Yes, it’s easier to argue against anchovies, but take time to vote

It’s that time of year again.

Bright pumpkins, brilliant fall foliage, crisp weather, caramel apples, spiced cider, bulging candy aisles, little foam-muscled Spider-Man costumes.

And autumn elections on Nov. 6.

Ah, yes – the little ones have visions of Snickers bars dancing in their heads. We adults have brain fatigue trying to weed through information on candidates and issues, of which we may know little or nothing.

Some of us are writing advocate letters to the editor, handing out fliers and displaying campaign signs in our yards; some of us are pulling our hair trying to figure out puzzling, difficult options. Some of us just want to hide under our electric blankets, watch “Heroes,” and wish it all away.

But heroes don’t always come with super powers. They may appear as unassuming people, willing to take on the burden of administering our communities.

This election we have oppositional candidates and critical issues at stake, some to have serious impact on both region and state.

We Americans are often quick to dismiss and criticize other countries without democratic systems. But we’re surprisingly cavalier at participating in our own, especially when it comes to local elections. We’re more likely to heatedly advocate for favorite pizza toppings than candidates who will help decide issues affecting us long after that pizza has been eaten and processed through the sewage-treatment plant.

I’m not promoting any person or position. I’m simply asking you, fellow citizen, however politically-impaired and perplexed you feel about complex election issues, to take advantage of your hard-won democratic rights and vote.

But please do some homework first. Pick up that dust-gathering Voters’ Pamphlet and read it. Don’t let your mail-in ballot get buried underneath a pile of “to do’s.” Talk to friends about who they’re voting for and why; read newspaper reports; go to forums, question candidates.

Low voter turnout means that a relative handful of people determine your community’s fate, a fate about which you will grumble and write angry letters to the editor when decisions go against what you hold dear.

Apathy isn’t your friend. It isn’t a friend to the rest of us either.

And, really, voting has never been so easy. You don’t have to slog out in cold weather, suffer the slings and arrows of wind-driven rain, stand in line half-awake on a squeaky gym floor before work or school or feel daunted by electronic voting equipment.

No, all you have to do is color in the ovals on your mail-in ballot with a dark pen. And vote your conscience – a conscience you’ve hopefully educated so you can make an informed choice benefiting yourself and your community.

Or perhaps you have a write-in candidate you prefer. Make sure you find the correct position, hand-write that person’s name clearly underneath the other candidates’ and fill in the oval next to the written-in name.

Once you’re finished, follow the envelope instructions, pop your ballot in the mail and – poof! You’ve participated in our democracy and had a voice in your destiny.

That’s not so hard, is it?

Please care about your future more than your pizza. Then you can go back to debating olives, pineapple or extra cheese.