With the upcoming 2024 presidential election, one of the most important rights of American citizens is the right to vote. Originally, the United States Constitution did not define who specifically could vote, making only landowning white male citizens over twenty-one eligible. Article 1 of the Constitution determined that electing the president would not be by a direct vote but by the Electoral College. The Electoral College assigns several representative votes per state based on the state’s population. The reconstruction of the Fifteenth Amendment specifically dedicates itself to protecting the right of all citizens to vote, regardless of race. Before 1920, when the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified, women were only able to vote in select states. 

With the knowledge of the intense struggles to access voting rights for excluded groups, we should never take the right to vote for granted. 

The winning presidential candidate has the power to affect our nation’s domestic and international policies and treaties. The President is also responsible for the safety and security of the United States and its citizens. 

Voting prioritizes your values by making your voice heard as you choose who represents the people and government funding. Elections impact your everyday life. Will public transportation services be expanded? How much access to healthcare will you receive? What will immigration law look like? Those voted into office at the local, state, and federal levels of government ultimately make those life-changing decisions. By electing the people who have the same views and interests, you are standing up for the issues you believe in. Your freedom to vote is a right currently being challenged by new restrictions and laws that make it increasingly harder to vote early, vote by mail, gain language assistance, and even register to vote.

Register to vote TODAY! It takes only five minutes. You can register online, by mail, or in person. The online registration deadline for the Presidential election, which takes place on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, is a month before, on Tuesday, October 15, 2024. 

To register online, you will need a valid driver’s license or non-driver identification card OR a social security number. 

You can register online to vote now and make your voice heard.

You can register to vote by mail or in person on New Jersey’s election website.