Happy National Voter Registration Day, a made-up holiday celebrated on the fourth Tuesday of every September! But before you knock National Voter Registration Day, remember that all holidays are made up—and your elected officials are actually the people with the power to invent them! Yes, the very elected officials whom you will have the power to elect, after you register to vote.

We may not be in a sexy presidential election year (or even a semi-sexy midterm election year) but you should still register. Be prepared, like a Boy Scout. Or someone who always carries a condom. Just do it, NOW.

There are some local elections* happening this November (though none in the City of L.A.) and bigger ones next June and November. Your future self will thank you, come June of next year, when you're like 'Oh crap, can I vote in the gubernatorial primaries or did I forget to register in time?' And then you'll remember that you read LAist and you registered way back in September 2017, and you are good to go. Just imagine what could happen if you don't exercise your democratic right to vote—we could elect an actor to be governor who some day becomes president!

Ready to get started? The first thing to do is to verify whether you are already registered. Even if you think that your registration is current, humor us and double check just in case. After all, who wants to be left out of the democracy/free sticker fun? If you live in L.A. County, you can check your voter registration status here (and elsewhere in California here).

If you are not currently registered to vote, the great state of California makes it incredibly easy to register both online and by mail. You can register online here (you'll need your California driver license handy). If you prefer to register by mail, you can print the National Mail Voter Registration Form online, or pick up a registration form at your local DMV office or county elections office. Forms are also available at post offices, public libraries, and other government offices. Mazel tov, California, you've really made this easy for us!. If you are really feeling retro, you can even request a form by calling (like on a telephone) the voter hotline at (800) 345-8683.

*There is also a special primary election for Los Angeles' 51st Assembly District seat on October 3, but it's too late to register for that one if you haven't already (last-ditch information on "conditional" registration can be found here).