Submitted by Ande Finley

For the second year in a row, Huddle Lopez Island, an action network focused on defending progressive values and building a community based on inclusion, tolerance and fairness, is sponsoring voter registration at the Lopez Library on Tuesday, Sept. 24, starting at 10 a.m., in conjunction with a national holiday celebrating our democracy.

National Voter Registration Day, first observed in 2012, seeks to create broad awareness of voter registration opportunities to reach tens of thousands of voters who may not register otherwise. Every year millions of Americans find themselves unable to vote because they miss a registration deadline, don’t update their registration, or aren’t sure how to register. In 2018, over 800,000 voters used National Voter Registration Day to register to vote across all 50 states.

New in 2019 in Washington state is same-day voter registration, also called Election Day registration, which enables voters who provide proof of residency (e.g. utility bill, pay stub) and identity (e.g. driver’s license, state ID) to register and vote at the same time. In addition, Washington State enacted an automatic voter registration system in which eligible voters are automatically registered to vote whenever they interact with government agencies like departments of motor vehicles. For felons, voting rights are restored upon completion of prison time, parole, and probation, but updating registration may be necessary.

Held annually on the fourth Tuesday of September, National Voter Registration Day not only ensures that everyone has the opportunity to vote, but provides a day of civic unity, an opportunity to set aside differences and celebrate democracy and the rights and privileges we all share as Americans.

Huddle will be staffing voter registration at the library on Sept. 24 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Contact info@huddlelopez.us if you would like to volunteer for a shift.