The people’s will during election seasons can be thwarted by myriad means, such as: gerrymandering by state legislators (re-drawing voting districts to accord incumbents advantage); flooding races with special-interest funds; perpetuating false “facts”, “news”, and debunked lies about their opponent; illegally rendering millions of voters invalid; using false claims about voter fraud to impose arbitrary ID requirements on voters that serve to reduce the numbers of poor, minority, and student voters; and nullifying the popular vote in favor of an antiquated, specious, and imbalanced electoral college.
Lady Passion and *Diuvei strongly encourage Pagans and Witches to serve as an antithesis and antidote to voter corruption. One way to do so is to man the polls, as we’ve done for many years.
Participating directly in the political process has taught us a great deal about its oft-paradoxical reality. For example, even though our state of North Carolina currently has one of the most corrupt legislatures in the nation (thanks to gerrymandering), the measures and polling practices that our state law imposes to ensure that no voter is improperly influenced and each vote is fairly counted are so stringent that they assume an aspect of ritual purity.
We work scrupulously to enable voters of all (and no) parties to perform the central rite of democracy: voting. At the same time, our teamwork, service to our community, and the opportunity to meet and interact positively with so many of our neighbors make every Election Day an emotionally as well as financially rewarding experience for us.
Here are some ways in which we encourage everyone to participate in the politics which affect us all:
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Be a pollworker.
Prevent voter intimidation and fraud and get paid $85 to $200 each election (depending on your state) by working as a pollworker in your local precinct. Becoming one isn’t hard: Most states require only that you be a registered voter affiliated with a political party, and most also allow students to work the polls in some capacity.
To see what qualifications you need to be a poll worker, look up your state in the national Compendium of State Poll Worker Requirements.
Then, contact the official or agency listed for your state in the table in the first part of the Compendium under “Nomination Process To Become a Poll Worker”. You should be able to find their contact info easily through Google.
Find out how to apply. Usually, you’ll be accepted and attend a paid training session before the next election.
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Register to vote.
Re-register if you move, and contact your local Voter Registration Board before every election, to ensure that your data on record are accurate and you know where to go to cast your vote.
If you’re disabled, overseas, or an expatriate living abroad, request that they mail you an absentee ballot.
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Vote in every election.
Voting is your duty as a citizen. Be it local, state, or national, any election’s outcome can hinge on a tiny handful of votes — including yours.
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Vote your Pagan values.
Support candidates with party platforms or agendas, speeches, or tweets, etc., that eschew antiquated notions of “jobs”, “economy”, and “wealth” (all increasingly automated and overly concentrated) in favor of acknowledging and ameliorating climate change, fostering inclusive equality, and being sincerely diplomatic and promoting world peace and religious freedom.
Don’t be fooled by some politicians’ Orwellian code words. For example, “reducing excessive regulations” actually means allowing corporations to pollute the environment, harm their workers, and deceive consumers with impunity.