Today, I attended a workshop on being an informed voter. After inquiring about what moves us to vote for a candidate: tv ads, negative campaigns, mailed literature, debates, forums, door to door solicitation or all of the above; the million dollar question was asked, “Do you know your rights as a voter?” Here is what I learned today:
- You have until June 5th to register to vote (for the primary) and October 16 (for the general election).
- Early voting is from June 14th-21st from 10:00am-8:00pm (for the primary) and October 25th-November 1st (for the general election). There are 11 locations in Prince Georges County.
- You can go to the Board of Elections website to confirm if you are registered, your polling place and your local and state representatives.
- If you show up to the polling location and run into any issues of not being able to vote, please call 1-866-OUR-VOTE. This is a national wide advocacy group established to protect your rights.
I also learned that felons in the state of Maryland can vote as long as they are not incarcerated. If someone has served their time, they may need to re-register to vote as long absences of not voting removes you from the list. WOW. I am hoping to share this with as many people as I can and hope you do the same.
Remember, I shared I am determined to be a better constituent. For me, this means I have to walk the walk. At the end of the meeting, I signed up to become a certified election judge. I cannot point the finger at anyone unless I am willing to take the time to get involved. So fitting for me as this all happened today on what would have been Malcolm X’s 93rd birthday. My admiration for him has always been his quest for knowledge; the determination to do what is right and not just accept what is given or to told to you.
Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today. – Malcolm X
Thank you el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz
shespeaking.com 
Walk the walk
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