Be informed and then vote

It’s been a busy election season of late but it has been rewarding, too, for voters wanting to know about the candidates they’re considering supporting.

A pair of well-attended community forums recently showcased local legislative candidates and allowed them to speak to the public.

Then, last Sunday, a packed house at Flathead Valley Community College heard an important debate among the three candidates for one of Montana’s U.S. Senate seats.

Having an informed citizenry is a critical part of our system, and we hope these events — sponsored by the Daily Inter Lake — have helped with that information function.

Flathead County voters get one more chance to hear from candidates on Tuesday when county commissioner candidates will be featured at an Inter Lake-sponsored forum.

The 7 p.m. gathering at Flathead Valley Community College is designed for voters to hear from the four candidates for two commissioner positions.

This year is unique in that two of the three commissioner jobs are on the ballot. Normally it’s only one, but the death of Commissioner Jim Dupont earlier this year required an election for someone to fill the remainder of Dupont’s term.

Remember, however, that although commissioners must live within individual districts, they are elected by all voters in Flathead County.

That means what the candidates have to say is worth listening to by all of us.

Beyond these public forums, the Inter Lake has provided written profiles on candidates in all contested local, state and District Court judicial races. Those stories, plus recaps of the political forums, are on our website, at www.dailyinterlake.com. If you haven’t been following local and state political races, don’t worry, there’s still time to get up to speed by reviewing these many profiles that also delve into key issues in each race.

It’s easy for local and state races to be overshadowed this year by the high-profile U.S. Senate race in Montana and, of course, the presidential race. But each and every elected office is vitally important to keeping our democracy running smoothly at all levels.

There’s no excuse for being an uninformed voter. Do your homework, and for those of you who aren’t voting absentee, we’ll see you at the polls.