A total of 3,813,536 residents in our state were registered to vote as of Oct. 3. Sadly, a fair number of them won’t vote Nov. 6 in our state and national election.

In this issue, you can get a taste of what your 45th and 48th legislative district candidates have on their minds in our cover story. Also of importance on the ballot is the same-sex marriage Referendum 74, which is also on our cover this week.

Too many of us, it seems, forget what an honor and privilege it is to be able to vote freely for a candidate or issue without fear or government interference or retaliation.

Here in this state alone, only 72 percent of eligible adults were registered for the 2008 election and only 80 percent of them went to the polls. That leaves a lot of people who sat on the sidelines or didn’t care to have a key role in democracy.

The numbers seem to be getting worse. In 1952, 91 percent of eligible adults in our state were registered to vote. And 80 percent of them cast a ballot. It was even more difficult then: there wasn’t universal “vote by mail,” meaning most people had to get to a polling place on election day.

One of the strengths of our country has been the open arms it extends to people from around the world to come here and, if they choose, become citizens. Forty-five of them went to the effort to do that in Bellevue last month. Let’s show them the next step in their journey by joining them in voting in the Nov. 6 general election.