Next Tuesday, voters will go to the polls to determine a handful of local offices, as well as decide the outcome of statewide races, including governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. In addition, voters will consider changing the Mississippi constitution, a measure that would change the way public education is funded.
It is often said that in our nation, we get the kind of government we demand. (Another version of that axiom says we get the government we deserve.) The voting booth is where that happens.
Next Tuesday, we urge residents not simply to vote, but to enter the voting booth well-informed.
Too often, we fear, many decisions voters make are based on extremely limited information. Who hasn’t entered a voting booth and drawn a blank on a race, knowing nothing about a candidate aside from party affiliation? It is something that happens to all voters, we suspect.
Let’s face it: There’s not a lot of information available on, say, a constable’s race.
What we fear, however, is that for many voters, those “who are these people?” encounters on the ballot are more rule than exception.
We urge voters to familiarize themselves with the races, relying not on campaign material — which often tends to be dominated by vague, misleading or, even irrelevant information — but from as many sources as you can find.
We urge you to follow our coverage of the key campaigns and issues. Between now and Tuesday, The Dispatch will be taking a closer look at some key campaign issues, including the District Attorney’s race, Initiative 42 and the Lowndes County sheriff’s race. On our website is a voter’s guide for Oktibbeha and Lowndes counties published back in July.
These are no abstract issues; the outcome of each of these races may prove to have a tangible effect on our lives and community.
As we know, access to information has never been more readily available than it is today.
Do your research. Read. Listen. Talk to co-workers, neighbors. What do they know of the candidates? What do they know about their track records, their qualifications?
Finally, we encourage you to give careful thought to this question: Are you pleased with the performance of the incumbent? Would the challenger do better? What do I believe? What things are important to me?
We encourage you not to give away your vote to a party or another person’s opinion. If the only reason you are voting for Candidate Jones is because Uncle Fred is voting for Candidate Jones, that’s a poor choice, not because Candidate Jones isn’t capable, but because you have given away your voice. Uncle Fred has his vote. You should have your vote, too, and it should be based on careful consideration.
Voting is a right, we often hear. But it is also an obligation. That obligation is not confined simply to the act of going to cast a ballot, but to have informed ourselves on the races so that we can make the best choices.
We get the government we demand, it is true.
Good choices based on good information most often produce good results.
We have seven days to study.
The test is next Tuesday.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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