The Rays couldn’t quite pull it off–couldn’t even push the Series to seven games–and we’re now into the Winter of our Discontent (which follows the similarly discontented Fall, Summer, and Spring).

I’ll have my usual season-ending post next week, looking at my predictions for the playoffs and taking a peek at next year.

For now, though, something a bit more important.

More important than baseball? Yes, there really is such a thing.

Have you voted yet?

If you have, thank you.

I’m assuming you made the only rational choices. This is not, as many people have been reminding us for months, even years, the time for protest votes; promotion of third, fourth, or fifth parties; or betrayal votes.

It doesn’t matter who she hugged.

It doesn’t matter how much you love their platform.

It doesn’t matter what party’s ticket he’s leading in your state.

Now is the time to vote Democrat. Even if it would be the first time someone in your family has ever voted Democrat, it’s time.

Because if the Republicans hold on to the White House and the Senate, there won’t be an election in 2024.

Not a real one with multiple candidates who could win. Maybe we’ll get a sham election with a single slate of candidates or multiple candidates from a single party.

Choose your reason: a massive death toll from this and the next pandemic, outlawing of the Democratic party as domestic terrorists, or flat-out executive fiat backed by a bought-and-paid-for Supreme Court. Doesn’t matter why. Only the result matters.

If you haven’t voted yet, get off your ass and do it. Don’t rely on the Post Office at this point. Check your county’s website for the official list of ballot drop-off locations* and early voting sites, and do it.

* I strongly doubt that California is the only state plagued with fake drop-off boxes sponsored by the Republican party.

If your state offers ballot tracking (parts of seventeen states use ballottrax.net), sign up. Make sure your ballot is received.

And if you have to cast your ballot in person, especially if it’s November 3 or nothing, be careful. Wear a mask, social distance as much as possible, and pack a lunch–and it probably wouldn’t hurt to take a dinner as well.

Keep your pro- or anti-candidate or issue shirts, buttons, or signs out of sight until after your ballot has been cast: don’t be a target and don’t give anyone even a specious excuse to prevent you from voting.

It’s going to take years to undo all the crap the Republicans have done. Let’s get started now, because if we don’t, we won’t have the chance at all.