Oregon voters may well secure one of those rare election moments in November when they can choose from three different candidates but the key, as always, is that all residents take advantage of the opportunity to vote.

That may prove to be quite a challenge, though we hope not.

Now, three candidates — Betsy Johnson, Tina Kotek and Christine Drazan — are vying for the state’s top political position.

Kotek is on the Democratic ticket while Drazan is the GOP front-runner. Johnson, who is unaffiliated, recently turned in enough signatures to get a spot on the Nov. 8 election ballot.

While there will be plenty of bombast and wide sweeping proclamations by all the candidates between now and November, what is really key about the election is that enough Oregonians vote.

The right to vote is more than just a nice, quaint concept about America. It is the key element to our democracy.

Multitudes of people have died on distant battlefields for us to enjoy that right. Many brave souls during the Civil Rights era marched and faced danger to ensure everyone held the ability to vote.

As voters we owe them all a great debt, but if we do not use what is the key tool of our democracy, then our very future is at risk.

Sure, at least for now there isn’t a whole lot of variety among the candidates. Kotek is as solidly Democrat as Drazan is Republican. Johnson is trying to capitalize on her role as a political outlier to get elected.

In other words, this election doesn’t appear to be one that will be needlessly complicated. The battle lines are drawn. The issue is familiar. Now all that needs to happen is that eligible voters actually vote.

Regardless of what one reads or hears, every vote does count. We, as Americans, enjoy a specific ability to peacefully complete a process that selects those who will represent us during every election. Our privilege to vote — and it is a privilege — is only as effective as those who chose to use it.

We must guard against apathy and the dissonance created by modern day pop culture and political sound bites to focus on exercising our right to vote.

The state faces many challenges, no doubt about it. Yet we have the opportunity to do something about those challenges by voting. Every election is crucial in a democracy. Let’s not allow our great privilege to be wasted.