If your community is holding a primary election, it is coming up on Sept. 5. Early voting will begin Monday.

City elections are important. Those who are voted into local elected positions will be making decisions that affect us all. These decisions can include our tax dollars, recreation, infrastructure, public safety, zoning issues, affordable housing and more.

Oftentimes, municipal elections — and especially primary municipal elections — experience low voter turnout. However, it’s so important to have the right people in office, people who will do what the majority of the residents in their cities would want them to do, vote how the people would want them to vote and make decisions for the good of the citizens.

If you want to know more about the primary elections, vote.utah.gov is full of valuable information. There is a whole section about security safeguards that are in place for elections in Utah. For example, did you know that the equipment that counts votes is never connected to the internet? According to the website, “County Clerks detect and prevent unauthorized access of scanners used at polling places with multiple digital and physical security layers, including tamper-evident election seals and human observation. Only trained and authorized personnel have physical access to voting equipment.”

Other information on the site includes candidate biographies and descriptions of any issues that may be on the ballots for the municipal elections. If you’re not sure who to vote for, this is a great place to start gathering information.

Not sure where to go to vote? Utah County is conducting a mail election. Ballots began arriving in our mailboxes on Aug. 15. They need to be postmarked by Sept. 5. Ballots can also be dropped off at the Utah County Clerk’s Office or at one of several drop box locations around the county. That information is all on vote.utah.gov as well.

If you’re not yet registered to vote, now is the perfect time. The online registration system on vote.utah.gov is an easy way to do it. What a privilege it is to have a voice in local government and in decisions that affect our lives.

At utahcounty.gov, more voter information is available, including how many ballots have already been received, how many have been processed and how many are currently being processed. There is also a “Kids Vote” section, which is a great way to teach our children the importance of the privilege we have of voting.

Don’t forget to check out your community’s website and social media pages to learn more about the people and issues involved in this year’s election. Let’s make every voice heard.