Have You Registered to Vote? Monday is the Deadline

If you haven’t registered to vote yet, you have 1 day left to do so. Monday is the deadline and campaigns on both sides of the aisle are working up to the very last minute to make sure those eligible to vote, are part of the November 4 election.

Hugh Pike wants to make sure his voice is heard, so he made it a point to register to vote last week.

“Cause I think it’s our duty, we have to, we have to participate, if not I’m allowing someone else to dictate what’s going to happen. I want to be a part of the process,” Pike said.

Mid-term elections, historically, have had lower voter turnouts. In Riverside County, roughly 60% of eligible voters are actually registered to vote. Of those, only a fifth came out to the polls in June.

“The last 4 weeks 5 weeks we’ve been at the mall, and we have people there today as a matter of fact, so they’ll be making a push. We have people out in the field right now knocking on doors and getting people registered,” said Elle Kurpiewski, Office Manager of the Democratic Headquarters of the Desert.

She says the November election is a critical one.

“I know everyone hears that every election ‘This is the most important election of your entire life,’ – this is one of those moments when yes it is, cause it’s going to set the agenda for the last 2 years of of the president’s term,” Kurpiewski said.

“They need to get involved, everything that happens affects us all, so why can’t we have a voice, it’s the greatest privilege of living in a free society,” Pike said.

At the republican headquarters in La Quinta, a much different scene. Campaign volunteers and candidates spent the day canvassing neighborhoods outside the valley.

Once people are registered, campaigns will turn their attention to making sure voters get out to the polls or mail in their ballot.

“Contacting people and saying do you need a ride, do you need help in any way with the ballot?”

“That includes the non declared, those people that are not republican or democrat on their ballot. we want to ensure that people understand how important it is.”

You can register online at www.registertovote.ca.gov.

Paper applications are available at the Riverside County Registrar of Voters’ office, the DMV, post offices and public libraries. Those have to be hand delivered or posted marked by Monday at 11:59 P.M.

Election day is Tuesday, November 4th.