We in New York State have something new this year: Early Voting, courtesy of the Democratic majority in our State Senate, which was voted in two years ago in the Blue Wave.

Early Voting was enacted to encourage more citizens to use their right to express their opinion in the ballot box. This new system will get a workout at this year's election.

We have nine days of early voting in New York, starting this Saturday, October 24 and running through November 1. Check online to find out where to vote early in your area, and what the hours of voting will be. The website is www.ny.gov/early-voting-and-absentee-voting-mail-or-dropbox.

Of course, you must be registered to vote, but the deadline for voter registration was October 9, 2020.

Any and all registered voters can also vote by absentee ballot this year if they are concerned about COVID-19. You must request the absentee ballot by October 27 if you are doing so online using email or fax.

If you are requesting an absentee ballot by regular mail, it must be postmarked by October 27. The last day to request an absentee ballot in person is November 2.

To cast your absentee ballot, you must either mail it with a postmark no later than November 3, hand-deliver it on Election Day to either your polling place or the Board of Elections by 9 p.m. or deliver it to an early voting site from October 24 till November 1.

Those are the need-to-knows for the citizen-voter this year, when each vote seems critically important.

Now, why do I vote? There are many reasons. I consider it my sacred obligation to vote. It's my civic responsibility. I vote because men and women fought and died to get and protect our right to vote. I vote to honor their sacrifice, to preserve our democracy, and to make my voice heard.

Until 1920, women couldn't vote in the United States. I am always stunned by that fact. My grandmothers both were 20 years old before they were able to vote. And we shouldn't be too surprised by the current attempts to suppress the vote.

In the South, the poll tax, grandfather clause, and literacy tests were used to keep Black men and women from voting for many years, until the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965.

Today's tactics may seem less overtly racist, but their intent is the same: To suppress the votes of people in diverse communities by shutting down polling places and gerrymandering districts to favor one party over another.

What I am saying to all is this: We need to ignore any stumbling blocks put there to discourage us and get out and vote in this election.

Check out the website link above and find out exactly where you can vote and make your plan right now. Don't leave it to chance and then find yourself without options. We have all been given 10 extra days to cast our ballot and can request an absentee ballot right up until the day before Election Day. There is literally no excuse for you not to get out there and vote.

So do it! Vote for causes you believe in. Vote for people you trust. But make a plan and vote. Nothing is more important this year.