This week, we have — through our editorials and in our coverage — bemoaned the poor turnout locally in the state and local party primary elections. We have reported on the overall turnout across the county showed one-in-three registered voters in Warren County turned out to cast a ballot.

We called that turnout disappointing and sad, one candidate qualified it as depressing.

And, what makes that number even more disappointing, sad and depressing is that it was an improvement over the party primaries in August 2015.

With runoff elections — one local race on the Democratic ballot in District 3 and other statewide races — scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 27, the attention turns to just how low can we go.

Traditionally, turnout in runoff elections plummets from that of primaries mainly due to the lack of races on the ballot. The thinking — and evidence has showed — that with fewer races on the ballot, there is less interest and fewer voters.

For those who follow such things closely, those who win runoff elections are those who can encourage and motivate voters to go to the polls.

Both candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in the District 3 race for the Warren County Board of Supervisors both talked about their campaigns focusing now on getting voters to the polls.

On the state level, the battle for the Republican nomination for governor will be a turnout game on a much grander scale. Can those who support Bill Waller Jr. gather enough voter interest to overcome the money and name advantage that Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves carries into their runoff battle?

We will see.

Elections are always a fickle thing and for campaigns, runoffs are even more fickle. Momentum and motivation often win, sometimes leaving favorites in their wake.

Tuesday, Aug. 27 is another chance for registered voters to go to the polls, pay their civic rent and cast a ballot.

As registered voters, we can do better than one-in-three turning out, regardless of the races and regardless of the motivations. It is our job and more so than in primaries and general elections, a single vote could tip the balance in runoff elections.  It would be a shame if the candidate you support, the candidate you want to win, loses simply because you didn’t vote.