Months and months of campaigning will come to a frenzied end Tuesday for most Mississippi political races on the ballot — unless one ends in a runoff.

We applaud all the candidates for throwing their hats in the political ring. Without good candidates our government grinds to a halt.

Their work is almost over. But our work as citizens is just beginning.

First, it’s our duty and our obligation to vote. Sadly, it’s expected that far less than 50 percent of Mississippi’s registered voters will take the time to vote this week.

That statistic is sad. Our hope is that the burgeoning generation of young people will realize the importance of voting and begin developing the habit of never missing a vote.

If they do that, we can slowly begin to improve voter turnout and likely the quality of people being elected too.

But showing up to the polls is only the first step of our duty.

We also must be informed about the candidates and their stances on the issues before we fill in the first box on the ballot.

We need to vote after being informed.

And after the election, when all the signs are one and the winning candidates sworn in, we have a third and final role.

Citizens must hold public officials accountable. We must ask questions and demand answers and we must question their answers they’re puzzling.

Please be a good citizen by getting informed, voting and remaining engaged in the month ahead.