If you are attempting to find another example of how quickly time passes, you don’t have to look very far.

There’s one coming up Monday, for instance.

That’s the deadline to register to vote in Ohio’s May 6 primary election.

It probably doesn’t seem so long ago that many of us were caught up in the 2024 elections. But five months have passed, and we’re well into the next voting cycle.

This spring’s election does not carry all of the drama that was associated with last fall’s vote. But that doesn’t mean anyone should plan on sitting this one out.

Every voter in Ohio will find at least one item on their ballot. That’s state Issue 2, and it’s a proposed amendment to the state Constitution that will continue the state’s Capital Improvement Program. If passed, it will allow the funding of public infrastructure by allowing the issuance of general obligation bonds.

According to information on the website of Secretary of State Frank LaRose, passage will renew a program that for 38 years has helped local communities fund projects including roads, bridges, wastewater treatment systems and other facilities. It was first passed in 1987 and renewed in 1995, 2005 and 2014.

Depending on where you live this time around, that might be the only thing you have to vote on. That probably shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, because the primary during an off-year election following a presidential election often attracts little interest.

In our area, Republicans in the city of Steubenville will find two candidates, Kimberly Hahn and Ralph A. Petrella, running for their party’s nomination in the race for mayor. No Democrat filed for the primary, which means unless an independent candidate emerges, the winner of that vote likely will succeed Jerry Barilla, who was prevented from seeking re-election by term limits.

That’s it for contested primary races in Jefferson County.

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t figure on casting a ballot. All residents of Toronto, for example, will get to vote on a 4.86-mill, 10-year bond issue that will generate money needed to purchase two new fire trucks. And, some residents of the city’s Fourth Ward will get to vote on a local option that would allow the Sunday sale of wine and mixed beverages and spirituous liquor at Tucker’s Tavern.

If you’re not registered, you won’t be able to make your voice heard. The Jefferson County Board of Elections, located at 500 Market St. in Steubenville in the Jefferson County Tower Complex, will be open until 9 p.m. Monday to help you complete that relatively simple process.

You also can register online at VoteOhio.gov if you have a valid Ohio driver’s license or ID or, according to LaRose’s office, at any public library branch; any deputy registrar of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles; at public high schools or vocational schools; the offices of county treasurers; and many other spots, including the Department of Job and Family Services; the Department of Health, including the Women, Infants and Children program; the Department of Mental Health; the Department of Developmental Disabilities; and Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities.

Once registered, it’s not hard to cast your ballot — you can vote absentee by mail; you can participate in early in-person voting at the board of elections; or you can go old school and head to your local polling location between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on May 6.

If you choose to vote early at the board of elections, you will be able to do that from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 14 through April 18 and April 21 through April 25; 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. April 28; 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. April 29; 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. April 30 through May 2; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 3; and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on May 4.

In-person early voting will not be available on May 5.

Make sure you’re registered to vote by 9 p.m. Monday — and then take the next step in the process and head to the polls on May 6. Be a part of the process and make sure your voice is heard.

(Gallabrese, a resident of Steubenville, is executive editor of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times)