Those who vote should be those who know

Frontiersman editorial board

Local elections are upon us, and the Frontiersman will run candidate bios in Tuesday's edition. It's one way to get to know the candidates and get at least a sense of where they stand on the issues. There are other ways. We urge you to take advantage of as many of them as possible.

Often, newspapers, news broadcasts and college professors chastise people of voting age who do not vote. Newspapers write editorials in an attempt to drive voters to the polls. This is not one of those editorials. If you don't want to vote, don't do it. If you don't vote, you actually do have the right to gripe about the outcome. The Constitution gives you the right to vote. It does not insist that you exercise that vote. The First Amendment also guarantees your right to gripe whether you vote or not. If you're not going to vote, this editorial is not for you. This one is for the conscientious citizens who do plan to vote. This editorial is meant to implore them to make every effort to understand the issues and to gain an accurate sense of the candidates so they can make the best decision, based upon their own values, priorities and expectations.

Those are the people who should be at the polls, anyway -- informed, engaged people. Simply turning out voters in droves may actually serve to muddy the waters and leave more messes for the community to live with in the future.

Voters who make the effort to understand the issues that affect our community, and voters who are engaged enough to have valid opinions about what may be the best responses to those issues will cast the votes that matter. They are the ones who are least likely to be misguided by rhetoric-laden sound bites and simple handshakes and smiles. They'll know where the candidates really stand on the issues, and they'll look for substance behind the smile.

We applaud the informed voters. It's difficult to wade through some of the myriad confusing issues facing our fast-growing valley. It takes dedication and patience to keep up with all the possible solutions offered by candidates. Yes, it would be great if hoards of voters line up at the polls. It would be the best of all outcomes if every one of them became informed first.