A Guide to Voting in the Arkansas General Election

(Photo by Theresa Thompson)

We have heard from our grandparents and history books that Democracy only works if the people participate. As many times as the importance of our role in Democracy has been preached to us, our generation consistently has the smallest turnout on election day and the lowest percentage of registered voters.  

The Arkansas 2014 General Election is around the corner, and we have a lot to consider before voting on November 4th.  Top news organizations are following the Natural State’s senate race and it has been identified as a key election in determining who will hold the senate majority. Besides a competitive senate race, the ballot consists of other offices up for reelection and a few measures that will impact our daily lives in Arkansas.

• REGISTER TO VOTEFirst order of business, register to vote. Registering is insanely easy, thanks to the Internet. In Arkansas the deadline to register is 30 days before the next election. This means you have a couple weeks left to get online and fill out a voter registration form.

• LEARN WHAT IS ON THE BALLOTThere are two measures on the 2014 ballot that you need to know about. These measures concern two things students love: money and alcohol. One measure is aimed at raising the minimum wage in Arkansas from $6.25 to $8.50. The other measure would legalize the manufacturing, transportation and sale of alcohol statewide. Basically, in this election you can vote to make more money and to turn the 38 dry counties in Arkansas into wet counties. This could bring you one step closer to being able to buy wine on Sundays in Washington County. 
• GET TO KNOW THE CANDIDATESThe Arkansas senate race is one of the closest this cycle and it is being followed by national media like CNN and Politico. If you are not sure where each candidate stands on the issues that you care about and want an easy way to find out who shares your views, check out this website. The Vote Smart website lets you pick your state and asks you simple questions about where you stand on a range of 13 major issues. Based on your answers, vote smart shows you which politicians up for election share your beliefs and gives you information about each candidate.

(photo from adventuresinlearning)

Still not convinced that you should vote?The biggest issues congress votes on when in session directly impact your life, making it important for you to vote for someone who represents your interests. Things like education reform (your student loans), reproductive rights (your birth control), health care (your insurance that covers your doctor appointments), transportation (your route to work that is permanently under construction) and many more are issues that the people elected in November will vote on when in office. You have to live with the effects of your elected official’s actions; if you do not vote, you lose the right to complain. If you are like any girl in her twenties, you probably love to voice your complaints, so why deprive yourself of the fantastic freedom to criticize congress?

(image by Rich Tu on designworklife.com)