We are fast approaching our Sept. 9 state primary when we get to choose who will represent the Republican and Democratic parties on the November ballot.

Chief among those choices will be candidates for state representative from our towns and these are “chief,” we say, because those are the folks who are closest to us in terms of representation because they live right in our communities.

We can’t say the same about state senators because they represent so many towns. State reps, as we always seem to abbreviate their designation, live in Amherst and represent Amherst, or live in Milford and represent Milford.

True, the same can’t be said for those who represent smaller towns like Wilton, Lyndeborough, or Mont Vernon. Those towns get lumped in with other communities to make up a larger population base and while it would be nice if every community had a rep to call its own, we understand that it might not be all that practical.

Wilton, for instance, is part of District 4 and District 38 and has four representatives, one of whom – Kermit R. Williams, a Democrat, is from Wilton. The others are from Greenville (Stephen Spratt and Richard Eaton), and Hillsborough (Richard McNamara). Is that bad? Well, no, not really. Having a rep from another town can bring a wider perspective, but it does help that Williams is from Wilton, because he will have a greater knowledge of Wilton’s issues than will someone from Greenville, no matter how he or she might study them, just as Spratt, say, will have a greater understanding of Greenville than will Williams.

Still, we like it when representatives are from the towns they represent, as is the case with Amherst and Milford. For a few years, these towns shared representatives and it wasn’t a terrible thing, but we like this better. We think voters do, too.

The other thing we like is that not everyone is from the same party. That’s important.

What’s more important, though, is your participation. While we know everyone is looking forward to the 2016 presidential primary here in our fair state, this local primary might be more important because the folks we elect to the Legislature can have a more direct impact upon our lives.

So please: Vote on Sept. 9.