I have mentioned the importance of elections – primary and general – many times. The general election coming in November is not only important, but imperative for preservation of our democratic system of government. This is the moment when the electorate can use its power at the polls to express approval or disapproval of current policies and the future path of our country.
Although some may take this responsibility lightly, considering it irrelevant and of no direct importance to them or their daily lives, this is a false assumption. Ignorance and disassociation from the political process amounts to surrender of hard-fought rights that began with a group of disaffected English colonists and has continued at the cost of many lives to maintain. An abdication of the basic role of intelligent voting is a rejection of everything proud Americans have protected since the nation’s founding in 1776.
At Tri-City Voice we are committed to fair and unbiased reporting of matters primarily of concern to local residents. As a service and to fulfill what we consider an obligation to our readers, each election all candidates are invited to submit a brief description of themselves and a statement of policy as well as a photo at no charge to the candidate. We feel it is important for voters to know a bit about all candidates regardless of their financial resources. Although this results in an increased page count, staff time and cost to us, we believe this method of outreach, is an obligation we gladly accept to provide balanced information.
Since space is limited and candidate statements are therefore brief and incomplete, we hope our readers will investigate the background, philosophy and voting records in depth before casting their vote. In some cases, although we used our best efforts to contact candidates, information was either unavailable or received after press deadlines. This should not be seen as a reflection of interest in their candidacy, but may be a factor in constituent preferences. We hope this special edition of Tri-City Voice is helpful while making decisions about which candidate to support with your vote.