Election Day 2016 is almost here.

And, I know, a lot of folks can hardly wait for Nov. 8 to be over. No more repetitive, issue-ignoring television-news sound bites. Good riddance to the ceaseless, mean-spirited campaign ads.

What’s the old W.C. Fields line? “I never voted for anybody. I always voted against.”

But the flip side of that coin, the real truth of the matter, is that we live in the greatest democracy in the world. That voting is a privilege that we too often take for granted. That participating in the election process is, to paraphrase radio disk jockey Steve Dahl, “one of the world’s greatest natural highs.”

No matter who you vote for, or why you vote, elections are best when people participate. “Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves,” Franklin D. Roosevelt said. “And the only way they could do this is by not voting.”

During the past few months, Kane County Connects and the Kane County Clerk’s Office have encouraged residents to register to vote, to vote early and to educate themselves on the issues. On Monday (Nov. 7, 2016), Kane County Connects will post an article on the info you need on Election Day — so be sure to visit kanecounconnects.com and click here to subscribe to the Kane County Connects e-newsletter.

In the meantime, below are links to some of the articles we’ve published to date — a sort of “home page” for any questions you might have on the Nov. 8 election.

• Election 2016: Your Personalized Sample Ballot Is Now Online! (This article has been updated to include a link to the Aurora Election Commission sample-ballot page.)
• Election Complaint Line To Be Open For Nov. 8 General Election
• 4 Referendums on Nov. 8 Ballots in Kane County
• Quick Quiz: Who’s on the Nov. 8 Ballot in Kane County, IL? (If You Don’t Know, Click Here)
• 4 Deadlines You Should Keep in Mind for Nov. 8 Elections
• Clerk’s Office Begins Promotional Campaign for Early Voting in November Election
• County Clerk Strongly Recommends Voting Early in November Election
• Early Voting Going Strong So Far in Kane County
• ‘The Candidate Shortage Is Worse Than Ever’ — Kane County Clerk Publishes 2017 Candidates Guide

As long as we’re doing the quote thing, we’ll leave you with this one from Winston Churchill, circa 1947:

“It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government — except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”