With two weeks to go until election day, we have, as comedian Jon Stewart puts it, “officially entered into the fever dream portion of the campaign.”

Our political process reaches its greatest intensity and its greatest surreality in this period. We, as often-irrational creatures, are most prone to fear-based tricks or appeals to our biases in this state. But it’s important to keep our heads on straight while we prepare to decide the future of our island, state and country.

The smallest, simplest way you have of deciding our civic future is through your vote. We hope you’ll cast your ballot, and we hope you’ll make your decision based not just on what’s best for yourself — but also for the candidates and decisions which are most likely to protect marginalized people in the U.S. and abroad, to protect our environment and climate, and to stake out a bold and creative vision for a smarter, kinder United States of America.

First, some important dates and housekeeping.

Ballots were mailed out and the 18-day voting period in Washington began on October 18. If you haven’t received your ballot by the time you’re reading this, consider contacting the King County Elections Office to make sure you’re properly registered.

Tuesday, Nov. 5 is election day in Washington State and across the U.S. The last edition of The Beachcomber to go to print before election day is our Halloween edition on Thursday, Oct. 31, with which our team goes to press on Oct. 29.

This means that any letters to the editor encouraging people to vote for or against a candidate or initiative must be received by The Beachcomber no later than noon on Oct. 28. We cannot guarantee that any letters sent to us after this point will be published before election day.

Our following Nov. 7 edition will cover islanders’ reactions to the election outcome. Because that edition is laid out the morning of election day, letters about the election outcome won’t appear in The Beachcomber until the Nov. 14 edition.

The deadline to update your voter registration online in time to vote in this election is Oct. 28. But you can change your voter registration in-person up until 8 p.m. on election day, Nov. 5; just be aware that the closest voting centers to Vashon are located in the vicinities of Tacoma, Port Orchard, Seattle and Renton.

Election nights can provoke a variety of emotions. You probably remember where you were and how you felt on many of them. This year, our presidential election promises to be extraordinarily close and stressful. Washington State voters will also be selecting major roles in our state government and voting on a raft of high-impact ballot initiatives. And given former President Donald Trump’s proclivity for denying election results he doesn’t like, it’s also very possible that the stress won’t stop with election night.

So be it. Cast your ballot, stay informed, keep calm and encourage your friends and loved ones to do the same. We’ll get everything sorted out … eventually.

A country is only as good as the people who reside in it. Let’s show the world what we’re made of.