Voters in the City of Groton will head to the polls in May 6 to elect a new municipal government. Or will they? It’s questionable how many will feel motivated to cast ballots as there’s little incentive for them to do so. All the candidates for mayor and City Council are running unopposed.

This is not just unfortunate, it’s a gross disservice to voters. Offering voters no valid choices on Election Day threatens to weaken democracy.

American democracy is built on healthy debate, checks and balances and the existence of an opposition to represent minority viewpoints. Elections should present voters with legitimate choices among candidates who represent a spectrum of opinions on issues.

This May, city voters only can choose Democratic candidates. The mayoral and three council candidates are incumbents. They are joined by two Democratic newcomers. The city’s Republican organization could not find candidates willing to run.

To their credit, Democrats last week announced, despite not having opponents in the race, that they will embark on a listening campaign over the next two months. Candidates will walk door to door asking voters about their concerns, goals and priorities for the city.

That the Democratic slate represents a diverse demographic cross-section of the city also is a positive.

On the Republican side of the political aisle, however, the situation is grim. City Republicans contend they made a Herculean effort to find candidates, but ultimately were unsuccessful. Numbers alone put them at a great disadvantage, Republican Chairman Robert Zuliani said. Democratic voters outnumber Republicans by more than 2-to-1 in the city.

While there’s little doubt these numbers might make finding eager Republican candidates more challenging, such lopsided registration ratios are typical in the state. Republicans, along with members of minority parties such as the Green Party still come forward in many jurisdictions, providing more balance and choice for voters.

For example, across the river in New London, four candidates are vying for the open 39th House District seat in Tuesday’s special election.

Zuliani told a Day reporter that many of those approached as potential candidates, “felt that the city voters are not open to healthy debate in its government process.” If this is the case, it might be because Republicans haven’t devised convincing arguments about this need.

A scarcity of candidates has plagued Town of Groton municipal elections in the past. Considering a 2014 Pew Research Center found just 2 percent of the population ever runs for any type of elective office, Groton may simply have too many elective positions to fill. This could be another reason to consider consolidating Groton’s town and city municipal governments, something for which we have previously advocated.

It costs taxpayer money to conduct elections. Yet making voters foot a bill without giving them any real choices at the ballot box is singularly unfair. It’s reminiscent of the adage Henry Ford is reputed to have said – that Ford customers could choose any color vehicle they wanted, as long as they all wanted a black vehicle.

Groton city voters deserve more. The city’s Republican Party organization, or other opposition parties, must do better in the future.

The Day editorial board meets with political, business and community leaders to formulate editorial viewpoints. It is composed of President and Publisher Timothy Dwyer, Executive Editor Izaskun E. Larraneta, Owen Poole, copy editor, and Lisa McGinley, retired deputy managing editor. The board operates independently from The Day newsroom.