Voters guide can  help you decide, but you must vote 

If you were looking for a reason to avoid voting for local candidates in the important Nov. 8 election, you just lost it. Today’s edition of The Enterprise contains our Voters Guide, and if you will excuse our biased opinion, we’d think it’s pretty good. It covers key local races and gives voters a helpful summary of the candidates running for them – a brief biographical description of them and answers to three relevant questions for their race.
No other media outlet in the region publishes anything this comprehensive. We’re proud of all the hard work we put in to produce it – and of how valuable it can be to area voters.
Readers are encouraged to do even more research on these candidates and talk directly to them if possible. The final decision is yours, of course, because that’s the way a free democracy operates. You evaluate the candidates and decide to choose one or the other in the privacy of the voting booth. It’s the best way for any country to operate, and not every nation around the world has this basic mark of respect for its citizens.
In some, there are no elections at all. In others, there are sham elections with only one candidate on the ballot or other gimmicks that mock the concept of voting.
We should all be grateful that we don’t have to deal with that burden. We can – and do – vote one party in or out with great regularity, or choose a governor or president from one party but legislators from another.
All of this is voluntary, and that’s both the great strength and weakness of our system. We can choose our leaders … if we actually go to the polls and vote or fill out a ballot to be mailed. Unfortunately, too many of us don’ t do that. Turnout in presidential elections is barely above half of all registered voters. In midterm elections like this, more people could end up not voting than making a choice. That’s sad – and frankly an insult to all the Americans who died for this country in wars to protect our freedom.
Texans are about to enjoy two full weeks of early voting. It’s one of the most generous voting options in the country, even if some recent actions by the Legislature have made it harder to vote than it should be. And in Jefferson County, voters don ‘t even have to go the assigned site near their homes for early voting. They can go to any early-voting site in the county, whether it’s closer to their work or residence or where they find themselves while shopping or dining.
Your vote is incredibly important, but only if you cast it. Please resolve to do that in this election, and every election you are invited to participate in. Some of us are going to make some very significant decisions in this election, choosing candidates that will affect their personal lives in countless ways. Be one of those people. Be a voter, not a spectator.