"Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual - or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country." -Samuel Adams, 1781.

Too many people in Michigan and across the nation decline to execute their "solemn trust" on Election Day. So for those who do vote, their ballot means even more.

If you aren't registered to vote, the election cycle in 2002 will provide a good opportunity to do so. The statewide primary scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 6 will be more important than most, as voters will have the opportunity to narrow a hotly contested race for governor from three candidates to one.

Then, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, the statewide ballot in Michigan will be an eyeful - and most important. The race for governor is at the top of the list, and also up for grabs are one U.S. Senate seat (Carl Levin's), 15 U.S. House of Representatives seats, Secretary of State, Attorney General, two seats on the Michigan Supreme Court, 38 Michigan state Senate positions, 110 state House seats and two Michigan State Board of Education spots.

Those who want to vote in the primary must register by July 8, 30 days before the election. To vote in the general election, the deadline to register is Oct. 7.

You can register to vote for federal, state, and local elections by mail; at your county, city, or township clerk's office; or by visiting any Secretary of State branch office. Or you can obtain a form online at www.sos.state.mi.us/election/elecadmin/index.html. You can mail the form to your city/township or county clerk's office.

Voting is ultimately a numbers game, but the numbers aren't always about who wins the most votes. According to the U.S. Census Bureau:

• Most people who are registered to vote - actually vote. Among Americans who were registered for the November 2000 presidential election, 86 percent reported that they voted, up from 82 percent in 1996.
• In 2000, 86 percent of U.S. voters said they voted in person on Election Day, while 14 percent voted absentee, or before the election in person at an election office.
• Michigan ranks 18th among states in terms of voting-age population who vote - about 63 percent. The most ardent voters are in the District of Columbia and North Dakota, where over 70 percent of the voting age population voted in 2000. The most laid- back voters are found in Hawaii, were only 43 percent of the voting-age population cast a ballot.
• The percentage of the U.S. voting age population who were registered to vote in the 2000 election was at an all-time low of 64 percent. Historically, national registration rates have dropped, from 74 percent in 1968 (the first year data was available) and ranged from 66 percent to 68 percent from 1976 to 1996. 
  Even so, with population increases, the 2000 election had a record number of people registered to vote - 130 million.