On Tuesday night, voters in Selma went to the polls to elect a new mayor, city council and school board representatives.

We want to among the first to congratulate the winners and those that received enough votes to get into a run-off.

It takes a lot of courage for someone to run for a political office, given all of the stress and pressures that come along with such a public role.

Selma should be proud that it had so many candidates to choose from. It shows that many care about the future of our city and want a voice in shaping where Selma goes from here.

At the same time, we wish the voice of the people was even louder.

According to our numbers, only about 42 percent of people who were registered to vote in Selma did so on Tuesday night. That’d be disappointing for any city, but it’s especially disappointing in Selma, one of the cornerstones in the battle for equal voting rights.

The good news is that there is plenty of time for people to get registered to vote for the run-off election in October. On that day, Selma will be picking a new mayor and will also have several city council seats up for grabs.

That day will be here quickly.

We’re sure those that qualified for a run-off will get right back on the campaign trail Wednesday morning. For those that won outright, we look forward to seeing what you can accomplish for Selma in the future.