Be prepared when casting votes this fall

We suspect few if any of our readers need a reminder that Election Day is fast approaching and that a lot is at stake in this year’s state and federal races.

A barrage of advertising began during the summer and intensified in recent weeks, making it even more difficult than usual to ignore what’s going on in politics.

Pennsylvania will be electing a new governor and U.S. senator this year, as Gov. Tom Wolf’s second and final term is about to expire, and Sen. Pat Toomey decided to not to run for reelection. It’s rare to have an election with two open seats for major statewide offices.

Plus there are the usual highly competitive and consequential races for seats in Congress and the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

Now is a good time for people to make sure they are ready to participate, both in practical terms and in garnering more knowledge about the candidates and issues at hand.

For starters, be aware of some key dates coming up.

First, those who are not yet registered to vote have until Oct. 24 to sign up and be eligible for the Nov. 8 election. Go to vote.pa.gov or contact your local county election office to register.

Registered voters have until Nov. 1 to apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot. Again, this can be accomplished at vote. pa.gov or through your local elections office

Next, make sure you know who is going to be on your ballot. District lines for congressional and state legislative districts are changing as of January, and that means many Pennsylvanians will be seeing unfamiliar names on their November ballots due to redistricting.

Go to ballotpedia.org/ Pennsylvania_Sample_Ballot and plug in your address to learn which candidates are on your ballot. That’s the first step toward making informed choices on Election Day.

When it’s time to vote, we urge people not to reflexively vote a party line but to learn more about the candidates and where they stand.

To learn more about who is running in each of the races that include parts of the region, visit our websites’ politics/election/pages.

There are two issues here. One is that voters aren’t likely to know very much about candidates in races that aren’t hogging the spotlight. State legislators have great power over what happens here in Pennsylvania, and votes for General Assembly should get careful consideration.

The other problem is that even in the races that are getting the most attention, the nonstop barrage of television advertising can muddy the picture more than illuminate it.

A good example is the race for U.S. Senate between Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz and Democrat John Fetterman. The two campaigns and groups aligned with them are running commercials at a furious clip. The general impression an impartial observer gets from all the ads — so many of them negative — is that both candidates are terribly flawed.

It’s crucial to go beyond that. Our election websites contain a look at both candidates’ positions on key issues as well as those of gubernatorial candidates Josh Shapiro and Doug Mastriano.

Elections must be taken seriously by the voters despite efforts on the part of many to make races about personalities and personal attacks or appeals to the us vs. them mentality that has become all too common in today’s politics.

This hotly contested election is but a prelude to what is certain to be an even more furious 2024 race with the White House on the line.

Let’s go into this one with a sober, open mind and clear head in hopes of setting a better tone.

Is it foolishly optimistic to even think this is possible given all the dissension America has been through and continues to endure? We certainly hope not.

But nothing could be more foolish than to give in to the troubling trends. Our nation has been through sharp political divides and nasty campaigns throughout its history and survived. Thoughtful voters now and going forward can help ensure we continue to do so.