Voters need to prepare their voting plans now to prevent problems on Election Day | Opinion
Be prepared to vote
As Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, approaches, citizens who are eligible to vote need to make their voting plan.
Be clear on the rules for absentee voting and early voting.
Know that convicted felons may vote if they have fulfilled all their parole requirements and re-registered to vote.
Be certain that personal voter registration is current because a person’s residential address determines where they vote.
Verify that the polling place is accurate because it can change.
Know who the candidates are and where they stand on the various issues.
Be ready to show the correct form of identification at the polling place.
Consult the voter registration office of the county in which the voter resides for questions or go to any of the following online sites: scvotes.gov; vote.org; ballotpedia.org; or an all-time favorite, vote411.org, also simply known as vote411 and maintained by the nonpartisan League of Women Voters.
Whether a person views voting as a right, a privilege, or a responsibility is a personal decision.
Exercising one’s voting power honors those who laid their lives on the line so citizens may choose who will govern them.
Be prepared and vote.
Elizabeth Jones, Columbia
First-gen success
Note: The writer is an instructional designer with the USC Center for Teaching Excellence.
I would like to congratulate the University of South Carolina on their expanded support for students whose parents did not complete a baccalaureate degree (first-generation college students).
These efforts include a new First-Generation Center and new residence hall that will provide students with personal, professional and academic support.
These students may not have family that can help them navigate the complicated world of higher education. These programs help students understand what they need to do to be successful in college and where to get resources and opportunities. They emphasize the value of community by creating a sense of belonging and strong relationships with faculty, staff and other students.
Education should be transparent and helpful.
All students deserve to learn in an environment that helps them to thrive through encouragement, support and opportunities to develop their own sense of motivation and ability. All students need clarity and guidance to know exactly what to do in new situations and advanced classes.
The university and schools at all levels in South Carolina should continue to work to meet all students where they are so that we can have a strong population of educated people motivated to contribute positively to our communities.
Casey Carroll, Cayce
‘New low’
The Aug. 26 Trump campaign stunt at Arlington National Cemetery is an outrageous and disgusting display of showmanship, dishonor and disrespect to veterans buried there, and their families.
For members of the public unaware, Arlington National Cemetery conducts 27-30 burials per day.
This event had the potential of disrupting the solemnity of those burials in process for family members and visitors paying their last respects to those whose lives and sacrifice were being memorialized.
The ensuing physical altercation between an Arlington staffer trying to enforce the rules of decorum, and a Trump campaign official, truly reflects a new low in the sad saga of a movement attempting through apparently any means to remain relevant.
I’ll register my anger at the desecration of my parents’ final resting place in Arlington in November, and encourage all Americans to do the same.
Susan Sorensen, Beaufort
