Yesterday morning I got a brief glimpse into the upcoming election process in Pearl River County.

I attended the announcement for one of the qualifying candidates for Mississippi’s District 106 House of Representatives seat.

Previously, I have attended a meet and greet for the Democratic Party candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives seat for Mississippi’s Fourth Congressional District.

In both of these political settings, the majority of the audience was older residents of the county.

As a young adult, and begrudgingly a “millennial,” I find it disheartening that more young people are not as active in local politics as older generations.

Just like any generation that came before us, we have a constitutional duty to participate and remain informed during each election cycle, whether it’s for the local school board, state representative or congressman.

Each elected official has an effect on life in our county; they spend our tax dollars and provide public services in return.

Pearl River Community College agreed to hold a debate between participating candidates for the state representative seat on Oct. 7.

This is a great opportunity for students of the college to get a closer look at the potential leaders of our district and what policies they intend to promote.

Many politicians work their way up the chain of command, starting with county and district seats. Electing the right leaders for our community now will have lasting effects for generations.

Who knows, whomever we elect now could one day become the next Governor of Mississippi and have more of an effect on our day-to-day lives.

If you haven’t already done so, registering to vote is an important part of living up to those ideals; staying informed on the issues is another.