OUR VIEW: Today is a big day for candidates in local races

• OUR VIEW

OUR VIEW

Talk about it

Today is a big day in local politics. It’s the first day prospective candidates can try to earn a place on the June 5 ballot.

To get their name on the ballot, candidates have to gather petition signatures from registered voters. The number of signatures required depends on the office. To run for mayor of Mitchell, for example, 50 signatures are needed from registered voters residing within the city limits.

Local offices up for election June 5 include Mitchell’s mayor, four City Council positions and two local school board positions. There could also be primary races for a number of county positions, if more than one candidate from the same party files to run. The winners of the primary races will square off in the Nov. 6 general election.

Prospective candidates for the city and school offices can begin circulating petitions today. The deadline to file the petitions is 5 p.m. March 27.

Candidates for county positions, meanwhile, could begin circulating nominating petitions back on Jan. 1, though they have the same March 27 deadline to file.

As the March 27 deadline nears, you might get approached by a prospective candidate seeking a petition signature. We encourage you to sign these nominating petitions. Signing is not a promise to vote for or even support any particular candidate; it’s just a courtesy to help someone get on the ballot.

We always figure the more candidates we have on the ballot, the better it is for everyone. The more people there are in a race, the harder the candidates have to work to get elected, and the more voters get to know those candidates. The end result is a public official who’s been tested thoroughly before taking office.

Another date to keep in mind is May 21. That’s the voter-registration deadline for the June 5 election.

You can do your part to keep our local government and our national democracy strong by signing candidate petitions, registering to vote, informing yourself on the candidates and issues and, finally, by casting carefully considered votes in both the June 5 and Nov. 6 elections.

Tags: election 2012, opinion, updates, editorials