Our mission here at WTIA is to build a strong, sustainable technology sector and support a thriving Washington State. And as we work to achieve this within our teams and broader community, everyone has the responsibility to seek the change they wish to see, and one of the simplest ways to do this is to vote.

While the General Election is still a few weeks away, the time to vote is now. Early voting starts mid-month, and all Washington state residents can vote by mail through Election Day. There are a number of resources to help ensure Washingtonians are ready and able to vote now or on Election Day. Some of our favorites include:

• VoteWA: No matter how you choose to vote, the first step is making sure you’re registered. VoteWA allows you to check and update your voter registration status and learn more about what’s on the ballot.
• Rock the Vote: With state-specific information, Rock the Vote provides clear deadlines around in state and absentee ballot voting, and also shares links to additional resources, including voting FAQs and how to set up election reminders.
• Vote.org: With our next generation of voters in mind, Vote.org offers a “Pledge to Register” for would-be voters under 18 years-old. Once pledged, Vote.org will text a registration reminder on the voter’s 18th birthday. Vote.org also hosts a polling place locator, and instructions on how to become a poll worker.

Many organizations are also encouraging their employees to vote, and making it as easy as possible to do so. Nordstrom has made November 3 a holiday for all of its U.S. employees and will offer employees discounted Lyft rides to the polls, while Best Buy will delay opening its 1,000 American stores to give employees the morning to vote. Seattle-based Accolade has cancelled meetings on Election Day and encourages its employees to use annual volunteer PTO says to serve as poll workers.

Here at WTIA, we have also made Election Day an official holiday, and not only encourage our employees to vote, but to take time for some much-deserved self care. While voting by mail is the norm here in Washington, we serve more than a dozen states with employees across the country, many of whom don’t have the same access to mail-in votes.

Voting is your right. Check to make sure you’re registered today, and vote now, early or on November 3. We’ll see you at the mailbox.