We are six weeks away from election day, and the deadline to register is just two weeks from today.

There’s a local celebration happening today to mark National Voter Registration Day. It’s happening from 4-8 PM at the Civil Rights Heritage Center (1040 W. Washington St., South Bend, IN 46601).

Civic & academic leaders will share many perspectives on voting & citizenship. A full list of speakers can be found at the bottom of this story.

Volunteers from a number of local voting groups will be on hand to help people register tonight.

“It doesn’t cost a penny," said League of Women Voters Director of Voter Registration Nancy Johnson. "It doesn’t cost anything to register to vote.”

She says there’s no reason not to register.

“This is the midterm election coming up and in recent elections, millions of people stayed home because they weren’t registered to vote or they didn’t come out to vote and we really want people to be engaged and to make their voices heard," said Johnson.

American Democracy Leader at IU South Bend and League of Voters Director of Services & Education Elizabeth Bennion says it’s important to develop the habit of voting as early as possible.

“We know that young people are actually the majority of the electorate right now. They make up more of the electorate than any other age group if we look at people under 30 years of age. But they are also the least likely to turn out," said Bennion.

But she says every vote is important no matter who or what you’re voting for.

“We look at who are the people whose voices are not being heard and whether they are Democrat, Republican or Libertarian – we want to help bring them into our electric to help to create a representative democracy."

For tonight's event, bring your driver’s license or social security card so you can fill out the form.

You can register if you’re a U.S. citizen and if you’ll be 18 by Election Day. You’re also eligible if you’re not currently in prison after being convicted of a crime.

If you are unable to make it to the event, you can register online at https://indianavoters.in.gov/.

Eligible adults must register by October 9th if they want to vote on November 6th.

Another important thing to know before Election Day -- the deadline to submit an absentee-by-mail application to your County Election Board is October 29th.

National Voter Registration Day Community Celebration 2018 Schedule of Speakers

4:05 Dr. Darryl Heller, IU South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Center Voter Suppression: History of the Right and Ability of African Americans and Women to Vote

4:30 Nanci Flores and Bob Hamma, La Casa de Amistad Citizenship and Immigration: Voting from the Immigrant Perspective

4:50 Prathm Juneja, Notre Dame Class of 2019 Crosscheck, Voter Purges, and the Question of Voter Fraud

5:10 Judy Bradford, League of Women Voters Voter Apathy and How to Address It

5:30 Mayor Pete Buttigieg, City of South Bend The Power of a Single Vote

5:50 Steven Higgins, Notre Dame Class of 2020, Civic Duty South Bend Youth Voters: A Silent Generation

6:10 Lisa Plencner, League of Women Voters Thoughts on Voting: Naturalization and Redistricting

6:30 Prof. Christina Wolbrecht, Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy, Notre Dame Women Voters From Flappers to Feminists

7:00 Arielle Brandy and Kim Riskovitch, St. Joseph County Voter Registration How Family Experiences and Voter Registration Shape Citizenship in the Community

7:25 Latorya Greene, Saint Joseph Health System & Smoke Free St. Joe Coalition The Power of Community Voices

7:45 Andy Kostielney, St. Joseph County Commissioner, District 1 The Importance of Voting