“Closely watched”; “hotly contested”; “hard fought.”

Use whatever descriptors you like to describe the primary election contests Tuesday that set up a national fight this November for control of Congress and the Pennsylvania Governor’s Mansion — it almost always boils down to the same result:

“Low and slow.”

That’s how election officials routinely describe turnout, and how election workers describe polling locations — both in Butler County and across the commonwealth.

On Tuesday, according to unofficial results posted online by county officials, 21,489 Butler County voters cast ballots in the primary election — slightly less than 20 percent of the county’s 108,625 registered voters.

That means less than a quarter of the electorate — if we’re being specific, 18 percent of Democrats and nearly 21 percent of Republicans — were involved in selecting the men and women who will determine the character and composition of our state and national governments for years to come.

That’s simply abysmal — and it’s a recurring problem if you look at turnout for recent gubernatorial primary election cycles: 2014 — 20.18 percent; 2010 — 32.68 percent; 2006 — 18.83 percent.

The number of voters usually jumps significantly in November — in 2014, for example, 46.32 percent of Butler County voters visited the polls that fall.

But that’s fewer than half of registered voters in the county. Not good at all.

This is a perennial conundrum here and across America: why don’t people care enough about who goes to Harrisburg or Washington, D.C., to do the business of the people to cast a ballot?

Elections are the best opportunity most people will ever get to have a say in some of the most important questions Americans ask themselves every year.

Who do I trust to advocate for my interests? What should our priorities be? How should the government spend our money?

Voter apathy and disillusionment with the process are commonly cited culprits when it comes to this perennial issue. And those are fair critiques of American democracy — but they also create a self-fulfilling prophecy. People don’t believe their voice matters, so they don’t use it and — voila — their voice doesn’t matter.

We urge people to begin taking an interest — and a more active role — in the democratic process. Use your voice; tell your story; and, while you’re at it, help influence who gets to tell the American story.