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Tuesday is a big day in Mississippi.

Voters will go to the polls to cast ballots in party primaries for the candidates of their choice for United States President, U.S. Senator and U.S. House of Representatives in the Third Congressional District.

Local and state election officials said they are concerned because early voting in the form of absentee ballots has been underway for weeks and the numbers are down compared to the last presidential election in 2016.

“Currently, Mississippi has 1,920,958 active registered voters,” said Michael Watson, Mississippi secretary of state. “This number is about 4% higher than the number of active voters for the 2016 Presidential Primary Elections (1,848,450). . . . In 2016, circuit clerks received more than 20,000 requests for absentee ballots. This year, circuit clerks have only received about 15,000 requests, and as of March 3, 2020, only about 10,500 ballots have been returned to circuit clerks.”

Likewise, Adams County Circuit Clerk Eva Givens said only 170 absentee ballots had been cast in Adams County as of Thursday, a number that is well below previous elections.

This election is too important for Americans, Mississippians and Adams County residents to take for granted as we will be choosing the major party candidates who will be on the ballots to serve as president for the next four years, as our senator for the next six years and as our next representative for the Third Congressional District.

If you don’t vote you can’t complain about the candidates you let others elect for you.