I voted!

Just turned my ballot into a box downtown. This year feels especially important, like if we get everyone we know out to vote then maybe just maybe 50.1% of the state will vote to retain our own bodily autonomy, while 49.9% vote to trample on everyone's rights.

This is my 10-15th time voting over the last 20 years in Oregon, and again Oregon does it right. We get a thick voter information packet that includes summaries of every candidate we can vote for and all the propositions that shows up about a month before Election Day. 3 weeks before Election Day a ballot shows up in your mailbox and I get a text, email, and automated phone call the moment it is mailed towards me (shows up a day or two later). Once you get it you have more than two weeks to look stuff up, see which paper endorses which candidates, use the info book or google or both, and ask around to figure out who the best choices are for the local seats that will directly affect me.

Then you bust out a pen, color in some bubbles, and you're done in a few minutes. There are county drop boxes all over but you can also drop it in the mail for free delivery too. I prefer the boxes because it feels most like old timey voting.

Everyone in the country should be able to early vote by mail and take their time to research choices at their leisure instead of standing in massive lines on just one day whenever anyone wants to make their voice heard.