The race to find the next Boston mayor is heating up as the weather cools down, and with election day looming ever closer on foliage-laden horizon it’s important for citizens of The Hub to get their voter registration in order. The deadline to register to vote in the November 5 municipal election is Wednesday, October 16 and as no clear leader has emerged from the competition, your vote for Boston Mayor could matter much more than you think.

Registering to vote is simple. Just go down to City Hall — room 241 — and fill out the paperwork. Done and done.

Don’t have time to head downtown? Easy. Grab your phone and call the Boston Election Department — 617.635.3767 — or download the mail-in registration form found on the City of Boston website and send it in via snail mail. Keep in mind, though, anything submitted by mail must be postmarked by October 16 in order to be eligible to cast your vote on November 5.

Out of town? Just fill out your absentee ballot and mail it over to City Hall in similar fashion.

This is one of the more pivotal elections in Boston’s recent memory. For the first time in 20 years, Tom Menino won’t occupy the City Hall office and as Boston is on the brink of writing a new generational chapter in its history, the city needs a forward-looking replacement for “Mumbles.” Both John Connolly and Marty Walsh are formidable leaders who can pick up the torch, but with such a tight race where both candidates are nearly identical on paper, all votes count.