To the editor:

Where are all the candidates? We are less than two weeks before the filing deadline for important elective offices and, as of this writing, only four of 28 primary races for area legislative and county offices are contested. Even worse, only two of 14 general election races are contested.

Local officials impact our daily lives in so many ways — far more so than those in Washington — that one would expect many candidates eager to guide our future.

Have our political parties simply failed in their primary duty? To field viable candidates in every race. Is this going to be an election without choices?

So far not one Republican has filed for a county office. The same is true in six of the 10 state legislative districts wholly or partly in Douglas County. The Democrats have done better, offering candidates in all but two of the legislative races and all but one of the countywide races.

As mired in controversy as the County Commission has been, it is difficult to understand why there isn’t a host of candidates vying for the two seats. In one County Commission district, there is not yet a single candidate of either party.

Unopposed candidates make for complacent office holders and reduce the responsiveness of our government.

If you ask any local resident who has served as an elected official (including this writer), they will tell you it is a highlight of their lives and a singular honor.

Now it’s your turn.

Jerry L. Harper,

Lawrence