As advertisement campaigns for the November general election heat up, the window to register to vote is narrowing.

Kentuckians must register by Oct. 9 to be eligible to vote Nov. 6 for a host of local and state races.

The ballot in Clark County will include the offices of 6th district U.S. representative, 28th district state senator, 73rd district state representative, Court of Appeals judges for the 5th district 1st division, Winchester City Commission, Clark County Fiscal Court, Winchester mayor, Clark County Judge-Executive and the Clark County Board of Education among others.

With all these offices on the ballot, now is as critical a time as ever for voters to make their voices heard. However, a large percentage of eligible voters choose not to.

In the May primary, only about 24 percent of registered voters participated in the election. That means of the more than 3.3 million registered voters, only 806,248 participated.

In Clark County, the turnout was only slightly better than the state as a whole with 26.8 percent of voters participating in the May primary (7,796 of the 29,038 registered voters).

Locally, the May primary decided several local positions, including electing Greg Elkins as a magistrate and re-electing Clark County Sheriff Berl Perdue. One candidate on the November ballot, Magistrate Pam Blackburn beat her opponent on less than a handful of votes.

Essentially, only a fourth of registered voters determined representation for a county with a population of more than 35,000.

That’s alarming.

Even more concerning, is that number only takes into account those who are registered. There are thousands of others who are eligible to vote and are not registered at all.

With just less than a month left to register, now is the time to do so. If you are already registered, verify your information is correct and that your polling location has not changed. Then, encourage others to register.

If you are not registered, the process is easy and can even be done from the comfort of your home, officer or on your mobile device.

At govoteky.com, you can register to vote or update current voter information. You can review your registration information, voting location, candidate filings and sample ballots, along with other vital information.

Additionally, Clark County resident can register to vote at the Clark County Clerk’s office or various voter registration drives.

When it comes to election day, help others reach their polling places. Check with elderly family members or neighbors and offer a ride to their polling places. See if other neighbors or coworkers need help getting to their location to vote.

Voting is not only a right but is a responsibility that everyone should take seriously. Let’s all do our part to inform and assist others in the process.

That is the best way to ensure our communities are electing the best representation.