I never worry about whether my voter registration is active.

That’s because I vote in any election I can get to. Not just every four years for President. But midterm elections for Congress, governorships and state legislatures. Off-year local elections for town offices. Judges for whatever jurisdiction. The local school board and budget. 

Even the local library board and budget – that election is usually some weird day in December and I’m sure that, out of my town of 80,000 , maybe 200 people vote.

So I’m ready for November 3. In fact, I’m ready for before November 3, because early voting starts October 24 in New York. 

All I need to do is coordinate with the other members of my family on when we’re going to the special early voting site. I need to do this because I’ve promised every Democrat who has rung our doorbell that I would bring everyone in my family to the polls.

That’s how deeply I care about this election. About just about any election.

You should care, too. Sorry to preach, but the people who don’t vote are as much to blame for the crisis we endure. If you can’t be bothered to be a functioning citizen, don’t complain when Trump cheers the wiping out of the San Diego Zoo or gets THANKS TO DONALD J. TRUMP carved into the chair at the Lincoln Memorial.

Among other obscenities.

Unfortunately, if Trump’s BS makes you angry or scared, you’re out of luck in many states.

That’s because, for a supposed democracy, we do a crappy job of letting people vote. You have to register. It’s something you actively have to do. By mail, online or in person. 

And every state has a different deadline. Sometimes, it’s hard to know when that deadline is – it’s not like a holiday whose date everyone remembers. 

For instance, if you live in Florida and want to rid the state of the taint left by Ron DeSantis and his goons, you time passed. The voting registration deadline in Florida, according to vote.org, was October 5, three days before this was posted. 

If you live in Texas and get nauseous of the thought of Ken Paxton as a U.S. senator and Greg Abbott getting another chance to further his police state, you missed your opportunity. The deadline was October 3.

That said, there are still states – some of which have tight races that will determine whether Trumpism flourishes or flails – where you can still register to vote.

Several states have voter registration up to and including Election Day. If that’s the case, no worries. Just go to the polls on November 3 – or earlier if there’s early voting. Vermont, Minnesota and Washington State are among the states where you can do that.

And other states still have registration open. A short drive to town hall can make you an American hero.

For example, here in New York, the registration deadline is October 24. In the 17th Congressional District, where I live, it could make all the difference in whether Smarmy Mike Lawler can continue his worshipful kissing of Trump’s ass.

In Michigan, you can support one of those most thoughtful candidates in recent memory, Abdul el-Sayed, keep a Democratic Senate seat from another Trump sycophant. You can register in person until the polls close at 8 p.m. EST on Election Day, or by October 19 online or by mail.

To register on Election Day in Michigan, you need either a driver’s license, or a combination of a photo ID and proof of residence like a utility bill or government check.

You need to check the rules for your state. It’s not that hard. Vote.org is a good place to start. Or you can look up your state’s Secretary of State website or the site of your local elections board.

The MAGAmuffins who claim that any election Trump and his followers lose is rigged are trying to make it seem as though it’s way too easy to vote. Or it’s way too easy to manipulate vote totals through fake registrations and noncitizen voting.

That’s crap. And there’s an easy solution that I guarantee these people wouldn’t like.

Automatic registration.

Allow everyone 18 and older to vote. They can either be registered through Social Security. Or just have them show up with a government-issued ID on Election Day – there would be no need for registration.

But you can’t have voter ID AND registration, the way MAGA is trying to intimidate states into thinking. If you’ve registered, you’ve proven your identity. Your signature should be enough.

That’s what we’ve done in New York since at least the first time I went to the polls, as an 8-year-old in 1962 voting with my parents (a great tradition that every family should extend). It works fine. Only sore losers squawk about fairness.

But you can’t complain about the situation in this country – you can’t even say stuff like “it’s politics as usual” or “there’s no difference between the political parties” – if you don’t participate. Throwing up your hands is not responsible.

Voting is.