Vote like your future depended on it

Finally, the time has come for voters to decide, if they haven’t already, their choices for many offices in the Flathead Valley and the rest of Montana.

Voters have had opportunities to attend candidate debates and forums, to sift through campaign pamphlets and literature, to take in political news stories, to hear and see advertisements and to hopefully meet some of the candidates that are running.

It’s a lot to take in, and we acknowledge that by this time in the election season, political fatigue can start to set in, but the best voter is a well-informed voter. That’s why we kind of lament early voting — with voters casting absentee ballots weeks before campaigns reach their zenith — even though it is a necessary option for some voters to have.

Folks who wait for Election Day often speak of satisfaction in going to the polls, rubbing shoulders with their neighbors, and waiting for outcomes that can often be pretty exciting. It’s an American ritual that binds us together.

This June 3, Montana voters will be deciding the candidates who will advance to the general election in a race for a U.S. Senate seat that has been held by Democrats for decades. This time around it could shape up to be a toss-up, even though the incumbent, who was appointed to replace Sen. Max Baucus following his retirement, is also a Democrat. Sen. John Walsh is being opposed by two other Democrats in the primary, and current Rep. Steve Daines faces opposition from two other candidates for the GOP nod.

Because Daines is looking to move up to the Senate, his U.S. House seat is also in play this year, with five Republican candidates engaged in quite a horse race, and two Democrats also looking to advance.

There is also lots of interest further down the ballot.

In the Flathead Valley, there are five contested primary races for legislative seats. There are also three Republicans vying for the combined county job of clerk, recorder, election administrator, surveyor and auditor — a job with such obvious responsibilities that voters have hopefully done their homework before casting their ballots.

And perhaps most importantly, there are two Democrats and two Republicans vying for a county commissioner seat. The winner in November will hold the office for the next six years, a long period in which many important county-level decisions will be made.

All of the candidates deserve a nod of gratitude for stepping into a political process that can be pretty rough and tumble, usually requiring more effort than applying for a typical job.

And citizens who engage by voting also deserve a nod. The bigger the turnout, the better!

Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Daily Inter Lake’s editorial board.