People love to express their opinions.

Whether we find those opinions offensive or they perfectly align with ours is irrelevant. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the right to let others know what we think or how we feel.

We’re closing in on one of the most powerful ways to do that. On Tuesday, Nov. 5, voters will elect the 47th president of the United States.

Today, Oct. 21, is the last day for Pennsylvanians who are not registered to vote to make sure their voices are heard by going to the polls.

The process is not complicated. Voter registration applications can be completed and submitted online. They also can be printed out from the state website, filled out and hand delivered to the election bureau in the voter’s county of residence, where registration forms are also available.

Prospective voters must be a U.S. citizen at least 30 days before the election, be at least 18 by Election Day and be a Pennsylvania resident in the county in which they intend to vote for at least 30 days.

Despite the short list of qualifications, they are substantially broader than they once were.

The U.S. Constitution, signed in 1787, put elections solely in the hands of white men. It took 83 years for Black men to receive the same right, and women weren’t welcome to offer their opinions at the polls until 1920.

Polls taxes — the practice of charging voters to cast a ballot, therefore excluding those who couldn’t afford to pay them — weren’t abolished until 1964, and in 1971, the voting age was lowered to 18 in all elections.

Those changes took the important decisions of who will represent our country, our states and our local municipalities from the hands of a few and put them into the hands of many.

It would be disingenuous to pretend that this year’s presidential election is not incredibly divisive. Voters seem firmly planted behind the campaign of either former president Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris.

Since no one has the power of prognostication, the person who takes the reins next year will be tasked with guiding the United States through four years of national and international events, issues and potentially crises.

Please carefully consider which candidate is most equipped to lead our country, and offer your opinion at the polls Nov 5.

To do that, you must not take your right to vote for granted.

Register now.

In an election that is a near-dead heat, your vote could very well be the one that decides it.

To register online, visit Pavoterservices.pa.gov.