This November, there are numerous elections happening throughout the Eagle Bulletin coverage area, not to mention at the county level in positions that affect our area residents. Nearly all of the positions up for election in the towns of Manlius and DeWitt are contested, and we hope residents will pay attention, learn about the candidates and turn out to the polls to cast their votes.

In Manlius, the Democrats have fielded an entire slate of candidates for the eight positions on the ballot, challenging the Republican monopoly; while in DeWitt, elections for supervisor, town councilors and town justice are also contested.

This diversity and competition not only makes elections interesting, it is a dire necessity.

Out of the 60 percent or so of Americans who are registered to vote, only about 50 percent of those actually cast ballots on election days. Why is this number so low? Part of it is apathy in general, but part of it, at the local level, is because so many races are uncontested. As we have said in the past, we don’t care how exceptional a public servant is, every election, every candidate needs competition. Without challenge, people grow complacent; without new ideas, governing bodies can become stagnant.

We urge our readers this election cycle to learn about your local and county candidates and get out and vote. We will print candidate profiles and issue-based information in the coming weeks, and you can always visit the county board of elections website or the candidates’ individual web pages. And, if you are tired of uncontested elections, why not get involved and become a candidate yourself next time around?