Being a good citizen and an informed voter is always in season, but as the 2006 campaign hits its final two months, now is the time to get involved or if you are already involved, to step up the pace.

Now is the time to make sure you are registered to vote, that your family is registered to vote, that your extended family is registered to vote and that your friends are registered to vote. Participate in voter registration drives. Washington allows registration up to October 7th by mail or October 23rd in person for the general election.

Now is the time to make a financial contribution to the candidate or candidates of your choice. Go to the candidate’s website, the Clark County Democrats web site, the Washington State Democrats website, the web site, the site of your favorite PAC or political blog, etc. The GOP has been very clear that they will be running a lot of negative ads. Answering those ads with a positive vision will take real money.

Now is the time to volunteer for a campaign. All politics are local and our local campaigns need your help. Plan just a couple hours a week on politics and you will help our quality of life in Clark County. Clark County Washington is one of the fastest growing areas in the country. We all have a responsibility in helping our area grow in the best way possible for all the people who live here. We have major political needs in this region, especially in the area of education and transportation. However, news coverage in Clark County is often overshadowed by Portland events and our local political issues and candidates do not get the coverage they need to make their message heard. You as a volunteer can make all the difference.

Call or visit our office to help. The address is 1717 Broadway in Vancouver; our number is 254-9116.

Working together we can keep Southwest Washington a great place to live.