Have you voted yet? Early voting is under way. Three of Moultrie’s city council members are up for election, and all face opposition. You get to decide who represents you on that council for the next four years.

Candidates in District 1 Post 1, which represents most of northwest Moultrie and a portion of southwest Moultrie, are Eddie Warren and incumbent Lisa Clarke Hill.

In District 2 Post 3, Cole Posey is challenging incumbent Angela Castellow. In District 2 Post 4, Rachel Weeks is running against incumbent Cecil Barber. Both posts represent residents of central Moultrie, a swath from southwest to northeast through downtown.

No election is being held this year in District 3, where Wilma Hadley represents residents of southeast Moultrie. Her term ends in 2021.

Since early September, The Observer has profiled all six candidates. Links to those stories are at left.

This election should be about vision coupled with the skill sets to get things done. This election should be far more than a popularity contest or a mere matter of who is the best public speaker.

The Nov. 5 election will be here before you know it but more and more people are opting to cast a ballot during the early voting period and why shouldn’t we all? It is convenient, lines are not long and you can do it at various times through the day during the weeks that have been set aside.

We encourage our readers to be informed voters. No one should vote for someone simply because they think the candidate is a nice person, they attend church together, are in the same civic club, are relatives or part of a certain social circle. You should vote for the person you think will do the best job.

Campaigns should be looked at as job interviews.

You may have concerns regarding how city government is doing the people’s business. You may have concerns about government transparency, government spending, city taxes, business regulations or government services. Who do you support?

Do you know the positions of the candidate(s) you support on these and other relevant issues facing our community?

The voting booth is our opportunity to influence the future of our city.

We hope turnout is robust this go-around. It is disheartening that only a small portion of registered voters tend to make it to the polls. Perhaps the early voting period, which started last Monday, will encourage participation.

Voting is a right and a privilege.

Be informed. Make wise decisions based on ideologies, past performance, platforms and matters of principle, rather than on personality or popularity alone.

Then, go vote.

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The election is scheduled for Nov. 5. Early voting is scheduled 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday through Nov. 1 in the conference room located on the second floor of the Moultrie Municipal Building, 21 First Ave. N.E.