9.39 percent.

That’s the percentage of Lowndes County’s 50,161 registered voters who chose to vote in Tuesday’s local elections.

Roughly, this means not even one out of every 10 registered voters decided whether or not the Lowndes County Commission would increase by two commissioners, who would become new or returning city council members, who would sit on the city school board.

Given that 50,161 registered voters represent about half of Lowndes County’s overall population — including children who are ineligible to vote, 9.39 is an inflated turnout.

Turn-out seemed so low in some races that a few candidates appeared to have more people willing to place campaign signs in their front yards than actually vote for the candidate.

Our society is a representative government. We elect our leaders to represent us.

We can blog our dissatisfaction. We can throw tea parties. We can write letters to the editor. We can grouse about the inequities of government.

But we must participate in the active function of the process. We must show up to vote. If not, then rants and protests are simply empty echoes.

Basically, one of every 10 registered voters decided the other 90 percent’s future during this election.

The rest were absent. In a representative government, we, the people, must be present to win.