Here we are. Two days before local primary elections, in which mayor, city council, school board and a myriad of other local candidates and issues will be counting on your vote. Are you ready?

Newspapers across the country will be using holes just like this one on their editorial pages through Tuesday to remind you of your civic duty, and how important it is to participate in the process. They have been providing a great deal of information on the assorted candidates and issues in an attempt to prepare you for this responsibility.

Have you done your part? If you find yourself standing in front of a slate of candidates and issues of which you have no knowledge or understanding, a bigger part of your civic responsibility lies in the power to walk away. If all you know of a candidate is that he or she has nice hair, a lot of pretty lawn signs or the endorsement of some group or another, you owe it to all of us not to vote.

As you read this, all that I ask is that you take a moment to decide if you are really prepared to step into the voting booth on Tuesday. There is still plenty of time to get ready. This newspaper, and others like it across the state, has great Web sites and archives that will allow you to read about the candidates and the issues. The candidates also all have campaign offices -- or in some cases, home telephones and Web sites -- where you can call or visit to learn more about their positions on the issues. If you need help finding out how to contact the candidates, call your local city clerk.

Historically, primary elections have never been all that great of a drawing card for state voters. Since 1950, only eight primary elections have seen more than 30 percent of Minnesota's eligible electorate vote. The last time this threshold was surpassed was 1982, when a paltry 30.63 percent of eligible voters made their way to the ballot box.

But when you think of the purpose they serve, primaries hold the potential to be more important than the general election. Right now, the ballots of the state are stuffed with the names of many people. Some of them are eminently qualified, while others would no doubt bring little more than chaos to the office they seek. Our job, as voters, is to differentiate between the two and advance the best possible candidates to the general election.

This point was driven home this week when I had a talk with a good friend, who is running for city council in Duluth. He is young, idealistic and -- I could tell by his voice -- is running on nothing more than adrenaline this week, as his full-time job is coupled with a more than full-time campaign. He desperately wants votes, but realizes it is hard to stay optimistic, knowing that his future rests in the hands of fewer than 30 percent of the people he has talked to during the campaign who will actually vote on Tuesday.

Primaries are held to serve these people. As a first-time candidate, he is not a known commodity, but he is, in my slightly biased opinion, a great candidate. With a campaign budget that is small enough to reside entirely in his wallet, he is running on the chance that the people will take the time to hear his message and vote for him, rather than just voting for the incumbent with the most lawn signs.

On the points, he is the best candidate for the job, but in a system where, at best, 30 percent of the people even bother to vote, and many of those are uneducated on the issues, he is a long shot. Politics needs more people like him, but the cards are definitely not stacked in his favor.

So, with two days to go, I beseech anyone who is not sure if he or she is ready to vote to take the time to learn about the people and issues from which you will be choosing. Voting is a key ingredient of this recipe we all call democracy, but so is informed decision making. If Tuesday rolls around, and you aren't sure if you are ready to play your part, please, do your civic duty and don't vote.

Dybvig (e-mail: snow_shark@qwest.net) is one of nine Pioneer Press Community Columnists for 2001. A 27-year-old resident of St.. Paul, he is a writer, public affairs consultant and former journalist.