As season changes, get ready to vote

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Autumn, the season for change, arrived Monday. Soon it will be time to hang up the garden hoe, grab the leaf rake and know where your snow shovel is. The next 3 months will take the Sauk Valley from lawn mowers to snow blowers. In between will be the harvest, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping. It will be a season of change in other ways, particularly in the leadership of our country. It's only 41 days until the election that will decide a new president. We urge Sauk Valley residents to prepare for this change by planning to participate in the process. The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 4 election is Oct. 7. That's less than 2 weeks away. Who needs to register? If someone is a citizen and of voting age - 18 or older - and has never registered before, they must do to be eligible to vote. Young people who will turn 18 by Election Day also may vote, if they have registered in advance. People who have moved since the last election need to re-register, even if the move was from one location to another in the same town. You must be a resident of your precinct for 30 days. Of course, people who moved into the area from another county must register again, as must current voters who changed their names. All other voters eligible from previous elections should be good to go. For registration information, contact your local county clerk's office by phone: Lee County, 815-288-3309; Whiteside, 815-772-5189; Ogle, 815-772-1110; Carroll, 815-244-0221; and Bureau, 815-875-2014. Change isn't just a campaign slogan. Along with change in the White House, there are other races and issues about which voters will be considering changes. Illinois elects a U.S. senator and U.S. representatives. Judicial candidates will be on the ballot, along with state and local candidates and referendums. There's plenty of change ahead, and not only because of the new season. We urge local residents to be sure they're registered to vote so they can be part of the change, not merely spectators.