Today is the day to head out to the polls and exercise your right to vote. The election may be a runoff, but it is still important.

We may not be electing the president today or a governor or even a mayor, but that doesn’t mean the candidates and the positions they are elected into don’t deserve your vote.

Experts have said that this election seems forgotten and that many people will not be voting in today’s runoff election. This is devastating and we cannot stand for this apathy and lack of action..

We are here, in Selma — the home of the National Voting Rights Museum — and there are people who are not going to vote. How is that possible?

Here is our message to those people. It matters who is elected as Selma City Council president. It matters who represents Ward 6. And it matters who represents district 1 on the Selma City School Board. Your vote matters.

Go out to the polls and vote. It is not only your right, but it is your duty.

This is our city and we should all care about the decisions that are made here, even if they don’t affect you directly.

As a resident of Selma, remember the importance of your vote.