Tuesday, November 6, 2012 marks not only an election of the next United States President but also Senators and Representatives and many other political offices at the Federal and State levels.
Politicians everywhere want our votes and each group that has a large number of votes can push for important legal and political issues. Ask the candidates who want your vote what they will do for the rights of deaf and hard of hearing people! Vote for the candidate who you think will promote our rights!
By registering to vote and actually voting for your elected officials, deaf and hard of hearing people can achieve many political and legal goals. You only have to register once to vote every year, but if you move to a new home, you need to inform the election officials in your state.
Excellent information on the importance of voting is provided in American Sign Language (ASL) at this wonderful website:
Registration deadlines have passed in some states, but some states still allow people to register and some even allow registration on Election Day! Find out when your state’s registration deadline is at this website:
http://www.longdistancevoter.org/voter_registration_deadlines#.UIVYH1FTCSo
Many states have absentee and early voting so you could vote now! Check if and when you can vote early by looking at these websites:
http://apps.npr.org/early-voting-2012/
http://www.longdistancevoter.org/early_voting_rules#.UIVYiFFTCSo
http://www.ncsl.org/legislatures-elections/elections/absentee-and-early-voting.aspx
Get out and VOTE! Your rights depend on it!