Editorial: Making a plan

Every election in America is critical, whether at the national, state or local level.

Voting is the engine that drives the democratic process. The oft-repeated expression “all politics is local” means that whom you vote for in your town or village matters, affecting the taxes you pay, the support services you receive and what your community will look like in the future.

With less than two months before the Nov. 4 election, the League of Women Voters of the Hamptons, Shelter Island & the North Fork observed National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday, Sept. 16, with registration drives throughout the area.

If you haven’t registered to vote, requests for registration forms can be found online at the New York State Board of Elections website at elections.ny.gov. League members will be providing voter registration forms and absentee ballot applications along with information on candidates running for office on Nov. 4. Reach these guardians of democracy at lwvhsinf.org To be eligible to vote, your application must be filed no later than Oct. 25, 2025.

The ballot — and the ability to cast one easily — represents the foundation of American democracy. Politicians who maneuver to make voting difficult or draw odd shapes on congressional district maps to improve their chances do so because they fear they can’t win if voting is straightforward and simple.

In America since 2020, one group that lost cried foul and claimed there was widespread cheating in the presidential election. Their philosophy is: If we win, it was a free and fair election; if we lose, the other side cheated.

What are the motives of those who no longer respect our system?

It is no exaggeration to say the elections across the country on Nov. 4 are crucial to our country’s well-being. Proponents of the “Big Lie” are on the ballot in many states. Think about that: People are running for office who believe our process was rigged by foreign satellites and by voting machines that they say someone can somehow manipulate to change the tally..

There are also candidates on ballots across the country who describe the violent coup attempt of Jan. 6, 2021, as little more than a robust tourist day, when a few oddballs in strange-looking headdresses showed up in support of their leader. Some of those candidates voted not to accept the Electoral College vote that day.

Early voting in New York begins Oct. 25 and runs through Nov. 2. The official Election Day for 2025 is Tuesday, Nov. 4, but No one has to wait until then to cast a ballot. Early voting is a perfect way to make voting easier for many who might have difficulty getting to the polls on Election Day.

Make a plan because, as they say, having no plan is planning to fail. Register and vote. The more eligible citizens who vote, the more vibrant our democracy.

Vote like America itself is on the ballot. It always is.