Tuesday is National Voter Registration Day

Tuesday is National Voter Registration Day.

Of course voting is important, all our voices count, each vote matters, yada yada. You’ve heard it before, but a story like Saudi Arabia’s really makes it sink in.

In 2011, Saudi Arabia gave women the right to vote, but their first opportunity to do so didn’t come for four years: In December 2015, less than a year ago, Saudi Arabian women cast a vote for the first time.

Consider these facts, from the BBC:

The election was segregated: Women and men had to vote in different polling stations.
Women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, so they had to find other ways to get to their polling stations.
The legislation is part of King Abdullah’s legacy. He says it needed to happen because women “have demonstrated positions that expressed correct opinions and advice.”
While 2015 marked the first time women in Saudi Arabia could vote, it also marked the first time women could run for election.
While campaigning, Saudi Arabian women must stand behind a partition or be represented by a man.

Of the 2,100 open council positions, women won 20 of those seats.

Check out some of the photos Saudi Arabian women shared on Twitter after voting:

Lucky, lucky us: The United States makes it much easier to vote. Are you registered? As part of tomorrow’s National Voter Registration Day, Citilink and the Fort Wayne Area League of Women Voters is sponsoring Get on the Voter Bus from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Citilink station at the corner of Calhoun and Baker streets. You can register to vote on the bus!