Election funding: an Occupy Wall Street demonstrator holds a on the second anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision on Citizen United v Federal Election Commission. Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/REUTERS from http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/feb/02/us-election-funding-... As we all know, voting is actually not regulated by the Constitution. This makes registration a tricky, state-by-state affair--and disenfranchisement opportunities abound. Youth, the elderly, and minorities are the hardest hit by campaigns to silence voters. One of the ways this happens is through 'Voter ID' laws. For example, in Indiana, thanks to a Supreme Court Ruling in 2005, all voters are required to present a photo ID at polling places. If you're like me--just turned 18 and without a drivers license or a job--registering to vote, much less having acceptable 'identification,' is near impossible. To prevent 'voter ID' from becoming the latest manifestation of the voter literacy test, you have to be informed and know your rights--and help others do the same, too: Start registering people in your school, neighborhood, and area today. There are many ways to do this. You can sign up with non-partisan organizations like
or, if you want to, with any youth branch or the parties, or an organization like the League of Women Voters. Just look up your state's dates and guidelines--and be prepared. One thing that I've been doing that's had a noticeable effect is registration at school. I have a table at lunch time with registration forms (you can get them from your state's Secretary of State's website) and information about how to get an ID. It’s a good idea to make envelopes WITH STAMPS on them for people you’re registering, so there can be no doubt that their forms will get to the right place BEFORE the deadline. Students are with each other every day: now we have to come together, for each other.