The pieces are in place for an interesting fall election in Butler County. Rather than breathing a sigh of relief that candidate signs will disappear from roadsides and yards, and tuning out local politics for a few months, voters should make the most of the time between now and the Labor Day start-up of General Election campaigning to learn more about the winners in Tuesday’s balloting.

Tuesday’s election was merely a nominating process for the political parties. Nov. 8 is when voters elect people to fill the various seats up for grabs.

And one important point from the primary election will hold true for the fall balloting. That is that the offices up for grabs are those closest to the everyday lives of the people.

Most registered voters ignored that in choosing not to vote on Tuesday. Only 26.4 percent of Republicans turned out, while the Democratic turnout was a more-dismal 20 percent.

As on Tuesday, the most prominent focus of the fall election will be the county commissioners race, which will have four determined and energetic candidates vying for three seats.

The results of Tuesday’s voting, especially the closeness of the contests, showed that most of the nine candidates — six Republicans and three Demo-crats — were adept at getting their message out. And, in the case of Bill McCarrier, the election showed that having previously served on the board of commissioners was no guarantee for an easy nomination, although he won the nomination with the absentee-ballot count.

Incumbent Commissioner Dale Pinkerton was the Republicans’ top vote-getter.

School board contests in the fall, especially Butler’s, could be interesting. One of three incumbents seeking re-election was defeated, while neither of the two successful incumbents scored high in relation to the others nominated.

Judging from Tuesday’s totals, it is not inconceivable that the school board could have five new members going forward from the 2011 election.

Two current board members decided not to seek re-election.

On the municipal front, controversy-ravaged Connoquenessing Township, barring successful write-in challenges in the fall, will be getting two new faces for its three-member board of supervisors.

For the city of Butler, two political newcomers, Cheri L. Scott and Lisa Guard, are poised to win election to council seats in the fall. The two Republicans were unopposed for the two nominations up for grabs on Tuesday.

They will succeed Councilmen Fred Reese and Joseph Bratkovich, neither of whom ran for re-election.

Without questioning the qualifications or abilities of Scott or Guard, it was troubling that the two council seats drew no additional interest. The city is facing many serious challenges, especially financial ones, in the next several years, and city residents should have had the opportunity for a spirited debate among more candidates going into the primary election.

With both candidates unopposed, the fall campaign cannot be expected to deliver much voter interest either, although Scott and Guard should use the fall campaign to try to meet with as many city residents as possible by going door-to-door with their ideas.

Incumbents weren’t safe bets for new nominations in the county’s boroughs, as voters in Callery confirmed by ousting an incumbent councilwoman. Likewise, the same message sprung forth on the countywide scene, with Democrats ousting incumbent county Commissioner James Lokhaiser.

Before relaxing from the spring campaign, all candidates should ensure that all of their roadside and yard signs are removed. Now, they’re just litter.

And, in the ensuing months, Tuesday’s winners should work on their messages for the fall. The election shouldn’t be about how long candidates have lived in the community or a vague family values theme, which don’t give voters the information that they need to make a decision at the polls.

The fall election should be about solutions to problems, stances on issues, and ideas that will guide candidates’ governmental or school board service, if they’re elected. Especially with the fiscal challenges that lie ahead, the fall campaign must be much more than smiles and shaking hands.

The message that must guide all of Tuesday’s successful candidates is that what worked in the past is not enough for the future.