On June 10, South Carolina residents will go to the polls to vote in the Democratic and Republican primaries.

Voters will make decisions on a number of important races, deciding nominees for the general election in November.

The people we nominate now and ultimately elect in November will hold offices that greatly affect our lives and community.

These are important decisions, no matter what your political persuasion may be.

The problem is that far too few of us take part in the process.

In 2002, the state had just over 2 million registered voters, but only about 25 percent of us went to the polls in that year's Democratic and Republican primaries.

In 2004, primary turnout was also about 25 percent.

But in 2006, we had dropped to just under 18 percent of registered voters going to the polls to make these important decisions on candidates.

This primary season, we're selecting nominees for U.S. Senate, Congressional seats, state House and Senate, not to mention a number of local offices like sheriff and county council.

The people who hold these positions will ultimately make important decisions about our everyday lives, the services provided to us, the taxes we pay, the safety of the communities in which we live.

These decisions are far too important to be made by fewer than 20 percent of those of those of us who are registered to vote.

So get involved by going to the polls on June 10 -- be a part of the process.

The candidates need to hear from us.