As of noon on Friday, the candidates for May’s primary were officially announced.

In Troup County, we have three contested races — in addition to the state and national seats up for grabs — and we are glad to see people stepping up and expressing an interest in shaping the future of the county.

Running for a political office is not easy and those who qualified for this election should be applauded for putting themselves into the limelight.

Running for office opens candidates up for criticism and often puts them on the spot. People want answers and they want them immediately, although it doesn’t always work that way.

Plus, campaigning can often be grueling, and it’s not inexpensive. Winning candidates often spend the weeks leading up to the election knocking on doors, attending any meeting they can and taking on questions constantly.

Many locals are running in contested races. Hopefully, there will be a local forum where candidates can discuss the issues important to the county.

Those discussions often prove beneficial to the people that those politicians serve. Popular ideas championed by the loser are often later adopted by the winner when he or she sees the public support that those ideas garnered.

Of course, the public as a whole has an important role in this election too, and we’re not just talking about going to the polls when it’s time to vote.

The election is just barely over two months away. If that seems like a long time, it feels like just yesterday we were celebrating Christmas and New Year’s.

It’ll be May before we know it, so it’s important to familiarize yourself with candidates now. Look them up and try to find out where they stand on the issues.

And when you get a chance, tell them how you feel about problems in the community. After all, politicians hold office to represent the people in Troup County.

We’re looking forward to what should be a competitive election season.