(0:00-0:03) (The Star-Spangled Banner plays as the text "HOW TO VOTE IN EVERY STATE appear on the screen.)

Hank: Over the last 4 election cycles, we’ve made  a lot of videos explaining how to vote. Every state runs their election process a little bit differently—different rules for what kind of ID you need to vote, different deadlines to register, different forms you fill out, and we wanted to make it all a little easier. Voting is one of the most important things you can do to make the world you live in look a little more like the kind of world you WANT to live in. So, for every single one of the 50 states, 5 US territories, the District of Columbia, and all the other places Americans live abroad, we told you how and when to register, when and where you could vote, what to bring to the polls and even how to find out what was on your ballot. This year, though, the "How to Vote in Every State" project is coming to an end.

In the past 8 years the landscape of voting has changed a lot. Last year alone, 14 states have restricted access to voting, by passing stricter voter ID requirements, or purging the registrations of inactive voters. And 23 states have EXPANDED voter access, doing things like enacting automatic voter registration, or in some states, sending ballots in the mail to everyone who’s registered to vote.

And that wasn’t even a standout year for voting laws. And like, we didn’t know when we wrote scripts for the 2020 election in February of that year, that by the fall, with a pandemic spreading across the world, many states would scramble to expand access to absentee voting so that more than 40% of all voters that year could cast their ballots by mail. And we don’t know now which of the newest voting laws will get challenged in court, leaving room for the rules to change AGAIN before election day.

As all these changes happen, clear, accurate, and up-to-the-minute information about voting is incredibly necessary. And since we started making these videos, TOOLS for getting access to that information have actually gotten a lot better. Better than a static set of videos even could be. There are a bunch of these resources, but  to simplify things, we’ll just tell you about one.

Vote.org, all in one place, lets you check to make sure you’re registered, helps you get registered if you’re not, see what will be on your specific ballot, help you register absentee if that’s an option for you, and get election reminders! And if you’ve ever got something weird going on and you want one-on-one help  from an election expert, you can call or text the election protection hot-line at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683). Election protection volunteers are also trained to answer special questions like “how do I find out if my polling place is accessible?” or “what do I do if I run into a problem while voting?” We’ll link all these resources and others in the description so you can find the information you need.

It is amazing that these tools have come so far, they are so good and they work SO WELL. I honestly believe that this project has just been made unnecessary by how good those tools have gotten. So please, use them, tell people about them, shout them from the rooftops.

And, of course, civic engagement doesn’t end at voting. You can call or email or ask to meet with your elected officials to tell them where you stand on important issues. You can PROTEST if they don’t listen.

You can join a local organizing group, volunteer with a nonprofit, or participate in a mutual aid network to make changes both inside and outside the political system. You can also run for office yourself - that's a thing that people do. We’ve got a video that talks about all those other ways to take action, because if we want to make the world better, it’s worth using every tool we’ve got.

You can vote because you want to see something change, or because a candidate inspires you. You can vote because one specific issue or ballot measure is important to you. But don’t sit it out just because you don’t feel like your vote can do enough.

Sure, your ballot won’t fix the world’s problems alone. But if voting wasn’t powerful, why would so many people spend so much effort  spreading misinformation to try to get you not to do it? You could vote just to spite those people!

Spite is also a valid reason to vote! As we end this project, I want you to know that I understand that why you vote and who you vote for are complicated questions that I can’t answer for you. But if you want to know how to vote?

That’s easy. Use these resources to find all the information you need to get registered and make a plan to vote in your state. And thank you for being a voter.