The old saying, “If you don’t vote, then don’t complain,” has some truth to it.

Brookhaven residents will have the opportunity to cast a ballot in primary elections today for aldermen, mayor and police chief.

These are vital races that will decide the direction of the city over the next four years. Some will likely decide not to vote because they don’t think these positions impact their lives. They are wrong.

“I try to remind people, if you don’t care about fire protection or police protection or your streets or your garbage getting picked up, then don’t vote,” Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said.

Voting is a right that shouldn’t be taken lightly, he said.

“I also remind them that today there are people in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan so that we can go down the road in our truck and take five minutes to cast our ballot. I’m hopeful that we have a high turnout this year,” he said.

Local elections are the most impactful because they affect the lives of local people directly.

Aldermen will decide how much you pay in city taxes. They will also decide how much your garbage service costs and how much you pay for water and sewer. The police chief — and the policies he implements — will impact crime in the city. The mayor will help run the day-to-day affairs of the city.

These are important positions, and the primary election today is an important one.

We encourage all eligible Brookhaven voters to cast a ballot today.