Confused about voting changes in light of COVID-19? This hotline can help.

Lawyers' Committee

Election Protection partners including Kristen Clarke, President and Executive Director, Lawyers' Committee

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As more restrictions are enacted to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, confusion around the upcoming elections continue to rise.

Election dates and polling locations are changing as Election officials respond to the global pandemic.

Since mid-March, in response to the coronavirus, some states have postponed and rescheduled primary elections. Others have encouraged voting by mail. We have also seen the consolidation of polling places, leading to more crowded vote centers and longer waits to vote. Lack of needed voter education has led to confusion around dates and deadlines for mail-in ballots.

It is important to stay safe and follow the government's advice on social distancing, but it's also crucial to exercise your right to vote so all American's voices are heard. Voters should not have to choose between their health and their right to vote.

"In light of the tremendous uncertainties arising from the COVID-19 crisis, we urge that states do everything within their powers to make sure that all eligible voters can vote, including liberalizing to the fullest extent possible the use of absentee ballots and easing deadlines," said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee. "States must move quickly but thoughtfully to ensure that all voters have full access this election season."

In order to make sure your vote counts, it's important to know your rights. With constantly changing election plans, confusion surrounding recent court rulings, and the lack of accurate voting information, it can be hard to keep up with what is needed to cast a ballot that will count.

Luckily there are resources out there to keep you informed of your rights and provide you with the necessary information to ensure you're able to get out and vote.

Election Protection, a coalition convened by the Lawyers' Committee, is one such resource. The nation's longest running non-partisan voter protection effort works year-round to ensure that all voters have an equal opportunity to vote and have that vote count.

The 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) hotline administered by the Lawyers' Committee, provides Americans with comprehensive information and assistance for all stages of the voting process. Including election dates, voter registration, absentee voting requirements and deadlines, and help to address any obstacles that might arise while trying to take part in the electoral process.

Thanks to a network of thousands of legal volunteers and over 200 partner organizations, the hotline provides vital resources to help ensure that every eligible American has the opportunity to exercise the fundamental right to vote in the 2020 election cycle.

"Throughout the election cycle, our volunteers provide voter information, document problems they encounter when voting and work with partners and volunteers on the ground to identify and remove barriers to voting," according to the organization.

Since 1963, the Lawyers' Committee has worked to advance and protect the right to vote and ensure that the right is afforded equally to all.

You, too, can help by staying informed and increasing voter awareness. Sign up for the Lawyers' Committee newsletter for the latest information on voting rights. To get updates on polling locations and election changes due to coronavirus, check out the Election Protection website and Twitter account for up-to-date information on current elections, and call the hotline if you have any questions. You can also donate to the Lawyers' Committee to help defend our democracy and fight for equal justice for all.

In the meantime, test your knowledge on voting rights with the quiz below.

4 simple hacks to help you meet your healthy eating goals

Trying to eat healthier? Try these 4 totally doable tricks.

Photo by Anna Pelzer on Unsplash

Most of us want to eat healthier but need some help to make it happen.

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When it comes to choosing what to eat, we live in a uniquely challenging era. Never before have humans known more about nutrition and how to eat for optimal health, and yet we’ve never been more surrounded by distractions and temptations that derail us from making healthy choices.

Some people might be able to decide “I’m going to eat healthier!” and do so without any problem, but those folks are unicorns. Most of us know what we should do, but need a little help making it happen—like some simple hacks, tips and tricks for avoiding pitfalls on the road to healthier eating.

While recognizing that what works for one person may not work for another, here are some helpful habits and approaches that might help you move closer to your healthy eating goals.

man pulling chip out of a chip bag Our mouths loves chips. Our bodies not so much.Photo by Bermix Studio on Unsplash

Goal: Snack on less junk food

Tip: Focus your willpower on the grocery store, not your home

Willpower is a limited commodity for most of us, and it is no match for a bag of potato chips sitting on top of the fridge. It’s just a fact. Channeling your willpower at the grocery store can save you from having to fight that battle at home. If you don’t bring chips into your house in the first place, you’ll find it a lot easier to reach for something healthier.

The key to successful shopping trips is to always go to the store with a specific list and a full stomach—you’ll feel much less tempted to buy the junky snack foods if you’re already satiated. Also, finding healthier alternatives that will still satisfy your cravings for salty or crunchy, or fatty foods helps. Sugar snap peas have a surprisingly satisfying crunch, apples and nut butter hit that sweet-and-salty craving, etc.

slice of cake You can eat well without giving up sweets completely.Photo by Caitlyn de Wild on Unsplash

Goal: Eat less sugar

Tip: Instead of “deprive,” think “delay” or “decrease and delight”

Sugar is a tricky one. Some people find it easier to cut out added sugars altogether, but that can create an all-or-nothing mindset that all too often results in “all.” Eating more whole foods and less processed foods can help us cut out a lot of ancillary sugar, but we still live in a world with birthday cakes and dessert courses.

One approach to dessert temptation is to delay instead of deprive. Tell yourself you can have any sweet you want…tomorrow. This mental trick flips the “I’ll just indulge today and start eating healthier tomorrow” idea on its head. It’s a lot easier to resist something you know you can have tomorrow than to say no to something you think you’ll never get to have again.

Another approach when you really want to enjoy a dessert at that moment is to decrease the amount and really truly savor it. Eat each bite slowly, delighting in the full taste and satisfaction of it. As soon as that delight starts to diminish, even a little, stop eating. You’ve gotten what you wanted out of it. You don’t have to finish it. (After all, you can always have more tomorrow!)

A naturally colorful meal is a healthy meal.Photo by Anna Pelzer on Unsplash

Goal: Eat healthier meals

Tip: Focus on fresh foods and plan meals ahead of time

Meal planning is easier than ever before. The internet is filled with countless tools—everything from recipes to shopping lists to meal planning apps—and it’s as awesome as it is overwhelming.

Planning ahead takes the guesswork and decision fatigue out of cooking, preventing the inevitable “Let’s just order a pizza.” You can have a repeating 3-week or 4-week menu of your favorite meals so you never have to think about what you’re going to eat, or you can meal plan once a week to try new recipes and keep things fresh.

It might help to designate one day a week to “shop and chop”—getting and prepping the ingredients for the week’s meals so they’re ready to go in your fridge or freezer.

Organic foods are better for the Earth and for us.Photo by andrew welch on Unsplash

Goal: Eat more organic/humanely raised food

Tip: Utilize the “dirty dozen” and “clean 15” lists to prioritize

Many people choose organic because they want to avoid pesticides and other potentially harmful chemicals. Organic food is also better for the planet, and according to the Mayo Clinic, studies have shown that organic produce is higher in certain nutrients.

Most people don’t buy everything organic, but there are some foods that should take priority over others. Each year, researchers from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) analyze thousands of samples of dozens of fruits and vegetables. From this data, they create a list of the “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean 15” fruits and vegetables, indicating what produce has the most and least pesticide residue. These lists give people a good place to start focusing their transition to more organic foods.

To make organic eating even simpler, you can shop O Organics® at your local Albertsons or Safeway stores. The O Organics brand offers a wide range of affordable USDA-certified organic products in every aisle. If you’re focusing on fresh foods, O Organics produce is always grown without synthetic pesticides, is farmed to conserve biodiversity, and is always non-GMO. All animal-based O Organics products are certified humane as well. Even switching part of your grocery list to organic can make a positive impact on the planet and the people you feed.

Healthy eating habits don’t have to be all or nothing, and they don’t have to be complicated. A few simple mindset changes at home and habit changes at the grocery store can make a big difference.

health

Confused about voting changes in light of COVID-19? This hotline can help.

Trying to eat healthier? Try these 4 totally doable tricks.

Goal: Snack on less junk food

Tip: Focus your willpower on the grocery store, not your home

Goal: Eat less sugar

Tip: Instead of “deprive,” think “delay” or “decrease and delight”

Goal: Eat healthier meals

Tip: Focus on fresh foods and plan meals ahead of time

Goal: Eat more organic/humanely raised food

Tip: Utilize the “dirty dozen” and “clean 15” lists to prioritize

Humanity at its best.

Embarrassing stains on your T-shirt, sniffing someone's bum to check if they have pooped, the first time having sex post-giving birth — as a new mom, your life turns upside-down.

Embarrassing stains on your T-shirt, sniffing someone's bum to check if they have pooped, the first time having sex post-giving birth — as a new mom, your life turns upside-down.

1. Pee-regnant.

2. How (not) to sleep.

3. Cry baby.

4. The new things that scare you...

5. ...and the new things that give you the creeps.

6. Being a new mom can get a little ... disgusting.

7. And every mom has experienced these postpartum horror stories.

8. There are many, many memorable firsts.

9. Getting to know your post-baby body is an adventure.

10. Pumping ain't for wimps.

11. You become very comfortable with spit-up. Very comfortable.

12. Your body, mind, and most importantly, heart, will expand in ways you didn't know possible.

Angelina Jordan's AGT performance was instantly legendary.

Making them sit in the discomfort of their own filth is an excellent way to shut that garbage down.

Why do people even know this stuff?

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Breathe easy.