Even though the filing period for the 2024 election cycle doesn’t begin until Monday, the race for public office in West Virginia has been underway for months. Candidates seeking to become the next member of Congress, the next governor or the mayor or councilmember of various area communities have made their intentions known and been out on the trail.

We also will see announcements for those looking to serve as members of local county commissions, boards of education and a variety of other offices.

There will be a busy ballot this year — both in the May primary and the general election in November.

We all have a part to play in helping make our democracy work. If you’re 18 or older, or will turn 18 by election day (May 14 for the primary, Nov. 5 for the general), register to vote — and then vote. If you are interested in changing the current political climate, run for public office — particularly at the local level. That’s where real change happens, as the decisions made locally on how your tax dollars are spent have much more impact than what happens in Congress, or at the State Capitol.

Along with voting, local elections boards will be putting out the call in the coming months for poll workers. Want to spend a day seeing how democracy really works? Then serve as a poll worker. You’ll get paid — and get an excellent civics lesson on the power of one person, one vote.

Election season is at hand, folks. Do your part by educating yourself on the issues, talking with the candidates to understand both who they are and what they represent, and, most importantly of all, casting a ballot.

Let’s do better this year than we did in 2020, when 63.25% of all registered voters cast a ballot. Let’s make that 100% this year. Our government only works if we get out and vote.