It seems only yesterday Americans were collectively ready for the 2016 General Election to be over.

Regardless of political party, it seemed everyone was ready for it to end and move on.

Kansans living in the 4th Congressional District originally would not have voted for a new Congressman until November 2018, but that all changed when former Rep. Mike Pompeo was confirmed as director of the Central Intelligence Agency in January. Since then, his position has been open.

Republican Ron Estes, Democrat James Thompson and Libertarian Chris Rockhold are the candidates seeking to fill Pompeo’s open seat in the House of Representatives. Election Day for the special election is April 11.

It is easy to be apathetic following the 2016 General Election. Regardless of political party, it seems many people did not get the candidate of their choosing for any political office.

However, it is important to remain vigilant and do your civic duty on April 11.

If you are not already, get out there and register to vote for the special election. You have until Tuesday. Find links on where you can register to vote online and to check your voter registration.

Once you’re registered, find your polling location. You can look up your polling location using one of the links below.

In-person advanced voting begins March 27.

As soon as you’re registered to vote and know your polling location, do your research about all of the candidates. Search Facebook for each of their pages and learn where they stand on the issues that matter to you. Find the candidate that you want to represent Kansas in Congress and vote for that person on April 11.

It is easy to sit out an election that happens in an off-calendar year. Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Tabitha Lehman said in a Sunflower interview the office is not seeing much increase this year in registration or applications for advanced voting. In fact, she estimated the office has seen fewer than 1,500 applications of ballots for mail. We can do better.

Do your civic duty and vote for someone to represent Kansans in the 4th Congressional District. Make sure your neighbors know, make sure your friends know and encourage them to get out and vote. Voting is your right and a privilege.

To register to vote online, click here. To check your voter registration status and find your polling location, click here. For other election information, click here.