By the Animal Friends Humane Legislation Committee
Your vote is a powerful tool in saving the lives of companion animals. You can bring real and meaningful protection for thousands of animals with your vote. Each election – local, state and federal – is important when it comes to animal protection.
What can you do to help animals on Election Day?
Ensure you are eligible to vote. You will need to meet these criteria:
• You are a United States citizen at least 30 days before the next election
• You are a resident of Pennsylvania and your election district for at least 30 days before the next election
• You are at least 18 years of age on the day of the next election
Check if your registration is current, register to vote or update your registration by visiting vote.pa.gov. Certain events may impact your registration:
• You just turned the legal age to vote (18 in Pennsylvania)
• Address change
• Name change
• Political party affiliation change
• Voting rights are restored
• Registration has gone inactive or been purged – if you do not vote regularly, you could be purged from the voting rolls
Research candidates’ positions on animal protection issues. For candidates who are running for reelection, you can find out how they voted on animal issues at the Humane Society Legislative Fund’s Humane Scorecard at HSLF.org under “Our Work.” You can also visit HumanePA.org for information on candidate endorsements and voting records.
Make a plan to vote. Things to consider:
• Will you vote in person or by mail?
• Do you need identification to vote?
• Do you know where your polling place is? Has it moved?
• Do you need transportation to the polling location?
• Do you need assistance to access the polling location or see the ballot?
• Have you budgeted enough time to get to the polling location to vote?
Voting is an important step in advocating for companion animals. It’s impactful when you can say to your legislators that you are a voting constituent. While who you vote for is private, legislators and their staff can see if you vote. So, vote, because companion animal protection is truly a bipartisan issue.