While the 2019 election is still a month away, this coming week will include an important deadline and the opportunity for a great learning experience.

Butler County residents will head to the polls Nov. 5 to cast votes for their candidates of choice — that is, if they’re registered to vote.

The registration deadline is Monday. Registration forms are available at the Butler County Government Center, but can also be found — along with absentee ballot forms — online.

Residents should ensure they have a voice in who is representing them by getting registered to vote.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, about 126,522 county residents were registered as of Sept. 23. Based on county population estimates, that accounts for more than 80 percent of voting-age adults.

That’s pretty impressive. We hope the holdouts register before the deadline.

Voter turnout for the county in the 2018 midterm election was 62 percent. Also pretty good — but there’s room for improvement. Voting is a privilege that no one should neglect.

The county’s Bureau of Elections and Butler County Community College deserve praise for an event they will host from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at the college’s Heaton Family Learning Commons.

Shari Brewer, county director of elections, announced this week that during the event voters will learn how to operate new paper-ballot voting machines being used for the first time this November.

This is a great idea. The event could help prevent Election Day mistakes, and even encourage some who are on the fence about voting.

“They are just not sure what to expect, and I think that sometimes prevents people from going,” Brewer said. “If they know what to expect when they go in, they won’t be as intimidated by the whole process.”

Now more than ever, instilling confidence that one’s vote matters and will be properly counted is important.

Two years ago, federal authorities told Pennsylvania officials that Russian hackers tried — unsuccessfully — to access state election systems during the 2016 election.

Earlier this year, we noted on this page that a replacement of the state’s voting machines and election infrastructure was overdue.

Under the county’s new system, voters will make their selection on a paper ballot and then scan it. A state mandate requires a paper record of votes by the year’s end.

So, while the new machines will hopefully inspire confidence in Butler County residents casting their votes, this coming week’s demonstration could go even further toward assuring them their vote will be protected.

Butler County residents of all ages who have the time to do so should take advantage of this event.