Election day is now here in Troup County. We at the LaGrange Daily News have been covering the local mayoral and city council elections extensively, attending local forums and running candidate announcements from those who sent them.

Qualifications were announced in August and the 19 candidates have campaigned multiple ways with numerous yard signs, YouTube advertisements and even on t-shirts. Issues have been discussed such as crime rates and growing the cities and the county as a whole.

If you don’t know who is on your ballot or what district you are in, you can visit www.mvp.sos.ga.gov. If you are unsure of who to vote for or feel unprepared, you can read the LDN’s past articles on the candidate forums on our website.

Another major issue that will be voted on today is the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax V. The optional tax is a 1 percent tax on sales and uses within the county.

At the candidate forums, there was a short presentation in support of SPLOST that had both those for and opposed raising their hands.

If you have a strong opinion on this tax, make sure to make it to your polling place today.

It’s important to vote in these local elections if you care about the community. Who you choose dictates how your city will be run and who is making decisions for the city. Make sure to vote and make sure you know who you’re voting for. Voters ultimately give the candidates power to choose how to run the city from them.

To all 19 candidates who campaigned, well done.

It’s been a long three months. Good luck with the results tonight.

For updates on the elections tonight you can visit www.lagrangenews.com