As the day continues to morph into a chilly New England evening and your need for a late-afternoon caffeine fix escalates, there’s a likely chance you’ve been too overwhelmed by the rigors of everyday work and life in general to cast your vote in the Boston mayoral preliminary election.

And while, we’re all subject to the unexpected dictations life throws our way on a perpetual basis, I urge you to consider adding your tally to the ever-intensifying race for mayor, and for that you can employ the use of the following afternoon guide to voting.

Voting times

Voting is basically open to Boston residents all day, having started at 7:00 a.m. but won’t be closing down until tonight at 8:00 p.m. That gives you plenty of time to wrap up everything outstanding at your cubicle, navigate the congested roadways of The Hub’s rush hour, unwind and refuel with some tasty dinner and strong drinks, and make it in time to your local polling station.

Make sure you’re registered

Perhaps more embarrassing in subsequent social circles than chiming in halfheartedly that you didn’t even vote is that you went to the polling stations only to be told you aren’t even registered. Hop on to the Department of Elections database to see if you’re an active voter. If you happen to be an inactive voter, fret not. It doesn’t mean you can’t vote, it just means you have to vote at the polling station where you’re originally registered.

Polling stations

Polling stations in Boston are broken down into wards, and even further into precincts so it may seem rather daunting when figuring out where exactly you need to go to vote, but it’s actually pretty easy.

This is the 21st century after all, so simply having this list of polling stations, wards, and precincts wouldn’t just be unhelpful and uncouth, but a blunt spit in the face for those who can only digest information and news, in this fast-paced day and age, in a digitized, though succinct, manner. You can use this city map to quickly enter your address and find the closest polling station nearest you.

Know the candidates

Don’t make the oft-mistake of voting for the candidate whose name you’ve heard the most throughout the entire campaign, or whose commercial is your favorite, or who everyone else is voting for. Keep yourself informed of the facts, what the candidates stand for, their respective political histories, and how effective you think they’ll be. Their names will appear on the ballot like so, but you can find plenty of constructive information on both candidates and there policies right here.

Celebrate responsibly

Once you’ve placed your vote in the ballot box with the utmost conviction — any Bostonian past or present would be proud of — it’s time to celebrate. Even if the candidate of your choosing isn’t selected by the Beantown populous to the next stage of the election, don’t hesitate to celebrate the fact that our historic city was pivotal in making the seemingly autonomous race for mayor and democratic process work to its fullest, and will continue to do so in elections to come. Take your date out to a delicious yet budget-friendly dinner in the South End, imbibe in some seasonal spirits, or put one of the city’s newest eateries to the test. If nothing else, raise one for America. And raise another for Boston.