The votes are in, and Brookhaven is now well into the process of selecting its leaders for the next four years.

Tuesday’s Democratic and Republican primaries were the first step on the road to the June 4 general election.

Some candidates have lost their bid for office, while others will move forward to the general election.

Before June 4, however, there will be a runoff between the top two voter getters in one race, Ward One alderman, because neither received a majority of the votes. The two will face off on May 21 to determine the Democratic nominee.

We commend the more than 3,100 Brookhavenites who took their civic responsibility seriously and went to the polls Tuesday. We also commend the candidates for offering themselves for public service.

In the next few days, some of the political signs will be coming down around town, but we’re sure to see more going up on behalf of the candidates still remaining in the races for city offices.

Check out the coverage in today’s pages of The Daily Leader to see who’s still in the running and what comes next in this year’s campaign.

We’ll do our best to keep you abreast of the developments as we move through this time-honored American process.