National Voter Registration Day in Norwalk

***

Election day is November 6, and now is the time to make sure you and your friends and family are registered to vote. The deadlines are October 23 for mail-in registration and October 30 for in-person registration.

Rosaria Konstantin, a member of the Norwalk League of Women Voters, said, “When you think of how hard women worked to get the vote, you realize that voting is a hard-earned privilege, and we mustn’t let any opportunity escape us to exercise this right.” Throughout the summer, the League partnered with the NAACP-Norwalk and Common Cause in Connecticut to register voters at Calf Pasture Beach and other venues, and the Wilton Friends (Quaker) Meeting sponsored a voter registration table at the SoNoArts Festival. League member Diane Keefe, who coordinated the SoNoArts drive, said, “Voting is important every year, but especially this year because the U.S. Senate majority could swing on Connecticut. So this year it’s particularly important for people in Connecticut to vote.”

Voter registration events are continuing at various locations around Norwalk—look for the “Are You Registered to Vote?” signs.

In addition to new voters, registration is necessary for those who have moved to a different address—either within the same town or in a different town—and those who have changed their name, as many women do upon getting married. If you have not voted in many years, you may have been dropped from the voter rolls and need to re-register. All U.S. citizens age 18 and over (and 17-year-olds who will be 18 by election day) are eligible to register and vote. Individuals who have previously been convicted of a felony can register and vote after completing their confinement and parole. Active-duty military personnel and American citizens who live outside the U.S. can register and receive an absentee ballot by using a single form, the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), which is postage-paid in the U.S. mail, including the Military Postal System and State Department Pouch mail. Voters who are U.S. residents and need to vote absentee must first be registered before they can request an absentee ballot.

If you are unsure whether you are already a registered voter, you can verify your registration with the Registrar of Voters in city hall, or on the Secretary of the State website at http://www.dir.ct.gov/sots/LookUp.aspx .

This year, many Americans have questions about voter ID because of newly enacted voter ID laws in several states. Connecticut’s voter ID requirements, however, have not changed. To register, you need to provide your Connecticut driver's license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number; this will be confirmed by the state's centralized voter registration system. At the polls on election day, you will need to show a driver’s license, Social Security card, or other preprinted document that includes your name and either your address, your signature, or a photograph—such as a student ID, a utility bill, or a rent receipt. Connecticut recently enacted laws that will implement online voter registration and election-day registration, but these will not go into effect until 2013-2014.

Yolanda Skinner, voter registration coordinator with NAACP-Norwalk, has met with The Open Door Shelter’s director about the National Coalition for the Homeless “You Don’t Need a Home to Vote” project. She said, “It is excellent how many nonprofits realize how important this coming election is, and they are making sure people are aware of what they need in order to have access to voting—and that they can vote.” Voter registration volunteer Alan Botens added, “There is now virtually no limit to how much corporations, special interests and super-rich individuals can distort the political process. But no one can stop you from voting. Unless you fail to register.”;

Responding to the question of why voting matters, Cheri Quickmire, Executive Director of Common Cause in Connecticut, said, “Voting brings us together as Americans and strengthens our communities. As American citizens, it is our responsibility and civic duty to vote.”;

For more information about National Voter Registration Day, visit http://www.nationalvoterregistrationday.org/faqs

Following are online resources for voter registration and voting information.

Brennan Center for Justice Student Voting Guide (also useful for non-students)

http://www.brennancenter.org/content/student_voting/

Federal Voting Assistance Program Absentee Ballot site for Active Duty Military and Civilians Living Outside the U.S.

http://www.fvap.gov/

League of Women Voters “Take Control—Vote” public service announcement

http://library.lwv.org/content/take-control-vote

League of Women Voters “Vote 411” interactive information site

http://www.vote411.org/

Long-Distance Voter

http://www.longdistancevoter.org/voter_registration_deadlines

National Coalition for the Homeless Voting Rights: Registration Manual

http://www.nationalhomeless.org/projects/vote/Manual_2012.pdf

Overseas Vote Foundation

https://www.overseasvotefoundation.org/vote/home.htm

Rock the Vote’s Voter Help Desk for Connecticut

http://www.rockthevote.com/register/register2.html?partner=1&source=WEWILLPSA60REG