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In Georgia, it almost feels like Election Day is a lot like Groundhog Day. If you take into account the number of early voting days and election days since October, it feels like there have been as many days where you could cast a ballot as days where you couldn’t.

But we’re here again, at least in Troup County.

This is the final week of early voting for the E-SPLOST election, and on Tuesday any remaining voters will go to the polls to make a decision that will impact our current and future students a whole lot. We know there are a lot of differing opinions out there about E-SPLOST — we’ve made a point of diving into them before — but the truth is that for many, many years voters in Troup County have approved it as a way of helping our education system.

Some of those votes weren’t all that close either.

That obviously means nothing in 2021, where we’re still mid-pandemic and where there’s been so much controversy about everything.

However, regardless of which side you’re on, we know that no one wants to win if voter turnout is low.

If only a small handful of Troup County citizens vote in this election, what would that mean for the winning side? It certainly wouldn’t inspire confidence, regardless of whether E-SPLOST was approved or voted down.

Voting is a fundamental right for all citizens, and it’s a shame when people sit on the sidelines rather than participating. It shouldn’t be that way.

If approved, the E-SPLOST will help pay for a new Rosemont Elementary School and athletic facilities at Callaway High School, along with a ton of other items. We’ve heard the argument that these are “wish list” items, but if you look at the whole list (which we’ve detailed in story-form before), then it’s clear many are needed improvements across the school system.

We get that some people might think some projects are more needed than others.

That’s why we get to vote.

We hope you’ll do your part in voting in this election. Don’t let others make this important decision for you and for your kids or grandkids.

Research E-SPLOST. Get the facts, and don’t get them from social media.

Then, find a way to get to the polls in the next week and cast your ballot.