In just two weeks tens of thousands of Butler County residents will have a chance to dramatically impact their lives and the lives of friends and neighbors in their community.

We’re talking about the state’s municipal primary election on May 16.

Yes, it might seem that you’ve only just recovered from a presidential campaign that went on forever. Yes, political news is unrelenting and exhausting.

Regardless, here we are again. And the most important thing you can do on May 16 is to visit your local polling place and cast your primary ballot. Without your interest and commitment, democracy — which works best with a large turnout of informed voters — is diminished.

That last part — being informed — can prove a challenge in municipal election cycles. There’s no blanket coverage on cable news or glossy election graphics dominating your television, phone and computer screens.

If you’re lucky, candidates for seats on your municipal council, school board or board of supervisors will meet at a public forum and discuss their vision for the future. That’s what candidates for Butler mayor and city council participated in last week. The event will even be televised.

If you’re not lucky, deciding who might best serve the interests of your community can feel like a guessing game with no right answer.

But make no mistake, these officials are just as important — if not more so — to your quality of life as any official in Harrisburg or Washington, D.C. They set your property tax rates, negotiate your garbage pickup contracts, oversee your local police and fire departments, and impact your community’s reputation on everything from civility to fiscal responsibility.

Despite this, most voters just aren’t motivated by municipal elections. In 2015, 26 percent of Butler County voters (26,890) cast a primary municipal election ballot. In 2013 just 16 percent (16,782) participated in the primary.

We urge voters to get out and raise that number this year. With four county offices — clerk of courts, controller, coroner and sheriff — and more than 100 municipal offices on the ballot, there is undoubtedly something in your community worth voting on.

There are surely many people out there who, for whatever reason, have never before cast a ballot in a municipal primary. There’s no time like the present to change that fact. And our democratic process would be very, very glad to have you.