Things to Do Before Election Day
In order to participate in the upcoming elections, voters must be United States citizens. However, each state has its own set of guidelines for registering.
So you've registered to vote, but you'll be away from your place of residence on Election Day? Select your state to get information on early voting options or obtaining an absentee ballot.
Obtain a Voter's Guide
National organizations, major newspapers and certain special interest groups produce Voter's Guides that highlight candidates' positions on specific issues and may also track their legislative voting history. Some of these are decidedly balanced and non-partisan, so be careful to note the source of your guide. Some organizations will report voting records in such a way as to favor (or discredit) a particular candidate. Some examples of Voter's Guides are:
To see how current members of Congress fair on ASHA's issues, visit our Elected Officials page on the ASHA Take Action site and search for your legislators. Select the "Bills" tab once you have chosen a legislator and see their cosponsorship status on key ASHA legislation.
Sign up to work the polls on Election Day.
In advance of the elections, candidates are aggressively campaigning, holding town hall meetings and other forums, as well as participating in meetings with the public to engage their constituencies. Speech-language pathologists and audiologists should use this opportunity to educate them on the professions. For help finding out about when town hall meetings will be held feel free to e-mail gotv@asha.org.
There are a variety of ways you can help a specific candidate; a local, state, or national party committee; or an outside interest group prior to Election Day. Volunteering your time and resources to a campaign is the next step in political involvement and gives you an opportunity to educate the campaign on the importance of speech-language pathologists and audiologists.