I voted today, early, in California. I couldn't use the mail-in ballot because I'd moved between when they sent it and when voting began.

Even so: where I voted, there were no lines. There were extremely helpful volunteers. Everything was clean, safe.

My city, and my state, *wanted* me to vote.

Everything in the experience sent that message. They were trying to make this easy.

If mail was easiest, I could vote by mail. If that didn't work, I could vote in-person. If Tuesday was busy, I could vote early.

Everybody deserves that experience, You shouldn't have to fear sitting four hours in line to vote. You shouldn't have to worry about safety, or being rejected on a technicality, or not being able to make it to pick your kid up from school.

I taped a podcast yesterday with the great @staceyabrams. It'll come out Monday, but one quote from her book that really stuck with me:

"Voter suppression is not just about direct denial; on a deeper level, it is about fostering intimidation, cynicism, and exhaustion to stop people from even trying to vote in the first place."

If when you go to vote, you feel empowered, you feel respected, you feel heard, you're going to want to do it next time, too.

If you end up waiting hours in the sun, only to be rejected or hassled when you reach the front, you won't.

Democracy is such a fragile thing. And it's a terrible injustice that the only way to secure it is for people with the least time and resources to fight through the obstacles placed in front of them and vote anyway.

But that is the only way.

But also: If you live where voting is easy, and you aren't commuting on two buses to work, and rushing to pick up kids from afterschool programs, make sure you vote.

If not for yourself, then on behalf of those who have been turned away, or purged, or disillusioned.

And at this point, don't mail your ballot in. Either vote in person, or drop it off. https://www.vox.com/21536156/vote-early-in-person-drop-off-ballots

Let's become a country that makes it clear we want people to vote, and where both parties know that the path to power is winning over voters. Democracy is worth fighting for. https://www.vox.com/21524807/donald-trump-joe-biden-2020-election-voting-suppression-democracy