(Editorial - Graphic Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

Another election, another case of low voter turnout in West Virginia.

According to the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office, statewide voter turnout for Tuesday’s primary election was a measly 30.32%. That’s less than 1 in 3 registered voters in this state taking the time to be part of the process of electing candidates.

Our local counties did somewhat better, though Wood County’s participation rate is shameful. Wetzel had 32.08% participation, Tyler had 33.20%, Pleasants had 34.71%, Wood had 29.45%, Doddridge had 40.66%, Ritchie had 38.47%, Wirt had 40.59%, Jackson had 35.12% and Roane had 34.64%

Turnout was this low despite every county having contested elections.

Grant County had the highest participation at 43.93%. Just think of that. Not a single county cracked even 44%. The worst turnout came in one of the state’s largest counties, Berkeley, where just 16,323 of the county’s 91,529 registered voters turned out. That’s 17.8%.

Did you wake up Wednesday morning and ask yourself how in the world some of the races could have ended the way they did? If so, did you vote? West Virginia let 358,173 people decide its fate Tuesday. We’ve got little room to claim we aren’t getting what we deserve.

Parkersburg City Councilwoman Sharon Kuhl said her feelings about winning the District 2 Republican primary were tempered by Wood County’s sub-30% voter turnout.

“I was happy, but I was sad at the same time,” she said.

We have a chance to do better in November — and we must. Voting is a fundamental responsibility for engaged citizens looking for ways to better their communities and brighten our future. For goodness sake, don’t waste it.