Voter registration drives, like the ones we’ll be holding across the country this weekend, are a great reminder of why I do this: to help people become more civically engaged in their communities and in their country.

My advice for when you’re out there registering voters? Start with a simple question: “Is your voter registration up to date at your current address?” People may have moved, or changed their names. It’s important to ask everyone if they need to re-register, too.

And don’t forget to ask people to sign up to volunteer—but only after they’ve completed their voter registration form!

Put these organizing tips into action—join a voter registration drive near you this weekend.

A new interactive map on romneyeconomics.com shows how Mitt Romney’s business decisions impacted communities across the country. In Colorado alone:

• Denver jobs were lost when SMTC Corporation moved production to Mexico.

• Mattress Discounters closed multiple stores in the Denver area, before declaring bankruptcy.

• Boulder-based NetLibrary cut jobs, before declaring bankruptcy.

• AMF Bowling laid off workers and closed a manufacturing plant.

• An Alliance Entertainment distribution center was closed.

• A Dynamic Details plant in Colorado Springs was closed.

• Stage Stores shuttered clothing stores across the state.

Explore the map to see similar effects in Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, New Hampshire, Missouri and Florida—then share it with your friends.

President Obama took office in the midst one of the worst financial crises in our history, brought on in large part by the bad bets made by Wall Street banks. That’s why he made tackling risky dealings on Wall Street a priority from day one, and signed the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act into law.

Flip through this slideshow to see some of the ways President Obama’s Wall Street reform is protecting American businesses and families—then use the share buttons to make sure your friends on Facebook and Twitter see it, too.

In a letter to the editor of The Miami Herald yesterday, Cindy Hewitt explained how Romney economics has affected her:

From May 1996 to July 1998, I worked as a human resources manager for Dade Behring, a medical manufacturing firm with facilities in Miami. Every time I read about Mitt Romney citing his business experience—including job creation—as his chief qualification to be president, I’m dumbfounded.

Bain took over a profitable company that provided 850 high-wage jobs in South Florida. We had been told that our plant was the most profitable plant in the company. Instead of building on this success, it closed both South Florida facilities and everyone lost their jobs. Production was moved to Delaware and Germany, and Romney and his business partners made millions in the process.

The reality of Romney’s actions don’t match what he’s saying on the campaign trail.

—Cindy Hewitt, Miami

To see how Mitt Romney’s business decisions impacted other people like Cindy, check out romneyeconomics.com

"I can't think of a better way to spend my Saturday than making sure that everyone gets the chance to participate and be counted in the 2012 election."
—Elan, Florida

Find out why volunteers all over the country are coming together this Saturday and Sunday for a voter registration weekend of action—then find an event near you.

Find an event

Sarah Jessica Parker is inviting fellow supporters to spend time with her, President Obama, and the First Lady at her home in New York City:

It's my honor to invite you to take part in an event I'm hosting at my home with the President and First Lady on June 14th.

Just before Election Day in 2008, I went to an Obama campaign office in New York and called some undecided voters. I believed then, as I do now, that if we all chipped in and did our part, we would not only make history, but create meaningful change that so many Americans needed.

For me, this election is even more important than 2008. As a woman, a mother, and an entrepreneur, I need to believe our country can be a place where everyone has a fair shot at success.

This November's election will determine whether we get to keep moving forward, or if we're forced to go back to policies that ask people like my middle-class family in Ohio to carry the burden—while people like me, who don't need tax breaks, get extra help.

I'm hosting this event on June 14th because there is so much at stake this year, and I want to keep doing what I can. I hope you'll help me welcome President Obama and the First Lady to New York. It should be fabulous.

Donate $5 or whatever you can to be automatically entered to win.

Hope to see you there,

Sarah Jessica

Donate

It’s been a busy week: Supporters helped open field offices in Michigan and Colorado, attended Women for Obama meetings in Iowa and North Carolina, and registered voters in Ohio. Check out the photos and then find a way to get involved in your own neighborhood.

Today we’re launching GottaVote.org, a new site with all the information you need to vote this November. How to register, important deadlines, and a checklist of what you need before you head to the polls—it’s all there in a simple format specific to your state.

This election could come down to just a handful of votes, and one of them could be yours. Check out the site, and make sure to share it with everyone you know.

Got a hole in your backpack? There’s a patch for that—and it does double duty as a sign of support for President Obama. The Obama-Biden patch set is a great collectors' item, and it’s available exclusively at the Obama 2012 store.

Get yours now

“As a nurse who works in public health, my guiding principle is the belief that prevention is the best medicine. It's an everyday part of my job to teach women about the importance of birth control, and to help them find the method that works best for them.

“This is why, despite being employed full-time by a large health care company, I was shocked when I recently discovered that my employer-subsidized health insurance did not cover my birth control of choice. Suddenly, I couldn't afford the luxury of the birth control I encourage my patients to use every day.

“That's when I got upset. It didn't make sense that an insurance company wouldn't cover a preventative health care tool with so much potential benefit, especially when the alternatives would be possibly dangerous to my overall health and well-being. Added to that was the sense of a loss of control over my reproductive health that comes along with suddenly not having a reliable method of family planning.

“I chose to work in this field because I believe that women deserve choices, and they deserve to have control over their own bodies. As the old saying goes, 'The personal is political.' My personal experience has reinforced what I already thought to be true: To deny women access to birth control is to deny them health.

“For this reason, I applaud the Obama administration and Secretary Sebelius for standing up for my health, and the health of millions of women across the country. No-copay birth control will save me hundreds of dollars a year; this is money that I will be able to use to pay off student loans, pay for other health care needs, and save for my future.”

—Michelle, Pennsylvania

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