Election season, still not done from 2018, gets part of its start for 2020 on Wednesday. The General Assembly opens for a day of organizational meetings, and the second half of Gov. Roy Cooper’s term commences.

We’re braced.

Voters will be told truths and half-truths, full analysis on occasion and statements without context on others. Party line, and hard line at that, is the way of this 21st century so far in Raleigh, and one of the results is growth statewide for unaffiliated voters. They’re at 2.08 million, more than the 1.98 million Republicans, still shy of the 2.46 million Democrats.

We reject hard line party line. It is not a constructive or cooperative means for doing the people’s business. We believe in give and take, being willing to sacrifice and compromise, and at other times standing firm. We respect the foundations upon which our main political parties operate.

Time will always tell from which spot, and how often, anyone maneuvers.

Count us among those believing a politician campaigns each day with actions, or lack thereof. An inability to cooperate since 2016 by the Democratic governor and the Republican-led General Assembly should not be forgotten by voters, no matter if they bleed red, blue or otherwise.

Some of what has transpired between those two sides will be forgotten. There will be things fresher in our minds, and in many cases vastly more important than the more aged history.

We hope there is reason soon to say we’ve seen change toward a more cohesive government body. The governor hinted as much in a December interview with The Associated Press, as did a leading Republican lawmaker.

Not surprising, each did so through a different lens. Cooper believes the election told the party in power it needed to work with his side; the Republican take was to recognize Democrats’ gains and say they should be finding ways to work constructively.

That’s not the best start, but we’ll grant that it is better than hearing about the newest lawsuit involving elected leaders.

The battles in Raleigh will never go away, even if a party has both chambers and the Governor’s Mansion. Republicans were the latest to have that, left Pat McCrory hanging on HB2 and will continue to feel the impact without a veto-proof majority in the second half of Cooper’s term. Democrats had it many times over the course of 140 years, when they taught lessons on congressional mapping.

Oh yes, lest anyone forget, control of the maps is at stake in 2020 as well.

There’ll be elections this year, and they’re important. We do not overlook them. We even anticipate one not originally on the schedule.

But there’s talk already about 2020. Our eyes are open.

We’re watching, and we’re listening. The campaigning is underway.