Voting in this year’s November election is more important than ever. With election day coming soon on November 3rd, people are wondering: how can we vote if we are in the midst of a pandemic? What about social distancing? How can we stay safe and execute our civic duty? Do not worry because California has made it easier for us to ensure we can get our votes in and have our voices heard.
First things first, make sure you are registered to vote. You can do it online at https://registertovote.ca.gov/ and it takes less than two minutes. During registration, you will see the option to vote through the mail, also known as absentee voting. If you miss this little step, don’t worry because due to COVID-19 California issued an executive order that will allow every registered voter to execute our right to vote safely. As a result of the order, anyone who is registered to vote in California by October 19, 2020, will automatically get a mail-in ballot for this year’s election.
If you still feel the urge to go out and hit the polls, counties have been encouraged to have four days of in-person voting to reduce lines. Physical distancing will be enforced, everything will be sanitized, and tight areas will have plexiglass partitions to ensure everyone’s health and safety. When you are voting, make sure to correctly fill out all the information on the ballot.
There are many concerns that will be addressed through this year’s election that can affect seniors. For example, the Affordable Care Act may get a full repeal. For senior citizens this would result in eliminating coverage of free preventive services, higher prices for chemotherapy, skilled nursing care, and increased costs of dialysis if on a Medicare Advantage Plan, and the “donut hole” which is the prescription drug coverage gap, therefore increasing the financial burden for seniors for medication. For more guidance on senior issues, visit Voting Guide: 2020 Issues That Matter to Seniors.
2020 has hit us with many unexpected and unprecedented circumstances. Many people are still worried about how they will go on with their daily lives during this pandemic. In the midst of the pandemic, there have been protests on the loss of black citizens’ lives from police brutality, changes in Women’s Reproductive Rights, and most recently, the entire west coast is experiencing intense wildfires — the worst fires thus far. With so many issues being brought up this year, citizens are displeased with how the government is responding to them. This 2020 election will allow us to use our voices to push the government to address these issues.
If you feel overwhelmed with who to vote for, go to https://justfacts.votesmart.org/ to fill out a questionnaire of the interests you support to see which candidate fits you the most. This helps make the voting process easier while informing you of what exactly you are voting for and what can result from voting.
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By Terene Batino
Senior Care Advising Intern at WellPath Partners
Human Development Student at California State University, Long Beach
