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Make Sure Your Vote Counts!

1.Know where your polls are and when they close.
Most polls close between 6pm and 9pm. In some states, such as Maine, you only need to be in line at the time the polls close in order to vote - others may not be as lenient. Also, make sure you are voting at the correct voting place - your vote may not count if you go to the wrong location.
2.Make sure you're registered.
In some states you can register at the polls on Election Day (Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Wyoming. North Dakota does not have voter registration).
3.Leave the Obama or McCain sweatshirt at home.
It's not a good idea to wear political clothes, buttons, stickers, etc to the polls. Many states restrict how close you can get to the actual polling station with politically motivated speech.
4.Bring photo identification.
AARP advises everyone to bring information identifying them by name and address and, if possible, with a photo. At the very least bring a utility bill for your current home address, and, if possible, a driver's license or work ID.
5.Vote.
The fact is in 2004 the election was settled by a matter of less than 120,000 votes in Ohio; in 2000 it came down to 537 votes in Florida. This doesn't even count state wide races, such as for Governor of Washington in 2004 which was decided by 129 votes. The reality is that in 2004, more than 14 million people who were registered to vote did not. When elections come down to thousands, hundreds and sometimes dozens of votes, showing up is everything.
Election Day is November 4th (that's tomorrow!). Vote.

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