As August fades and the days grow shorter, the rhythms of everyday life start to change.
Vacations come to a close. Kids head back to school. Attention focuses once again on work.
And every two years (or nearly every year in California) the end of summer marks the full-blown start of the electoral season.
Political junkies in California and across the nation are already fixated on the presidential race that pits Democratic Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden against Republican Sen. John McCain and his surprise running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska.
That contest, featuring as it does the first African American presidential candidate to be nominated by a major party and the first woman nominated to a national Republican ticket, is likely to draw a record number of voters to the polls on Nov. 4. There (or, for an increasing number of Californians, on their absentee ballots), voters will face many, many other important decisions.
The votes that citizens cast on Nov. 4 will affect local school boards, supervisor seats and city halls. In Sacramento, the big local contest is the heated mayoral matchup between incumbent Heather Fargo and challenger Kevin Johnson.
Because of the expected high turnout, there could be some surprises even in normally predictable races for Congress and the Legislature.
There also will be at least a dozen state propositions on the ballot involving hot-button topics and billions of dollars. Whether or not they want to, voters will get to decide on high-speed rail, children's hospitals, gay marriage and the welfare of hens, just to name a few of the topics on the statewide ballot. Even in a down economy, it promises to be a lucrative year for the cottage industry of consultants who make their living by marketing ballot measures.
Are you up to speed on these propositions? Take our little quiz on this page and find out. Our guess is that, given all the other distractions in the real world and the political world, few voters have invested much time in them. No problem. There's still time to bone up.
But time is shorter than you might think. Whatever you do, don't wait until you get in the ballot booth to begin that education.
Speaking of time, here are a couple of key dates:
Oct. 20 is the last day to register to vote. But don't wait until then to submit your paperwork. The earlier you register, the sooner you will get confirmation of your registration. Early registration also reduces the chance of an unnoticed snafu at the registrar's office.
Oct. 28 is a day to mark on your calendar if you are considering voting by mail this year. That's the last day to apply for a mail-in ballot.
Information on registration and vote-by-mail applications can be found at the Secretary of State's Web site, www.sos.ca.gov. You can also get information at that Web site about working as a poll worker on Nov. 4, a job that pays a little money and furthers democracy.
This promises to be a historic election on several fronts. But to be a part of history, you'll need to be registered and ready to cast an informed vote.
It's a privilege that few people in the world enjoy. Get ready to exercise it on Nov. 4.
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