If you are not registered to vote, you cannot vote. 

Voter registration drives are crucial for voter turnout and we encourage organizers to step up their efforts but at the end of the day it is still up to each individual to register to vote. 

The process is simple and straightforward. 

You can stop by the Lowndes County Elections Office or download the form at the Georgia Secretary of State website. 

Your vote could determine if Sen. Raphael Warnock will retain his seat or be unseated by either Herschel Walker or Gary Black.

Your vote could determine if Stacey Abrams is Georgia’s next governor.

Your vote could determine whether this fall Abrams will face off against Gov. Brian Kemp or former U.S. Sen. David Perdue. 

Are you registered? 

If not, why not? 

In addition to federal midterm elections, we have local elections on the ballot in 2022.

Voting is both a right and a privilege.

It is also our most basic, even civic, duty.

All of us owe some allegiance, some civic responsibility to the very government we have created to guarantee and protect our freedoms.

None of those duties are more inextricably tied to freedom itself than voting in open, free elections. Civic duties go beyond merely obeying the law, serving on juries and paying income taxes. We are only a self-governed people when we exercise our rights to vote and pick our own leaders.

Do you participate in democracy?

Do you exercise your right to vote?

Several local seats will be on the ballot in the May 24 primary.

The Lowndes County Commission has three positions up for election: Commission Districts 2, 3 and 4. 

Districts 1, 2 and 3 are up for election in the Lowndes County Board of Education.

Special elections will be held in the cities of Dasher and Lake Park to fill two unexpired terms.

In Dasher, City Council Post 3 is up for special election .The position of Lake Park mayor is up for special election.

We have never fully understood why people are far more likely to vote in the presidential primary and general election than they are to cast a ballot in local and state races. It is at the local level where government most directly impacts our daily lives. 

Are you registered?

It is easy to complain about the makeup of city, county, state and federal government and about what our elected officials do or don’t do.

But what did you do to elect them or remove them from office? 

Whether you take advantage of early voting or wait until Election Day, you only make a difference when you vote. 

Will you exercise your right to vote when the time comes? You can’t if you are not registered. 

The last day to register to vote in this election is April 25. 

Do your civic duty.