Early voting for the special election to choose our next state Senator ended yesterday. And from all the reports that I have seen, the voting throughout the senatorial district has been slow.

If you voted during the early voting period, thank you. If you did not, you still have the opportunity to cast your vote Tuesday. I am one that prefers to vote on Election Day and has never voted early. Hopefully, many of you are like me and will go to the polls on Tuesday.

With six contestants in this race, chances are that a run-off will be necessary to determine a winner. The ideal situation would be that a clear winner would come after Tuesday’s vote, and that winner could quickly get to work in Atlanta representing our best interests.

When John Bulloch’s resignation in early December left the Senate seat vacant and the special election was announced, predictions of a 10-percent voter turnout were made. Now, the voter turnout forecast has been lowered to around 5 percent.

Throughout the seven-county district, there are roughly 77,000 registered voters. So, potentially less than 5,000 votes could determine who will represent us in the state Senate for at least the next two years.

I hope the forecasters are wrong many more voters go to the polls than expected. I hope voters in Decatur County realize the unique opportunity that we have to send one of our own to represent us in Atlanta.

I urge voters to cast their vote for Dr. Dean Burke on Tuesday. You can see many of the reasons why Burke is the best choice to serve as the senator from District 11 in the editorial opinion on this same page.

Just as is the case with many of you, Burke is my wife Stephanie’s doctor. I trust him to give her the very best medical care possible when needed.

By the same token, I would trust Burke to make the best decisions, consider our best interests, and do the best job in representing District 11 in the state senate.