Daily Herald opinion: Early voting offers options; not voting shouldn’t be one of them

The calendar flipped to fall on Sunday, meaning busy weeks ahead.

But regardless of what is on your autumn to-do list, it is important to set aside time for the one activity that will have massive repercussions for our nation, our state and our counties for years to come — voting.

As Jake Griffin previewed in an article in Wednesday’s paper, early voting for the Nov. 5 general election began Thursday in DuPage, Lake, Kane, Will and McHenry counties. Those in Cook County can cast votes starting Oct. 9.

County websites offer details on where to go and when, along with important information on voter registration.

At first, early voting sites will be limited. To vote today in Lake County, for example, you’d have to head to Waukegan. Check with your county for specifics.

In the coming weeks, additional sites will be added, giving voters plenty of opportunities to fill out ballots and make their preferences known.

And there’s always the thrill of voting on Election Day, knowing you are joining millions across the country in a civic duty — and privilege — that we should never take for granted.

We all know there is a tremendous amount at stake at the top of the ticket: The presidential race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is indeed one of the most important in our nation’s history. But the contentious presidential election is not the only race worth our attention.

Congressional seats are up across the suburbs and throughout the country. If you are tired of gridlock in Washington, if you are concerned about U.S. policy at home and abroad, if you feel passionately about any of today’s hot-button issues, you should be weighing in on who will represent you in the House come January.

Illinois General Assembly races hit even closer to home. State representatives and senators in Springfield decide much of what shapes life in Illinois, from eliminating cash bail as they did in the past to weighing whether to drop mandatory behind-the-wheel driving tests for seniors.

County-wide positions and county board seats are up for election as well, including high-profile state’s attorney races.

We acknowledge that it is not easy to sort through all the candidates’ names and their stances on the issues, though we as a newspaper aim to help with coverage and questionnaires.

We also acknowledge the frustration that results when candidates offer sound bites or diversions instead of clear answers to clear questions.

And we get it: You might have issues with both candidates in any given race.

But democracy is not a spectator sport. We need to do our homework and we need to cast our votes.

We have options on how and where we meet this challenge. But sitting out the election should not be one of them.