It’s hardly fair to say there’s been a respite in Selma as of late. Seems as if there are very few of those in this city. As far as politics go, things have been quiet for the past two weeks.

Don’t expect that to be the case beginning Monday. First, at 8:30 a.m., attorneys for Yusuf Salaam are scheduled to appear in a Montgomery courtroom to ask a judge to stop the “interrogation” of Republican voters.

The Alabama Democratic Party has asked for the Monday morning hearing to be canceled.

Meanwhile, the Alabama House District 67 election contest filed by LaTosha Brown is scheduled to begin Monday at 1 p.m. If the contest continues, citizens from Selma will testify about their election practices and how they voted.

It seems there are very few in Selma, both from the Brown camp and the Salaam camp who thoroughly enjoy these proceedings. The Salaam camp obviously wishes there were no contest and the results would stand. The Brown camp feels they were cheated in this election, and if they hadn’t been, they would have won the election.

All-in-all, this is an extremely important time in the democratic process for both sides. It also is an important time in the future of voting in Alabama. While we may not enjoy the time it takes to find a solution, we all must realize that this contest must be worked through. Maybe that means an end to the contest. Maybe that means a ruling by the Democratic Executive Committee in the near future.

While the political tempers of Selma will surely rage in the coming weeks, we want readers and citizens to take an active part in this process. As a newspaper, we have worked to provide an open forum for discussion of the District 67 run-off, and that will continue.

State Sen. Hank Sanders, who has openly worked for Brown, has voiced his opinion about this election contest on two occasions. In today’s Times-Journal, we’ve allowed Salaam to discuss his feelings.

Somewhere in the mix, we hope readers will write their feelings about this election and what it means to the Democratic process.

Selma will wade through a tough political atmosphere in the coming weeks. In the end, we believe Selma will be a stronger city for it.