Another primary has come and gone, and as in years past, voters have allowed a handful of their friends and neighbors to make decisions for them.

While the numbers could reasonably be somewhat lower than the 2008 primary election, which included the presidential primaries, they remain dismal when compared to the number of registered voters in this county.

In total, 36,299 Democrats, Republicans and non-partisan voters are registered to cast ballots in Sampson County.

On May 4, only 22.2 percent of them actually did.

To break it down more, 3,819 Democrats, 4,187 Republicans and 69 non-partisans decided city and county Board of Education races, choices for county commissioner, where there is likely to be no general election competition, as well a candidates for everything from sheriff to U.S. Senate.

While 22 percent may, in many ways, sound like a solid number, particularly if you compare those statistics to others from past primary election races, in reality, it’s a pathetic testament to continued voter apathy.

Even in a time when the desire for change is evident — in the Clinton Board of Education race, all three incumbents were unseated — it apparently isn’t a powerful enough emotion to actually drive most people from their complacency and into a voting booth.

It’s hard to know why people are so apathetic and therefore why they choose to let someone else make their decisions for them. But the stark reality is it is happening year after year, election after election.

Take again as the example the city Board of Education race, where critical decisions were made by just over 2,400 residents. In that race, newcomers Randy Barefoot (730 votes), Carol Worley (515 votes) and Georgina Zeng (465 votes) beat out the incumbents by a wide margin.

Even though that number is greater than the voter totals from past primaries, it is still far too low to reflect the importance of the race and the significance of the school board’s role in the landscape of Sampson County.

The same would be true of the race for N.C. Senate, where a total of 7,712 voters cast ballots in the Democratic and Republican primaries in Sampson County.

Again, that’s a small number of people making a decision about who will run against each other come November in an all-important race in the North Carolina General Assembly.

It all boils down to the grim reality that Sampson County voters care very little about doing their civic duty, and perhaps even less about the politicians who will make decisions about the money that is spent here, the jobs that are kept and lost, the safety of our homes and communities and the education of our children.

While we are pleased that we had an estimated 22 percent of our total eligible voting bloc cast ballots, we are highly disappointed that the numbers weren’t greater and far more reflective of the enormity of the decisions that had to be made.

We can only hope that come November more people will find an interest in the political climate and feel the need and responsibility to actually cast a ballot in the many races that will be up for grabs. Each is a vital decision that deserves more consideration than that given by more than 70 percent of eligible voters, and by far more than the number who haven’t even bothered to register.

Votes do matter, regardless if 22 percent cast the ballots or 90 percent. The difference is whether or not a person actually cares whether they make their own decision or stay home and let someone else do it for them.