Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Vote or Die


So the Elevator Captive Network yesterday had something about how Hillary and Obama are encouraging people everywhere to get out and vote. A few years ago, Diddy told me to either vote or die. My main question is, while it's all great to tell everyone to vote, they always forget to tell you how in the hell you register to do the actual voting. I would be 100% happy to start voting if someone could tell me: a) how to register b) when the elections are, c) where I'm supposed to go to do this "voting," d) that I didn't have to use a vacation day in order to do this shit.

I mean, every election I feel like all the political people on CNN talk about how little of the population turns out and they always blame it on apathy, tv, the internet or junk food and somehow no one ever thinks it's because registering to vote involves knowing people that know about these things who also remind you about this and tell you exactly how to do it. It's like when they made people take literacy tests in order to vote, these days it's actually worse because you have to have at least a PhD to figure this shit out. Trust me, I have a pretty shamazing education from very exceedingly high caliber schools, and if I don't know how to vote I'm pretty confident no one does.

I think the last time I voted was for school treasurer in 5th grade, against the popular kid and for the Russian immigrant Dima who didn't have a chance but I wanted to encourage the American Dream. Let me also just say I don't really care about voting in the primaries because I took an online quiz to see who I should vote for because I obviously don't have time to read up on what candidates stand for, and it told me Dennis Kucinich, but then someone told me he was out of the race so now there would be no point.

5 comments:

megan said...

i registered by obtaining a valid NY State identification card (note: not a license, since i've totalled 4 cars) - once you get an ID/license, the state automatically adds to the registry of voters (i think i might have had to check a box for this to happen). there is a DMV at bowling green where you can make this happen, but i'm sure there are also more direct routes to becoming a registered voter.

like for example this site: http://electionimpact3.votenet.com/declareyourself/voterreg2%5Fret/

which i can't actually vouch for since i've never used it.

once you are actually registered, everything is much easier - they send you a little reminder in the mail, and it tells you exactly where your polling location is (if i had to guess for you marin, it's probably the same as mine, which is that theater on 1st ave between 9th and 10th.)

you can also use this handy dandy polling location finder website: http://gis.nyc.gov/vote/ps/index.htm

just put in your address and it will tell you

Cohen said...

Seriously, Marin? Have you met the internet?

You can register to vote online. Then you print out a form, sign it and mail it-- you do not even have to pay postage.

Hummer212121 said...

Print out this pdf, fill the form out, and then send it postage-free on the already-addressed card. http://www.vote.nyc.ny.us/pdf/forms/boe/voterreg/voterregenglish.pdf

Unknown said...

i dont know much about voting, but i do appreciate the dima drukarov, reference. did he run on that ticket with yana kimmleblatt and eugene meseretsky?

Above14thSt said...

The funny thing about this campaign was that they did a study and about half the celebrities, most famously Paris Hilton, who were featured in the ads, didn't even vote...but they didn't die either.