This past weekend I became a Special Registration Deputy, or “SRD.” It’s an empowering, direct way to Own Your Vote.
As an SRD, I can register voters and help make sure every person is prepared for Election Day – whether he or she is a new voter, a student who moves frequently, a person with a recent name change – anyone and everyone. Every Wisconsinite should be able to exercise their right to vote – now I can help.
SRD training took less than an hour, and then I was free to go door-to-door registering voters in my community. The process to become a certified SRD is extraordinarily quick and simple, and Wisconsin will need more SRDs this election than ever before – because new voting legislation changes the way we are able to participate and exercise our right to vote.
For one thing, the period of time when SRDs can register voters is shorter than it used to be. Voters can still register at the polls on Election Day – but to register beforehand, you need to do it before the “blackout” period begins.
New rules also affect where I can help voters as an SRD. Beginning this year, I can only register voters in the municipality (city or town) I get trained in – it was formerly the entire state.
I register voters to provide convenience. Voters in rural communities often have to travel over an hour to reach their County Clerk’s office and/or DMV to get everything they need to exercise their right to vote. That puts a major hassle on the process. That deters participation. By becoming a trained SRD, I can register voters right at their homes and ease a burden.
The new voting law has changed the way we vote here in Wisconsin, but it has also strengthened my resolve to get my neighbors registered. I now carry registration forms and absentee ballots on my person at all hours. For me, it’s as easy as dropping off the forms at a clerk’s office or library. For each newly registered voter, it may be the difference that gets them to the polls.
Interested in becoming a trained SRD in your community?
Click here and select “I want to become a Special Registration Deputy” and we’ll help you find a training near you.
Learn the full extent of Wisconsin’s new voting law at www.OwnYourVoteWI.com