states have evolved policies for early voting, voter registration, and vote-by-mail, a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center shows pretty much the opposite in Alabama. 

A presidential election during a global pandemic is just one more challenging circumstance for Americans to navigate in 2020. As a result, several states have expanded absentee voting in the past few months to allow people who are concerned about contracting COVID-19 to vote-by-mail instead of at the polls. However, Tennessee is one of six states that still requires an excuse in order to cast a ballot by mail.

Believe it or not, Wisconsin used to be one of the easiest states to vote in. Other states looked to the Barger State as a golden example of voting. Things have been steadily changing, though. 

Virginia once had the dubious distinction of being called the “second hardest state to vote in.” While it’s still harder to vote in Virginia than some other states, it is making significant progress.