Election Day has finally arrived, thank goodness. Now it's time to do our part and go to the polls.
Granted, it may be hard for some at this point to find the motivation. After all, we've been inundated with political ads for months now, with the rhetoric -- and, of course, the mud -- getting increasingly intense as Nov. 2 approached.
In our own backyard, for instance, the Minnesota House District 22A race has become more contentious over the last few days. Some Democrats, citing required finance disclosures, began pointing out late last week that Republican candidate Joe Schomacker has received, they say, more than $10,000 from the Minnesota GOP for political consulting and other services. A District 22 Republican, meanwhile, sent out a letter Friday citing DFL candidate Ted Winter's receipt of campaign contributions from Mike Ciresi and other trial lawyers -- all of whom received a sizeable state contract (for the tobacco lawsuit) back when Winter was House Majority Leader.
Well, what to make of these sorts of things? Today, you -- the voters -- get to decide. Of course, you've had plenty of input up to this point from not just the ads, but the candidates themselves and this newspaper, among other sources. We've offered our endorsements, and other high-profile officials have made theirs (Worthington Mayor Alan Oberloh, for instance, has endorsed -- like us -- Tom Horner for governor). But what matters most today not what we think, or anyone else thinks; it's what you think.
Be sure to get out and vote. Your participation in democracy helps keeps this country great.
