When a contest is close, oftentimes people expect the ending to be a big event. This mentality has been propped up in popular culture for so long, many people don’t know how to react when things end on a mostly quiet note.

That is exactly what happened this past Tuesday when provisional votes were counted in the runoff race for the Republican nomination for the State Representative, District 38 seat.

The candidates, Debbie Wood and Todd Rauch, both ran fairly civil campaigns compared to many others in the election and when all the votes were counted, only six votes separated the two, with Wood coming out on top.

With Rauch’s decision to not seek a recount, the primary has officially concluded and everyone can look forward to the November general election where there are several races to be decided, including governor and attorney general.

There are just over three months until then so here are a few suggestions as we prepare:

1. Learn everything you can about the candidates before making a decision. One can never have too much information.

2. Vote with your head, not your heart. Elections have always been known for the passion they bring out in support of one candidate over another. There is nothing wrong with this, however we should not let passion lead to making a decision that is later regretted.

3. Remember the people campaigning for the opponent are fellow Americans with just as much of a right to an opinion as anyone else.

4. Please pick up your political signs after the election is over. Many candidates and campaigners forget to take these down for one reason or another. This can lead to a plethora of littering complaints.

6. Go vote. The primary only saw a fourth of the electorate turn out and the runoff saw less. Let’s turn this trend around and get at least half the electorate out in November.

6. And lastly, as we look toward November, remember that every election is important. This is the process we as a people have decided is the best way to pick our representatives, therefore it is important and must be treated as such.