With the primary election less than a month away, citizens of northern Worcester County have a great deal of thinking to do in a short amount of time.

Berlin and West Ocean City voters in particular have more than most to ponder in this year’s county contest because of the rush of candidates seeking to replace District 3 County Commissioner Bud Church, who’s relinquishing his hold on a district he’s represented since 2002.

In fact, all commissioner districts except for Ocean City’s District 7, will see competition this year, with much of it occurring on the Republican side of the ballot … not that party politics play a huge role in a county government that has been fiscally conservative for generations.

But what this full ballot means is that the composition of the board of commissioners for the next four years will be decided in the July 19 primary, with the November general election being more of a formality.

Because of that, voting in this supposed preliminary round is especially important, and even more so for anyone who’s had a gripe or two with the current commissioner panel.

Although everyone has a right to criticize government, those who do but didn’t vote are themselves partially to blame for the actions and policies to which they object.

Obviously, the commissioner races are just one of many county and state contests that will be on the ballot next month, and citizens of Worcester have a stake in most of them.

That’s why residents who have yet to register to vote need to get themselves in gear and take care of that responsibility before the registration deadline next Thursday, June 28.

Failure to sign up and to vote won’t be the end of the world, of course, and neither will it affect residents’ right to express their opinions about their elected officials.

What they will forfeit, however, if they choose not to participate is the privilege of being taken seriously when they complain.