This is an election year, during which voters will pick federal, state and local officials. Thanks to campaign signs and candidate forums, anyone who pays the least bit of attention to current events knows that.

For most of the year, the upcoming vote has been kind of an underlying theme to the daily ebb and flow of events. That won’t be the case anymore, with the Nov. 8 general election just weeks away.

It is time for voters to get serious about the choices facing them on the ballot.

We urge all voters to educate themselves not only on the candidates, but on the act of voting itself between now and the election.

This year, local voters will pick one United States senator, one member of the U.S. House of Representatives, a governor, multiple state senators and representatives, as well as the state’s attorney general, auditor, secretary of agriculture, secretary of state, and treasurer. Plus there are multiple county supervisors on the ballot.

We call on voters to learn all they can about these candidates, and to use reliable, factual sources such as this newspaper to do so.

While learning about the candidates, voters must also learn about how the election will be conducted. Some key dates are rapidly approaching.

Oct. 19 will be the first day for in-person early voting. In Webster County, that early voting will be conducted in the courthouse. Residents in nearby counties who want to vote early should contact their county auditor to find out where to do that.

Oct. 24 is the deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail. It is also the deadline for voter pre-registration.

On Nov. 5, the Saturday before the election, the absentee precinct in the Webster County Courthouse will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

On Nov. 7, the day before the election, that absentee precinct will be open until 4:30 p.m.

On Nov. 8 — Election Day — the polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Absentee ballots must be received by the county auditor’s office by 8 p.m. that day.

Our American democracy depends on voter participation. We believe all voters should learn about the candidates, learn about the election and, most importantly, vote.