Chances are good that, as you read this, the polls are still open for today’s runoff election for District 16 Circuit Court Judge (Place 3) and Oktibbeha County Court Judge. The polls are open until 7 p.m.

Chances are also good that, at least statistically, you haven’t voted.

Voter turnout in non-presidential election years such as this one is 40 percent of registered voters. When those elections require a runoff, the turnout is 38 percent lower than the number who voted in the general election.

That so few Americans vote in general elections is an enigma in and of itself. But voting in the general election then not returning to vote in the runoff defies reason. It’s like a rancher rounding up cattle, herding them to the corral and then leaving the gate open and walking away.

If voting in the general election is worth whatever minimal time and effort is required, then voting in a runoff demands no less time or energy.

These elections decided today may not be high-profile elections like governor or president, but they are important.

Circuit court judges preside over the most serious cases and often play an important role in their outcomes, from what evidence they allow to be presented or not presented to the instructions they give to jurors as they begin deliberations to sentencing those who are found guilty. In all three instances, the judges often have some discretion.

For both the accused and the families of the victims, circuit court judges are not unimportant positions. They matter and matter greatly.

Likewise, the newly-created county court judge in Oktibbeha County is important in its own right. Among other things, the county court presides over youth cases. The wisdom shown by the judge can have a profound effect on the future of the youths who appear in court.

Parents of those youths who appear before the county court judge do not find the position unimportant, either.

Finally, for those who are parents, today’s election is another opportunity to teach their children about the importance of voting and its history. Our nation’s health and prosperity relies on the people, their willingness to exercise their right to vote and their sense of civic duty. For women and Black citizens, the right to vote was denied to them for decades and not provided to them without great effort and sacrifice.

We have tried here to outline a few reasons why eligible voters, whether they voted in the general election or not, should vote in today’s runoff elections.

What we don’t have is a single reason not to vote.

The polls remain open. What do you say?

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.