Election season is upon us again. Candidates for county and statewide offices have begun qualifying for Aug. 6 primaries and Nov. 5 elections.

Already, several candidates have qualified here in Lincoln County, and some offices will see changes come November.

Chancery Clerk Tillmon Bishop is not running for re-election, and two Republican candidates have already signed up to try to replace him. Alisha McGehee and Quinn Jordan qualified Wednesday, and we expect a few more candidates to do the same.

Chancery clerk is a popular elected office and one that usually draws several candidates. It will likely be one of the most competitive and interesting local races this year.

Blake Pickering may also end up with an opponent in his bid to be re-elected as tax collector/assessor.

This year will be the biggest turnover year for Mississippi’s top political offices in at least a generation. Gov. Phil Bryant and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves are both hitting their maximum time of two terms — the only offices with term limits set by law. Bryant is not seeking another office this year, and fellow Republican Reeves is running for governor. Fourth-term Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood announced in October that he is running for governor.

The race between Hood and Reeves will be a fun one to watch.

With so many impactful races on the ballot this year, it’s crucial that residents do their part and vote. Local and state races have the potential to affect your daily life more so than national races. It is local officials who will determine your property tax rate, how those tax dollars are spent and whether your road gets paved or not.