win $100,000!

Voting matters. If you're not yet registered, it's not too late. Most states are still allowing registration, including New York (where the registration deadline is October 8th).

Need some incentive (beside the obvious one--the ability to have an effect on how this country is run...)? How does the chance to win $100,000 sound?

All you need to do is go to Vote or Not, a site started by the guys from "Hot or Not" to try to get out the vote, especially among young people. Register there (no spam from it, guaranteed), and they'll give you the link you need to register for your state.

They'll also give you a link to send to your friends. And here's the best part...if someone you referred to the site wins the $100,000 prize, you win, too! You'll get a custom link to post to your blog, send out via IM and email, etc. The more people you convince to sign up, the more chances you have to win $100,00. And the bonus? More people voting in this year's election.

True, New York's not a swing state in the presidential election. But there are congressional elections, as well, and congress has a significant effect on what policies can be enacted.

Here in Henrietta (where RIT is located), there's a battle for the congressional seat formerly held by Republican Amo Houghton. This is one of the races that matters this year, and political activists across the country have taken a strong interest in one of the candidates, Samara Barend. She's a 27-year-old woman whose campaign web site sports a blog, and who's been politically active since she was a teenager. I'll be voting for Sam Barend this year, and I hope you will be, too.