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Residents in Natchez and Adams County are nearing a couple of important deadlines: the deadline to register to vote and, if necessary, to vote absentee for the August 8 primary elections.

You’ve read our urgings before on the importance of both registering to vote and casting your ballot in elections. The right to have a say in our government is one of the most cherished and valuable rights we possess as Americans.

And it’s one that is often taken for granted.

After the political turmoil we’ve seen on the national level – from concerns about undue influence and mis-information in elections to queries that question the very validity of our election process – many people may feel disconnected from the election process. That would be a shame, because local elections – for supervisors or sheriff, chancery clerk or local judge – and statewide elections are crucial.

The men and women elected to these positions are the first line responders to their local constituents, the people you call when you have issues with garbage collection in the county or when you have an opinion about how state funding is spent – or not spent. They are the men and women who you see at church on Sunday and who make the rounds at civic clubs every year, making sure they connect with their voters.

More important, they are the men and women who have the power to affect everything from our garbage collection fees to the textbooks our children use in the classrooms. They oversee millions of dollars of funding and revenue each year, making decisions that affect infrastructure, public safety, education, health care and more.

And if you care about any of those issues – and how they impact your life – then you need to care about the candidates and the election.

If you aren’t already registered to vote, you have until noon Saturday to do so for this primary election. You can register from 8 a.m. to noon at the Adams County Circuit Clerk’ office.

If you need to vote absentee, you have until Saturday, Aug. 5, to do so. Ballots can be submitted at the circuit clerk’s office during the week and from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 29, and Saturday, Aug. 5.

For anyone who isn’t voting absentee, you can head to the polls on Aug. 8 to cast your ballot.

And we certainly hope you will.