To the editor:

There are 47 states in the U.S. that offer some kind of early voting. Here in Rhode Island, early voting for the midterm general election starts on Wednesday, Oct. 14, and Election Day is Tuesday Nov. 3. I hope that every eligible voter exercises their civic duty and votes in the midterm election. It is now easier than ever to do so. Every weekday from Oct. 14 to Nov. 22, each R.I. town will have a poll open for early voting. Why vote early? Aside from skipping long lines, parking headaches, or arriving at the wrong polling place on election day, life (as we all know) can get in the way. There could be a severe storm, worse than usual traffic, an illness, late stay at work, transportation issues, or you simply forget and do not want to go back out (guilty). There are some serious reasons to vote early but I am not going to get into that because this is a motivational letter. GO OUT and VOTE…EARLY!

On Saturday Oct. 17, there will be community events nationwide to encourage people to vote early. Every town in the East Bay will be doing a GOTV EARLY event. In Bristol, there will be volunteers around town to get out the vote. Come say hello, make a pledge to vote early and/or tell us why you are voting.

Early voting in Bristol will be at the Guiteras School, 35 Washington St., Monday through Friday beginning Wednesday, Oct. 14 and ending Monday, Nov. 2 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. For Election Day poll locations please visit Bristolri.gov or Vote.ri.gov.

Jen Devine
Bristol