Being prepared can help you exercise your voice and your vote on election day.
But there's so many things to think about, where do you begin?
KSFY News met some voters who were getting prepared for election day.
Making sense of the ballot is not an easy task, but you have to start somewhere.
Some are making the start in advance rather than wait until they're standing in the voting booth on election day.
The secretary of state was in town Tuesday to host a forum and help walk some people through the ballot.
Jo Faber is new to South Dakota. Faber says deciding what a yes or no vote means on the ballot is not always easy.
"It doesn't matter where you're at, it just seems to me you have to read them carefully and not just listen to the ads on TV but really do your own research."
Secretary of State Jason Gant held the forum because many people know who they will vote for but not what.
"We had a great Q&A, a little back and forth from both sides. Some of the proponents and opponents, so it was a great opportunity to help educate folks about how they're going to vote on all of the ballot," Secretary of State Gant said.
Some voters are taking some extra steps to prepare for election day.
"All the things that are coming up on the ballot, I thought it was interesting the way they discussed the pros and cons with out trying to influence your decision. I thought it was a good workshop" Faber said.
Standing at the electronic touch screen voting booths on election day might be overwhelming to some.
"It's very scary but it's really not. it's a very simple machine where it's touch screen. you can listen, it's very helpful for some folks who just need a little assistance in casting their ballot," Secretary of State Gant said.
The forum reminded Faber of one key fact. Advice she has for all of us.
"The fact that people, everybody's vote counts, and you shouldn't be afraid to vote, it's important to vote. So get out there and vote," Faber said.
Faber told me the touch screen voting booth was pretty easy once she got the hang of it.
Gant says the ballot is a little bit longer this year so you may want to give yourself some time to prepare in advance.
Knowing who and what you are going to vote for before you get into the booth can help you and your fellow voters.
