Labor Day has come and gone, we’re two months removed from the Nov. 8 general election, so, we have to ask: Are you registered to vote? Registration ends at noon Oct. 11. Take time in the next few weeks to verify your voting status.

“It would blow your mind how many people are going to call me on (October) the 12th, saying, ‘Oh my gosh, is there anything I can do?’ ” Katie Zuber, a member of the Allen County Election Board, told The Journal Gazette. “To be honest with you, people don’t care about their voter registration until a month before it’s time to vote.”

To learn whether you’re registered, call your county voter registration office. In Allen County, that number is 260-449-7154. If you’re not registered, you will need to fill out a simple form that asks for your name, address, birth date and a voter identification number (that’s your Indiana driver’s license number or, for non-drivers, your state identification card number).

You can register at your county voter registration office, circuit court office, public assistance office or online at indianavoters.in.gov. You won’t need to present personal identification documents to register.

On Election Day, Hoosiers will be voting in one U.S. Senate race and one of nine U.S. House races. Residents will be electing a new secretary of state, state treasurer, state auditor, state senators and representatives, as well as some local elected officials. Don’t forget, you’ll need to bring to the polls with you a picture ID, issued by the state or federal government. Your driver’s license will be sufficient. But if you don’t have a valid license, you’ll need a state ID card issued by a license branch.

Despite Indiana’s 14% participation rate in the May primary and this being a year without a presidential race to consider, Julia Vaughn, executive director of open-government advocate Common Cause Indiana, told The Journal Gazette she’s hopeful Hoosiers will see high voter participation on Election Day.

“I do think that people are more motivated than ever before,” she said. “Sometimes elections are about candidates. Sometimes they’re about issues. And I think this year they’re going to be about issues.”

New restrictions on abortions in Indiana, passed during a special legislative session, head the list of issues driving many new and young voters, Vaughn said. “I think guns are another issue that is really motivating people, and then democracy.”

Voting in Indiana is not easy, Vaughn said. The process is restrictive when compared with other states. No-excuse voting by mail is not allowed. And our voter registration deadline is 29 days earlier than nearly 50% of the states, where voters are allowed to register on Election Day.

In the last legislative session, lawmakers attempted with House Bill 1116 to make it even more difficult to vote by mail or absentee. The most pernicious proposals in that piece of legislation were beaten back. Still, voters applying for a mail-in ballot using the online form will have to provide a driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number.

“That was not in the law previously,” Vaughn said, “and we opposed that because not everyone is comfortable sharing that information in an electronic format online, and many people don’t have a driver’s license number.”

Allen County Election Board’s Zuber, like Vaughn, believes state lawmakers are making it difficult for residents to access a ballot.

“I do think that we make it harder on the voter,” she said. “I think (Election Day) should be a national holiday. To me, as an American, there’s no greater service you can do for our country and to honor those who have served us than to go cast your ballot.

“But in the same breath, (Allen County) only had 12.9% (of registered voters) that showed up in the primary,” Zuber continued. “So, we can register people all day. But the point is they need to get to the polls.”

Most of us who live in this part of Indiana care about our families, friends and neighbors who live here, too. With blessings come responsibilities. You have a stake in your community. We encourage you to get registered before noon Oct. 11, learn about the candidates and vote on or before Nov. 8.

Editorials are the opinion of The Journal Gazette Editorial Board: President Julie Inskeep, publisher Sherry Skufca, editorial page editor Fredrick McKissack and editorial writer Jeff Kovaleski.

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