As this ulcer-inducing election enters the homestretch, early turnout numbers are breaking records. Tens of millions of Americans have already mailed in or dropped off their ballots or stood in lines to vote early.

That said, many of you out there have not yet voted. Maybe you’re even considering skipping the election altogether — because it’s harder to vote than it should be, because you’re too anxious and overwhelmed to think about electoral politics, because campaign robocalls and texts have pushed you over the edge into madness.

I feel you. But sitting this one out would be a huge mistake. Rarely have the stakes been so high and the differences between the presidential contenders so stark.

Today is the day. Need motivation? Here’s an abridged list of reasons your vote is so crucial now.

As Election Day 2020 looms, flashbacks to the last presidential election are inevitable. What most people remember about November 8, 2016 is the shock: the realization that Donald Trump, former host of The Apprentice, would be our next commander-in-chief. A lot happened on that day, the details of which may have been crowded out of many minds by, well, everything that has happened in this country since that day. But for the journalists at MSNBC who were out in the field or in the studio trying to process everything for the public in real time, much of what they heard and saw remains vivid.

Several key reporters and anchors at MSNBC took a trip down memory lane with Vulture, through the Mannequin Challenges, the phone calls from an irked Sean Spicer, and a planned celebration for Hillary Clinton that turned into the worst kind of purgatory. Understandably, a lot of people would rather forget how those hours felt, but it’s useful to remember as we head into another anxiety-inducing election day.

Amanda has never tested positive for COVID-19, but she’s had symptoms two separate times since the coronavirus pandemic first hit the United States this spring. Both times, in April and June, she had incredible chest pains, fatigue, night sweats, and diarrhea — all known COVID symptoms. Both times, she lost her sense of taste and smell, and got pinkeye. She even had two brain strokes, a possible complication of COVID reported by up to 6% of patients.

But even at her sickest, the south Florida resident felt it didn’t compare to the severe cases of COVID she’d read about, especially fatal ones. “I just felt so guilty,” Amanda tells Bustle. “I felt like I was given another chance at life and had to do something to acknowledge that it was a miracle to still be here today.”

That’s why the 28-year-old law student decided to become one of the 44,000 participants volunteering to stop the pandemic as we know it by taking part in Pfizer’s Phase 3 clinical trial for their COVID-19 vaccine.

Frankly, I've fallen behind on my book pile but, thankfully, Read It Forward has come to my rescue! 

2020 has been a wild year—we've had a global pandemic, terrible wildfires, political stress and strife—but one thing was great: the books. Whether you're a fan of memoirs, thrillers, literary fiction, or nonfiction, here are reads to challenge your mind and warm your heart.

Each issue, I curate a collection of steals, sales, as well finds; there's something for everyone. From home decor to apparel, take a peek and click through - most items are on sale or have coupon codes listed.

Walmart continues to raise the bar - click here for a ongoing curated collection of finds. Always a sale and heavy on the steals.

Plopping a pumpkin out on the porch is always an option...but it is it the right one? Click here to for an autumnal-inspired collection from CB2.

Kami West had been dating her current boyfriend for a few weeks when she told him that he was outranked by her best friend. West knew her boyfriend had caught snatches of her daily calls with Kate Tillotson, which she often placed on speaker mode. But she figured that he, like the men she’d dated before, didn’t quite grasp the nature of their friendship. West explained to him, “I need you to know that she’s not going anywhere. She is my No. 1.” Tillotson was there before him, and, West told him, “she will be there after you. And if you think at any point that this isn’t going to be my No. 1, you’re wrong.”

Kudzi Chikumbu moonlights as @sircandleman on TikTok and Instagram, where he unboxes and reviews luxury candles, from a Whole Foods check-out line find to his first Parisian obsession.

"The last time I had a chance to restock my supply of conditioner from a hotel shower it was still winter. I haven't enjoyed my regular on-the-road morning meal of two English Breakfast teas and a blueberry scone from Starbucks since 2019. It's been so long, in fact, since I've even set foot in my second home—the United Club—that I've lost my frequent-flier card. Which doesn't matter a huge amount since United has lost so many of its frequent flights that, its agents tell me, it won't be able to replace any card any time soon."

It me. I'm Collin. Shockingly, I hate talking about myself but here are the CliffsNotes. 31, Texan turned cruise ship character turned Texan turned Chicagoan turned Texan. Event designer and planner. Interior designer and stylist. Corporate badass. Partner and double dog dad. Cursed with an aggressive gluten intolerance but also a passion for bread and no f*cks to give. Why a newsletter? It gives me a creative outlet with a deadline and my therapist says these things are important. Plus, I love to read, shop, share, and most importantly spend time on the internet. I don't sleep.