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There's a special election coming up in about a month.
And, if you live in our part of Ohio, the hope is you will put in the effort it takes to make your voice heard.
The only item that will be on the ballot in the June 11 vote will be to determine whether state Sen. Michael Rulli, a Republican from Salem, or Michael Kripchak, a Democrat from Youngstown, will fill the unexpired term of former U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson in the state's 6th Congressional District.
It will help to bring a sense of closure to a process that began in November when Johnson, a Republican from Marietta, accepted the position as president of Youngstown State University. After he resigned from Congress in late January, Gov. Mike DeWine set the second Tuesday in June as the date for the vote to select the person who would fill the remainder of the term, which expires at the end of the year.
Why should it matter to us?
Because of the timing of Johnson's resignation, the 6th District, which includes all of Jefferson, Harrison, Belmont, Carroll, Mahoning, Columbiana, Monroe, Noble and Washington counties and portions of Stark and Tuscarawas counties, has been left without representation in the House since Jan. 21.
You might ask what difference that really makes. But without a representative in place, our area had no say in the House votes on, for example, aid to the Ukraine and Israel.
Would there have been a different result? No -- funding for Ukraine passed 311-112, while funding for Israel passed 366-58, so one vote would not have swayed either decision. But because the seat was vacant, our area was not a part of the final tally.
With increasing rumblings about a possible attempt to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, the House will need to have as full a representation as possible. As it stands now, that total is 218 Republicans and 213 Democrats. There are five vacant seats in addition to Ohio's 6th District -- that list includes spots that had been held by Republicans in California, Colorado and Wisconsin, and ones that had been held by Democrats in New York and New Jersey.
Such a small difference between the parties means every seat matters, and that's why you should plan to vote in June.
But you can't do that unless you are registered, and the deadline to complete that process will be 9 p.m. Monday. The Jefferson County Board of Elections will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to give you extra time to do that. If your name has changed or you have a new address, you'll have to update that information by the deadline as well.
If you can't make it to the board of elections, you can register to vote at the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, any public library, public high schools and vocational schools, designated agencies that provide public assistance or disability programs or the treasurer's office.
You also can go to myohiovote.com.
In-person absentee voting will be available at the board of elections from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, May 20 through May 24 and May 28 through May 31; from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. June 3; from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. June 4; from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. June 5 through June 7; from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 8; and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. June 9.
Contact the board of elections for information about how to cast a mail-in absentee ballot.
And, if you prefer to head to your precinct and cast your vote in person on election day, polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. June 11.
No matter who wins in that election, the same two candidates will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot to determine who will fill the seat for the two years beginning in January. And, if you have decided to sit the special election out and just wait to vote in November, you will have until 9 p.m. on Oct. 7 to get registered.
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With the special election right around the corner, it's likely readers will be looking to make arguments for and against the respective candidates. The best way to do that is through a letter to the editor.
As a reminder, letters must be 500 words or less and must include the writer's name, address and a telephone number where he or she can be reached. That last part remains important -- it's used to help us confirm that the person who submits the letter is who they claim to be, and provides an easy way to reach the writer if there are any questions that come up during editing.
We reserve the right to edit any submission we receive, and submissions are limited to one every four weeks. While the deadline for letters is noon each Thursday, there's a special deadline for letters that deal with the June 11 election: That's noon on May 30, with the final letters about that election appearing the weekend of June 1-2.
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As has been the case for the last several hundred years or so, newspapers remain the best way for candidates to get their message out. According to America's Newspapers, a Washington, D.C.-based industry advocacy group, 79 percent of newspaper readers vote in national or state elections vs. 61 percent of non-readers. The numbers show that 66 percent of newspaper readers vote nearly every time in local elections vs. 40 percent of non-readers.
Newspapers, the group adds, are the No. 1 source for timely information about local government. And, if you think people no longer read newspapers, consider this: The survey, which was conducted by Coda Ventures, shows that eight out of 10 Americans read print or digital newspapers every month.
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It all means there's a lot of information to be processed as we prepare to head into the busiest part of the election season.
(Gallabrese, a resident of Steubenville, is executive editor of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times)