Ten months ago, when I wrote my first blog as the Choose or Lose Street Team representative for Maine, I issued a challenge to the young people of this state. I told you to get out there and “shake things up.” Since then, I’ve tried to inspire you with video and text stories of young Mainers working to make this a better world through activism, community involvement, education and engagement in the political process. There are so many ways to make a difference, and all of them are important. But in just one week, young people will have the opportunity to exercise one of their most basic and powerful rights: the right to stand alone in the privacy of a voting booth, with a ballot in hand, and decide the future. None of the excitement, rallies, commercials, robo-calls, television appearances, debates, more than a billion dollars in donations or any of the other efforts of campaign staffers and volunteers would come to anything if people didn’t actually exercise their right to vote.

If you doubt the power of your vote, consider this: the 2000 presidential election was decided by only 537 votes in the state of Florida. And some congressional elections have been decided by even fewer votes; according to the Boston Globe, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) won his seat in 2006 by only 83 votes. And in Ann Arbor, Mich., a 1977 race for mayor came down to only one vote.

In order to make sure your voice is heard, you have to make sure your vote is counted on Nov. 4th. Here is what you need to know:

If you haven’t registered to vote yet, it’s still not too late. Maine has one of the most progressive voting rights laws in the country. Unlike in many other states, where voter enrollment closed earlier this month, Mainers can register to vote right up until, and including, Election Day.

Maine is also one of the most lenient states when it comes to allowing convicted felons to vote. No one is denied the right to vote in Maine due to his or her criminal history. In addition, you can’t be denied the right to vote anywhere in the country based on unpaid parking or traffic tickets, warrants, unpaid child support, or because you receive food stamps or welfare. Those are just nasty rumors people spread to scare you away from the polls.

Here are a few other nasty – and untrue – rumors you may have heard:

• You’ll be turned away from the polls if you wear an Obama or McCain t-shirt.

No one can stop you from voting because of what you’re wearing, though in some states it is legal to ask voters to cover the parts of their clothing that advertise for a candidate. That’s because some states – like California, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania and New York, but not Maine  – restrict any campaign materials within 50 or 150 feet of voting booths. While it’s unlikely that poll workers in Maine will hassle any voters over this issue, it couldn’t hurt to bring an extra shirt along, just in case.

• If you register to vote under your school address, you can be dropped from your parents' health insurance, or lose your financial aid.

Time Magazine recently reported that election officials in places like Montgomery, Va., Greenville, S.C., and El Paso, Colo., had been telling college students who tried to register to vote using their school addresses that their health coverage and financial aid would be threatened. According to Time, though, such warnings are completely untrue.

You also can’t be turned away if you moved recently and the address on your drivers’ license or state ID is no longer correct. Your ID can only be used to verify your identity, not your legal place of residence. If your place of residence is called into question, you may be asked to take an oath affirming you're a citizen, and that you live where you say you do, but your right to vote can’t be denied.

Because of voting irregularities in Florida during the 2000 election, during which many eligible voters were removed from the rolls because their names were similar to convicted felons, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act of 2002. The act states that voters who are identified as ineligible at the polls can cast a provisional ballot, which will be counted if it is determined that the voter is, in fact, eligible.

If your right to vote is challenged for any reason, you can call the Election Protection hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE to get immediate legal advice.

One potential pitfall many other voting rights FAQs overlook is the possibility that someone could be turned away from the polls because their gender identity or expression doesn’t match what’s recorded on their voter record or ID. Luckily, an organization called the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund has anticipated just such a possibility. From 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, the TLDEF will have lawyers staffing a hotline for callers who experience discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression at the polls. If you experience discrimination at your polling place because of an actual or perceived difference between your biological gender and your gender expression, call 646-862-9396 for legal advice.

This year, many people, including several Mainers I’ve spoken with, are voting early to avoid any potential problems at the polls. In Maine, this is as easy as heading down to the clerk’s office at your town or city hall and asking for a ballot. And like the other myths outlined above, rumors that early ballots and absentee ballots don't count, or are only used as tie-breakers, are not true. These ballots are just as valid as the ones completed on Election Day. 

If you’re determined to vote on the actual day, rather than early, you can find out where your polling place is, along with an interactive map of how to get there from your home at Vote411.org.

And, finally, if all of that wasn’t enough, here’s a little bit of education and inspiration on the issue of voter suppression from my friends at the League of Young Voters: