Register to vote in the "only poll that matters"--Vote Early

Did you read the story about the Triangle having one of the top 5 longest commuting times in the country? That did not happen by accident. Poor planning and the sprawling municipalities that resulted contributed. More so, lack of mass transit options including buses and light rail.

Does that make you want to cast a vote in the November election?

If you are not registered at your current address in your current county, make it easy on yourself and update your voter registration record. Do it TODAY. See my previous article on "How to vote" here.

Tired of the behind the scenes votes on the state budget and a lack of transparency on drawing the districts? The 2010 Census is over. New Congressional and Legislative Districts will be decided by a new General Assembly beginning in January, 2011.

Does that make you want to cast a vote in the November election?

If you want to change your party affiliation from "R" to something else or "D" to something else--you have to do that today, too. You can vote in November regardless, but why not get it all done at once? Early voting starts in satellite locations next week. You can register and vote in one trip. See instructions at BoE local and state web pages.

Remember Early Voting. Check your county's Board of Elections for times and places. Wake County's sites have been announced and Early Voting begins in full next week.

Oh--and all those polls that tell you that you might as well stay home, the Republicans will win easily?

Don't be too sure (or cocksure--if you are a Republican consultant). The polls this year are all over the place. Never before has the trite phrase, "The only poll that matters is the one on election day," been so true. Register and Vote.

Check out the MSNBC article that mentions one well known Clinton consultant (Morris) that predicted a Hilary Clinton vs. Condoleeza Rice race for President in 2008. He even wrote a book about it based on polling data.

Voting: it's your American right--and a hard won one at that.