OUR VIEW: It’s not too late to study candidates

Today is election day. As a staff we debated writing a second politically themed “Our View” in a row, but as this day only comes once every four years, felt we couldn’t focus on anything else. Like most fellow Utahns, several of us have discussed how it’s difficult to feel motivated to vote when it’s commonly assumed your vote won’t count. Utah is far from a swing state and aside from the general populace’s already natural tendency to lean red, the Republican candidate this year is also a Mormon – the predominate local religion.
   
Whether on the Republican, Democratic or independent side, it’s hard to believe one ballot will make much of a difference. Maybe it won’t, but it seems disrespectful to our rights to avoid putting our own voice into the nationwide conversation.
   
Despite the fact that it’s almost assured Utah will vote Romney, we can’t forget the many other names on the ballot. Local legislation is more important than many realize – and possibly more applicable to our daily lives than the presidential election. On a large scale, the presidency obviously has more influence, but in our community governors, senators and House representatives are quite vital.
   
Contrary to popular assumption, the Statesman office isn’t 100 percent elephant. There are a few of us who err on the side of donkey. And it’s a concern that a large number of voters might check down the list of Republicans without knowledge of their specific political stances.
   
Did you know the Democratic candidate for governor is a USU alumnus and plans to uphold Utah’s Constitution on issues of abortion and gay rights? These are two big issues for most conservatives. If a thorough background is unknown, a mere skip over this candidate because of that ominous (D) proceeding his name might prevent a voter from choosing who they actually side with on the issues. Who knows? You might even side with the unaffiliated Bill Barron who believes in a political revolution driven by humanity and morality.
   
Consider yourself concerned if these names don’t sound at all familiar to you, and please familiarize yourself with all the candidates before stepping into that poll booth today.
   
The bottom line is you can’t vote solely based off of political party if you really want local government to be run in a way that matches your personal beliefs.