The parties and the bowl games are over, the new year is beginning to settle in, and the question, “What will 2019 bring?” is somewhere on everybody’s mind.

The Legislature begins its new session Jan. 8, and the local governments will hold their first meetings of the new year Jan. 7. But this year brings an interesting twist. This year we go through a ritual held every four years.

In 2019, all state and county offices are up for election. That means people will be running for office. It means some officeholders will be out to convince their constituents that they deserve another opportunity to represent them, whether on the board of supervisors or in the House or Senate. Some will decide they’ve had enough and retire from office. Others, like the governor and lieutenant governor, are restricted by term limits and will not be running again.

Still others will be seeking to unseat the incumbents, positive they can do a better job than the guy presently in office and ready to prove it.

Which means the voters will be called on to determine if they are happy with the folks they elected four years ago or if they want to make a change and elect a new group of people, hoping the changes will bring about the changes that will move the county (or the state) forward.

But in order to do that, people will have to register to vote and they will have to turn out at the polls. Warren County in the past has had a reputation for poor voter turnouts in elections, and that has to change.

Our county is on the verge of moving forward, and that means participation in elections is more important than ever. And getting involved in the process is not rocket science. Register to vote, learn about the candidates, attend the forums and listen.

Then get up on election day — the primaries and the general election — and vote. Our citizens are the ones who can move our county forward, and if we want to move forward and progress, we need to elect people who feel as we do.

This is a new year, and we have a chance to take a new direction. It’s time to move from voter apathy to voter action. This year, get involved. Vote.