With the wealth of knowledge we have at our fingertips, Rational Ignorance should no longer prevent the majority of Americans from voting. It is getting easier and easier to register and vote in elections and we should be taking advantage of this convenience to make more informed decisions.

Why Vote?

It’s sad that it is even necessary to include an answer to this question in this post, but I really do want to emphasize the importance of voting. Vote because you have the right to. Because it costs you nothing. Because it affects your life and the lives of those around you. Because you have a choice in the matter of who rules you. Because men and women have died so that you could have this right. Because there are still people in our world who are denied the right to choose their government. It doesn’t matter what you think of the system. Exercise your right. Okay, that said let’s talk about the basics…

Basics

Before we can vote for president we have to vote for who we will vote for. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by. Depending on what state you are from you will have the opportunity to vote in a primary or caucus. These elections determine which Republican nominee and Democratic nominee for president will appear on the ballot in November. Statistically your vote actually counts more in these elections because less people turn out to vote (read: don't skip this one!).

Get Informed

It's almost as bad to go to the polls uninformed as it is not to vote. Before you show up do some research on the candidates to find out who they are and who you think would do the best job.

Here are your options.

If you have registered as a Democrat you have two options for the democratic nominee:

Hillary Clinton

or

Bernie Sanders

If you have registered as a Republican then you have more options (alphabetically ordered):

Jeb Bush

Ben Carson

Ted Cruz

John Kasich

Marco Rubio

Donald Trump

I’ve included links to each candidate’s website so that you can find out what each of them has to say about what they stand for. Or take this quiz that matches you up with the candidate you agree with the most ideologically (keeping in mind of course that even if you agree with someone ideologically it is important to take into account their character and actions).

How to Vote

In order to vote you must first register. This can be done by going online to THIS website, but only thirty out of fifty of our states offer the option to register online so there is also a mail in form for those living in the other twenty states. Depending on where you live it might be too late to register to vote in the primaries (or caucuses), but don't worry too much because it’s not too late to register to vote for the presidential election in November.

Depending on where you live you are assigned to a certain voting precinct. It's kind of important to research yours so you know where to cast your ballot. Just look up your precinct by your address.

Or if you are out of state or busy on election day, cast an absentee ballot (this links to the form to request an absentee ballot). The rules for requesting an absentee ballot vary from state to state so check to make sure you 1) are eligible for a ballot and 2) send in your ballot ahead of time.

I hope this post is informative and helpful to you as election day gets closer.