Election campaigns begin early and seem to last forever, but they end on Election Day. Or so it once was. With the increased use of absentee ballots and early voting, the end comes sooner. In fact, voting has begun. West Virginia has mailed out absentee ballots, and early voting will be upon us soon.
If youÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re not registered to vote, thereÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s still time, but that time is running out. West Virginia requires prospective voters to register by Oct. 15. ThatÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s one week from today. If you live in Ohio and havenÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t registered yet, youÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re out of luck. Voter registration there closed Oct. 7.
Early in-person voting is from Oct. 23 to Nov. 2 in West Virginia. Registered voters may cast their ballots at their county courthouse, an annex or a designated community voting location during normal business hours. Early voting will be conducted between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the last two Saturdays before the election.
Early in-person voting in Ohio begins today at the board of elections office in each county. For Lawrence County, that would be at the Lawrence County Courthouse in Ironton
Voting ends on Election Day, Nov. 5, of course, but the election really isnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t over for a few days until the vote results are certified.
ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s easy to get caught up in the hype that makes every election the most important one ever in the history of western civilization, as life as we know it will end forever if our preferred candidates lose. But seriously, there are a number of important races on the ballot that will determine how things go in the next two, four or six years. All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for a vote, as are all 100 seats in the West Virginia House of Delegates and all 99 seats in the Ohio House of Representatives. There are state Senate elections in both states. West Virginia and Ohio will elect members to the U.S. Senate, and West Virginia has a governorÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s election also.
ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s been said in this space before and it will be said again before Nov. 5: If you care, if you want to have a voice, if you want to make a difference, then vote. If you donÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t care, then donÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t vote. To use a quote attributed to Thomas Jefferson, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Participation takes many forms. The most basic is voting.
