Yes, let’s be informed and vote

May 12, Election Day, approaches. Early voting is well underway across West Virginia.

Politicians, media, business leaders, and others encourage voters to go to the polls, which tend to see less activity during nonpresidential-year elections. The West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office reported a 22.9% voter turnout for the 2022 primary, the last off-year election. This year is a bit different, however. Incumbent public officials, from the governor to members of Congress, are endorsing candidates in an unprecedented way.

The U.S. Postal Service is loading mailboxes across the state with campaign flyers, the products of generous political action committees (PACs) and candidates themselves. Radio and television ads proliferate. Money is the well-known fuel of politics, and it can be used to inform or confuse.

News stories have focused on the players in the pre-election activities. Who supports whom and why? We’re seeing an avalanche of information.

The great hope is that informed voters will be able to discern fact from fiction, integrity from dishonesty. After all, encouraging uninformed voters to go to the polls seems akin to Russian roulette. The result could be disastrous.

That is why employers are interested in educating their workers, making them aware of what is important to employers and employees.

The West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office makes information available here. The website makes sample ballots available to West Virginia voters.

Voters also have an opportunity to follow media coverage, such as WVMetroNews, local TV stations, and local newspapers. Vetting candidates can be time-consuming. Not vetting candidates can be detrimental to our local, state, and federal governments.

Informed voting is essential to our country and state.