The clock is ticking for Washington residents who haven't registered to vote in the Nov. 4 General Election.

Oct. 4 is the last day for online or mail-in voter registrations or transfers.

Secretary of State Sam Reed, Washington's chief elections official, is urging eligible residents to register, or update their registration status by this deadline if they've moved and are still registered at their former address.

Reed said it's easy, quick and assures citizens they will have a voice in the general election, including the hotly contested races for president and governor.

"The November election will be extremely important for Washington voters," Reed said. "Several key races will be on the ballot, including president, all nine congressional seats, governor and other statewide offices, judicial races, most legislative seats and many local government offices. Some of these races will be close. I encourage people who haven't registered yet to register. And if you've moved and haven't updated your registration, do that soon so you can vote in the upcoming election."

Reed said young adults in particular should not miss the opportunity to have their voices heard in the upcoming election. New research by the state Elections Division showed that voters between 18 and 24 had the lowest turnout rate for the recent Top 2 Primary--18 percent, compared with the overall turnout of almost 43 percent of the registered voters.

"If you're 18 or older and haven't voted yet, what a great election to vote in for the first time," Reed said. "This is a pivotal election, and some of these races will be tight, so your vote can make a difference. Please register and vote."

Of the state's estimated eligible voting population of 4,614,253, the number of citizens who have not registered to vote is around 1.2 million.

Eligible citizens with a Washington State driver's license or Washington State ID card may register online via www.vote.wa.gov.

Voter registration forms are available in English, Chinese, Spanish, Cambodian, Korean, Laotian, Russian and Vietnamese. Forms can be downloaded at www.vote.wa.gov.

Citizens can go to MyVote to check on their voter registration status and to change their voting address. To access MyVote, go to www.vote.wa.gov.

Registered voters in the state of Washington are required to:

_ be citizens of the United States;

_ have lived in Washington State for at least 30 days;

_ be at least 18 years old by Election Day; and

_ have had their voting rights restored if they were ever convicted of a felony.

Federal and state law requires citizens to provide identification to register to vote, such as a Washington driver's license or Social Security number. Other ID forms are valid under the law.

Washington is one of only two states offering online voter registration (Arizona is the other). Oct. 20 is the last day for in-person voter registration for voters not currently registered in Washington prior to the November election.

Reed pointed out that Washington's registered voters do not have to reregister to vote in each election.