On this National Voter Registration Day, Sept. 24, the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Elections Office looks forward to efforts which get our communities “vote ready.”

The electoral process works best when our elections reflect input from everyone in our community. Which is why it is not only important to ensure you are registered, but your friends, family and neighbors are, too.

The first and perhaps the most important step to getting involved is ensuring you are registered to vote. Our team has compiled all of the information a voter needs, including polling places, deadlines, absentee ballot information and more at GoVoteWV.com. Visit the site, check your registration and save the URL for when you need it.

Note that getting yourself involved is only part of the effort. National Voter Registration Day is meant to be a single, coordinated effort across the county to raise awareness of voter registration opportunities and register as many eligible voters as possible. The event is supported by election officials from both sides of the aisle along with every major association of election officials in the country.

Since Secretary Mac Warner took office in January 2017, more than 130,000 new voters have registered. As of Sept. 18, more than 2,000 new voters have registered just this month in West Virginia.

On this National Voter Registration Day, Secretary Warner has said he hopes to see at least one voter registration drive in every county. Many County Clerks across the state will host their own events on this day. You can find your local office at GoVoteWV.com.

In addition, several organizations have requested voter registration forms for their own events. Note that any individual or organization can host a voter registration drive by requesting forms from our office. If you wish to simply register people from your phone, tablet or computer, let us know so we can keep up with your event.

Remember, your participation in the upcoming election is key to democracy. But you must be registered to vote.

Brittany Westfall is the Director of Elections for the State of West Virginia.