It’s 28 days, less than a month, until Election Day, Nov. 6. The polls in California open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

The hours to vote won’t help if you aren’t registered to vote. There is still time to register; the deadline is Monday, Oct. 22.

Hill residents should heed this message. While the total number of voters here is fewer than other Riverside jurisdictions, traditionally our turnout has been 10 percent greater than countywide.

Regardless of your position on the “47 percent,” whether Medicare or the Middle East is the future critical issue, or if Proposition 30 or 38 is better for schools, unless you vote, your opinion has little consequence unless all of your friends are persuaded by your cogent arguments.

Then, I hear, it doesn’t matter, my vote doesn’t matter. Out of 700,000 in Riverside County or nearly 14 million in California, what will my one vote matter.?

It matters to gain traction with the winners, regardless of party. Office holders pay attention of communities that vote because in the next election we could be the difference.

You can apply to register to vote right now by filling in the online application. If you have any questions, visit Frequently Asked Questions, contact the Secretary of State’s Elections Division at (800) 345-8683 or by email.

The Secretary of State’s website with more registration information is https://rtv.sos.ca.gov/elections/register-to-vote/.

If you are enrolled in California’s confidential address program, Safe At Home, please do not apply to register to vote using this site. Contact the Safe At Home program toll-free at (877) 322-5227 or by the Safe At Home email.

For a voter registration form in Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Tagalog, Thai or Vietnamese, visit the Secretary of State’s New Voters webpage.

You can also pick up a voter registration application at the Riverside County elections office, Idyllwild library, Department of Motor Vehicles offices, or U.S. post office.

It is important that your voter registration application be filled out completely and be postmarked or hand-delivered to your county elections office by Oct. 22.