Vote, Michigan!

This time, you have no excuses...

Around southeast Michigan during the last month or two, I have been amazed at the number of times I have seen a local store or restaurant advertising the upcoming November election. Perhaps I never noticed it before, but when I walked into a local 7-11 a few weeks ago and saw a large display right near the checkout counter advertising the national event, I felt compelled to mention it to the cashier.

I am very impressed and grateful that international companies like 7-11 not only recognize the importance of voting, but that they advocate part of their own profits into making sure that customers are aware of the election and are educated on the many facets of the voting process, including registration, ballots, party platforms and everything in between.

For those of you out there that have ignored these calls to vote or have put them off, you are in luck: you still have until the end of business on October 4 to register to vote. The Secretary of State, along with other businesses and agencies, have done everything possible to make registering to vote an easy and painless process. All you need to do is take 15 minutes out of your day tomorrow, go to a Secretary of State branch, and tell the nice people there that you would like to register to vote. And, in a few minutes, you will be given notice that you are a registered voter, able to cast your ballot any way you choose come November 2.

With all of the publicity and efforts that have been put into getting U.S. citizens to vote this election day, you no longer have any valid excuse for not being registered. I cannot imagine any boss or company owner that would deny you a little extra time on your lunch break tomorrow to get to a SOS branch to register; if you work for someone like that, you need to quit and you know it. It is time that we took responsibility on ourselves for the future of our country. We have all seen many times what can happen in a four-year time period, so whether you are happy with the last four years or disgusted with it, the only way to make your voice heard is to register to vote.