A photo ID is required to vote in the 2024 election, such as a Nebraska driver's license or state ID, an ID issued by a postsecondary school in Nebraska, military ID, or a hospital or nursing home record that shows your name and photo.
As election day approaches, political TV ads, phone texts, and political cards in the mail are making their last push before the election on November 5, though, at times, this last push can feel like a gust of wind so strong that it could knock us off our feet.
Many Americans plan to head to the polls this Tuesday, but what about those who are unsure about who to vote for, don’t think either of the major presidential candidates are good, or don’t feel strongly about certain issues? Should they still vote?
Although there are many polarizing issues up to be voted on in the upcoming election, that doesn’t mean that someone who doesn’t have a strong opinion on certain topics or favor one candidate over the other shouldn’t vote all together, or even shouldn’t vote on that particular topic. If everyone who didn’t feel they had a strong opinion didn’t vote, everyone in that category would amass a large number of people whose choice would not be heard. If everyone in the entire country who felt that way didn’t vote, it would compound to an extremely large number of people, and a percentage of Americans, for that matter, whose voice wouldn’t be counted on laws going into effect in the state they live in and the leaders who would represent them.
Though there is the argument of not knowing how to vote on certain issues and therefore not voting at all, there are many state laws and referendums to current laws, not to mention local and state offices on the ballot, all of which will impact voters and their families living in Nebraska. For those people who don’t vote, their voice isn’t included in making the decisions that will impact our life in our state, future policies that will be made, and our leaders as a country.
Though voting regardless of the strength of one’s feelings is important, that’s not to say that I would encourage one to go into voting blindly or to not do additional research before voting on a candidate they are split on, however. With the access we have to the internet, there are many ways to be informed, including finding a sample ballot in the Hastings Tribune or looking up the sample ballot online, googling the website of a candidate and reviewing their beliefs and previous voting history, or googling things like “What will be the effect of Law A if it goes into effect in Nebraska?” to find a variety of perspectives of why people vote different ways on certain topics.
For those who don’t morally agree with either candidate, I would vote for the one whose policies and stances benefit your family and align with your stances the most, however, you can vote however you want regardless of my opinion on how you should make your decision.
Although it seems that the only thing one sees when opening technology this time of the year is one message: “Vote,” or consequently, “Are you registered to vote?,” my personal twist is: Get educated. Vote.
