The message from Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin is loud and clear: He is counting on Hampden County voters to pull up the primary voting numbers today.

Primary voting is typically low in Massachusetts.

However, when there are important races in the election, voters tend to go to the polls.

In 2006, 900,000 people cast ballots in the Democratic primary when Deval Patrick won a hotly contested gubernatorial primary.

With four races in Hampden County to be decided by the primary including the critical office of district attorney we urge voters to get to the polls today.

There is far too much at stake to allow others to decide these races without input from each voter.

Even in counties, cities and regions where there are no contested races, there are statewide offices to weigh in on: governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer and attorney general.

The results of an election are far more meaningful when they reflect as much of the electorate as possible.

No politician can talk about a mandate of the people with a straight face when only a fraction of the electorate bothers to take part.

To find your polling place, check online at wheredoivotema.com

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Editorial: Voters must excercise their right today