1. Voting is the foundation of our democracy.
America is built on the ballots that were cast in every election since our founding. Like anything, the shape of our democracy shifts with time, but one truth remains constant: democracy only works when we work it. It is our participation in the democratic process that keeps our country strong.
2. We won’t see real change unless we vote for it.
Systemic change doesn’t happen by asking for it, it happens by voting for it. Electing officials who are committed to championing the issues that we care about is how we make real change happen.
3. In Delaware, voting is easier than ever.
Due to the pandemic, vote by mail is now an option for every eligible Delaware voter in this year’s general election. You don’t even have to change out of your WFH sweatpants to cast your ballot. It doesn’t get any easier than that!
4. If you don’t use it, you could lose it.
When we say “vote like your rights depend on it,” it’s because they do. While you might not see justice reform, voting rights, education equity, immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive freedom, or racial justice directly on the ballot, every single one of those issues is at stake. If you don’t use your right to vote for the candidates who will protect and expand your rights, you may be electing candidates who are committed to systemically revoking rights that are critical to you, your family, your neighbors, and your friends.
5. Free stickers!
Who doesn’t love free stickers?! We realize that if you voted by mail you probably won’t be getting an “I Voted” sticker, a long-loved tradition of in-person voting, so if you’d like to celebrate your love for democracy and stickers, email us at aclu@aclu-de.org and we’ll send you a free ACLU sticker pack!
6. Bragging rights.
When you vote you’re taking part in something much bigger than any one person. Your vote matters, your voice matters, and when you cast your ballot you earn the best kind of bragging rights: you get to let everyone know you helped fight for your country by keeping the foundation of our democracy strong.
7. Because history doesn’t have to repeat itself.
Generations before us fought hard to protect and expand our right to vote. Those fights shouldn’t have to be repeated. Using your vote is essential to protecting the voting rights victories we’ve already won, and to expanding those victories to ensure that every person who should be able to vote in America is able to do so.
8. To have a say in how your money is spent.
Is your tax money going toward the things that matter most to you and your community? Your vote is vital to electing officials who are committed to spending our hard-earned money on the things that will help our communities thrive.
9. Because those who can’t vote need you to stand up for them, too.
Children in cages. Incarcerated people unable to protect themselves from COVID. Undocumented families in fear of ICE. Kids who need a healthy planet. Some people with felony convictions on their record. These are all examples of people who don’t have the right to vote in America. They’re counting on you to elect people who will fight for them, too.
10. America is worth fighting for, and your vote is one of the best fighting tools you have.
Even in our darkest moments, America is worth fighting for. The strongest systemic fight that we have is our vote. We can come together to use that vote to elect candidates who care about the best of this country like we do. We can use our vote, our fight, to build on the foundations of this democracy and create the America that we can all believe in.