Like so many voters in battleground states, my oldest son, age 26 and living in Charlottesville, VA, has long ago stopped watching TV (except for such essential viewing as ESPN, University of Georgia football and the NFL) because of the incessant, negative political ads. However, his vote will really count so nothing could stop him from going to vote this morning at 6 am when the polls opened in Virginia.

As voters across the country prepare to head to the polls tomorrow, we at the League of Women Voters are doing everything we can to make sure everyone has the information they need to successfully cast a vote.

I’m excited to represent the League on Election Day at the National Command Center of the Election Protection Coalition, which had deployed volunteers, legal experts, and observers across the country to help voters overcome any confusion or challenges that arise on Election Day.

The first time I voted it was by absentee ballot. It was 2004 and I was studying abroad. In between semesters, when I’d been back home in the States, I’d watched the debates between presidential candidates, and I was excited to finally be able to participate in our democratic process by voting in the presidential primaries. I knew my candidate wouldn’t become the nominee, but it was exciting to know that my vote was being recorded and counted. I was getting a chance to have a say in my government and who would represent me in the years to come.