Temperatures may be dropping outside, but election season is heating up. New Hampshire, which hosts the first primary election in the United States, is a hotbed of activity as candidates make their rounds in anticipation of vying for their party’s nomination.

The good news is that even though our state’s Feb. 11 primary is fast approaching, there’s still time to register to vote.

New Hampshire’s mail registration deadline is six to 13 days prior to the election, depending on where you live. But residents always are eligible to register in person on Election Day. The earliest deadline for a mail-in registration is Jan. 29. The earliest deadline to register for the general presidential election is Oct. 21.

Online registration is not available in New Hampshire.

Complete details regarding voting in the Granite State may be found online at the Secretary of State’s wishbone link hp://so.nh.go/VoteNH.asp.

We encourage anyone who is 18 years of age or older to first exercise his or her right to register to vote. Then we encourage readers to educate themselves about the candidates and the issues and go into the 2020 primary election with a clear vision of for whom they want to cast a ballot.

This is a critical election in our nation’s future, and New Hampshire helps guide the course of subsequent primaries. The 2016 primary set a record voter turnout for the state at 550,000 ballots, representing 62% of registered voters. The previous record was set in 2008 with 530,000 voters.

Given what’s at stake, perhaps that record will be shattered and we’lola see numbers closer to the 2016 general election, in which New Hampshire had more than 75% voter turnout.

When the votes are tallied, opinions count for nothing. One’s real voice only is heard via the ballot box. Don’t permit yourself to be silenced.

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