Make your voice heard today

A new president will be chosen inNovember, and if recent trends hold up, at least 70 percent of registered Florida voters will have their say. That’s great.

The August primary is a much harder sell. It shouldn’t be. A slew of races on Tuesday’s primary ballot directly impact you and our community.

They include high-profile races for Congress and the Florida Legislature, a state constitutional amendment on solar energy and several important constitutional offices. Equally important are the choices you face for county and circuit court judges.

In the ’50s and ’60s, Florida primaries routinely drew more than 50 percent of registered voters. By the ’80s and ’90s, the turnout dropped to about 30 percent. Since then it’s dismal.

In the last four August primaries dating back to 2008, the average Florida voter turnoutwas just under 20 percent. That means a small minority will likely make big decisions about political leaders who can affect your life. Here’s what’s on the line today: Key races: U.S. Rep. DebbieWasserman Schultz, D-Weston, faces the first primary of her congressional career. Her opponent, Tim Canova, has a strong grass-roots following. On the state Senate level, Gary Farmer and JimWaldman in Broward County, and Irv Slosberg and Jeff Clemens in Palm Beach County, have been battling in contentious Democratic primaries. Incumbent Broward and Palm Beach county commissioners, DaleHolness and Priscilla Taylor, also face serious primary challenges.

These could be close races, and your vote really does count. A state Senate primary in 2012 between Clemens and then state Rep. Mack Bernardwas decided by17 votes— out of more than 24,000 ballots cast.

Then there are the constitutional officers whose jobs are crucial to running your local government. They’re the ones who run the courthouse, assess property values for tax purposes and ensure fair and accurate elections. These are important races that deserve more than a smattering of votes.

Speed and accuracy: The Broward County electionwebsite is often slowand cumbersome. In the 2012 presidential election, Broward and Palm Beach countieswere the last two offices in the state to report their results, making Florida last in the nation. There will be a lot less votes to tabulate in a primary, but this is a key test beforeNovember. Voters must be confident their votes are quickly and accurately counted. The candidates deserve timely tallies, too.

Voter turnout: There are some encouraging signs that voter turnout will improve this primary season. Call it the Trump Effect. Just like President Obama inspired new voters, Donald Trump has encouraged a good number of apolitical people to participate.

There’s also been a huge spike in absentee ballots fromvoters who rarely participate in primary elections, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Nearly half of all mailed-in ballots have come fromvoters who participated in zero or one of the last four primaries.

In Broward, we’ll find out if the questionable decision to reduce early voting hours this year has an impact on turnout.

If you’re a registered voter and plan to wait untilNovember to participate, spend a half hour on Tuesday choosing the direction of your county, state and country.

There’s no Trump or Clinton on the ballot, but there is a lot at stake.