Tuesday, November 3, 2020 is the Presidential Election Day. Also, there are a total of 470 seats in the U.S. Congress (35 Senate seats and all 435 House seats) that are up for election, including two special elections for the U.S. Senate. The voter registration deadline is October 13, 2020. Oregon offers online voter registration. You can register by mail to vote in Oregon by printing a voter registration form, filling it out, and mailing it to your local election office. You can also register to vote in person if you prefer. October 20, 2020 is the last day to mail ballots for the November 3, 2020 election. For more information, visit State of Oregon: Voting & Elections. This year marks a number of anniversaries granting the right to vote. 150th anniversary of the 15th amendment that granted African American men the right to vote in 1870 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment giving American women the right to vote in 1920. For Black women, however, the struggle for voting rights went on much longer and was only secured by the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibiting unequal application of voter registration requirements. It’s a time of reflection on both progress that’s been made and the work that remains in protecting our voting rights and strengthening our democracy. Recommended Ebooks
Presidential Elections and Majority Rule: The Rise, Demise, and Potential Restoration of the Jeffersonian Electoral College (eBook) The Electoral College that governs America has been with us since 1804, when Thomas Jefferson’s supporters redesigned it for his re-election. The Jeffersonians were motivated by the principle of majority rule. Electoral Integrity in America (eBook) Concern about the integrity of American elections did not start with Trump’s election, by any means; flaws in procedures have gradually grown during recent decades, initially amplifying with the 2000 Bush v. Gore Florida count. Ballot Blocked: The Political Erosion of the Voting Rights Act (eBook) Voting rights are a perennial topic in American politics. Recent elections and the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which struck down key enforcement provisions in the Voting Rights Act (VRA), have only placed further emphasis on the debate over voter disenfranchisement. The Handy American Government Answer Book: How Washington, Politics, and Elections Work (eBook) Filling the breach and answering basic questions about how our very complex government operates and what it promises, this book takes a comprehensive look at the historic development of the government, the functions of each branch of government, and the systems, people, and policies that comprise American democracy. >