Voice of the Mid-Columbia | Kennewick, Pasco and Richland, Wash. |
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closeBy the Herald editorial staff
How do people decide how they'll vote?
Is it the one who has the most signs around town? What if you know one of the candidates, but not the other? Is liking -- or disliking -- a candidate the deciding factor?
How you vote is important. After all, elected officials make decisions that directly affect your quality of life -- and often your bank balance.
Most people want to vote for someone who will represent their interests -- it's just a matter of determining who that is.
We know people are busy. Not many of us attend city council or school board meetings. Getting your information firsthand may not be feasible.
So here are a few tools to help you decide who deserves your vote. Attend a candidate forum. If you can't make it in person, see if it's available on video.
Charter Cable and the city of Richland have taped many of this year's public forums. Look for them on public access cable channels or YouTube on the web.
Peruse the voter's guide (online or in print). Google any candidate's name -- many of them have web pages and show up on other sites.
And, of course, read the Tri-City Herald -- news articles and editorials.
Even though October has barely started, we've been thinking about the November election since August.
Starting tomorrow and for the next two weeks, this spot will be filled with the editorial board's election recommendations. We should finish right about the time ballots are mailed.
Why should you care? Because we are one more source of information to help you make your decision.
Over the past month we have played host to a parade of candidates through our office. There are 18 races for public office in the Tri-Cities this year, and we sat across the table from 35 candidates and interviewed them along with their opponents. (The only exception was Pasco City Councilman Tom Larson, who didn't respond to our invitations.)
In addition, there are two statewide measures on the ballot and Franklin County voters get a shot at a criminal justice sales tax increase -- all of which we have researched.
Do we expect voters to follow our recommendations blindly? No.
Are we trying to tell people how to vote? No.
Do we sometimes make recommendations that we later regret? Rarely, but it has happened.
Are we in sync with the voters? Typically.
Last year we made recommendations in 30 races or ballot measures. The voters concurred with our recommendation in 21 of those contests.
Our recommendations are just that -- recommendations. We'll try to include enough about our reasoning to help you decide whether to follow our lead.
But as anyone involved in the nine races that didn't go our way last year can attest, voters -- not newspapers -- decide elections.
Editorials are the consensus of the Tri-City Herald editorial board.
Editorial board members are Rufus Friday, publisher; Chris Sivula, editorial page editor; Ken Robertson, executive editor; Matt Taylor, contributing editor; Lori Lancaster, editorial writer; Shelly Norman, editorial writer and Jack Briggs, retired publisher
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