Today brings to a close yet another busy election season. But don’t forget, if you haven’t voted yet, your job is still not done.

For the election of Oct. 22, statewide turnout was a ridiculously low 37 percent. Here in the River Parishes, with so many important elections on the ballot, turnout was somewhat higher — 54 percent in St. John the Baptist Parish, 64 percent in St. James Parish and 48 percent in St. Charles Parish. With most of those elections having already been decided, however, turnout today is expected to be very low.

It is no secret that the atmosphere of the River Parishes is that of a small town. Many people came out to the polls last time around because they wanted to cast a ballot for a particular candidate, perhaps someone they knew personally. But just because your candidate may not be in it this time around, that does not excuse you from performing your civic duty.

There are still many important items on today’s ballot. In St. John Parish, nearly every parish council seat is still up for grabs. In St. James Parish, there is one council race on the ballot, and in St. Charles Parish, the clerk of court seat still needs to be decided.

Additionally, in all three parishes, there are legislative and BESE seats on the ballot as well as a constitutional amendment.

At the local level, each and every position is of the utmost importance, especially in these politically critical times. Furthermore, so many local elections are decided by just a handful of votes, so every vote really does count.

So get out there, River Parishes, and show up the rest of the state with an even higher voter turnout this time around.