The contents of your mailbox these days is a lot more exciting than bills.

Good afternoon, this is Sara Rubin. 

Despite the high-level turmoil at the U.S. Postal Service in recent months, the mail keeps coming. These days, it’s coming in a larger volume than it has since last time there was an election. Candidates and committees are sending glossy mailers daily, hoping to win your vote with a few bullet points and staged photos. 

I like to read all that campaign mail. Even though the carefully workshopped bullet points are unlikely to persuade me, I like to see what the candidates view as their most compelling attributes. (It’s the same reason I like to look at campaign ads in the Weekly. Because of our firewall between the editorial and sales departments, I don’t know what’s happening in advertising until I see the final pages uploaded as we prepare to go to print. In this week’s issue, I was struck by half-page ad from Timothy Barrett, running for mayor of Monterey, who wrote at length in his ad about his objections to a recent news story in the Weekly. Oh well.) 

Then my ballot arrived in the mail. Even if you’re not into all the campaign ads, getting your little piece of democracy, hefty and official-looking in a blue envelope (and with an “I Voted” sticker enclosed—who can resist a free sticker?) makes it feel like Christmas. 

It’s a gift to be able to vote, and in California, it’s never been easier to vote. All registered voters will get an absentee ballot this year, due to the pandemic. You have the choice to vote in person instead, and two early voting locations opened today (at the Monterey County Elections Office in Salinas, and at Embassy Suites in Seaside) or at your local polling place on Election Day. You can put your absentee ballot in the mail or you can drop it off at one of 23 dropboxes around the county. You can also check the status of your ballot online at WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov.

You don’t need stamps—postage is already paid—and you don’t need a witness signature. You just need to first sort through all that campaign literature and decide who you’re voting for. (You might consider waiting a few days and consulting the Monterey County Weekly editorial board’s endorsements, which will be published this Thursday, Oct. 8.)

Whoever you vote for, the important thing is to vote. Especially in a time when it’s easy to feel powerless in a world fraught with trouble, it’s a way to wield some power and make a difference. 

And after you vote, ask a neighbor or three to vote also. 

-Sara Rubin, editor, sara@mcweekly.com