It's Election Day; make your vote count

Today Americans have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote.

To have free and fair elections is a centerpiece of our democracy. It's our opportunity to influence our government.

In Missouri each of the congressional district seats is up for election. Neither U.S. Senate seat is on the ballot. For state government, the auditor is the only statewide office up for election. Republican Tom Schweich has third-party opposition with Libertarian Sean O'Toole and Constitution Party candidate Rodney Farthing. There is no Democratic candidate in the contest.

State representatives are on the ballot, and for a few districts, state senate seats are contested.

Statewide there are constitutional amendments. Stories in the Southeast Missourian and an editorial on this page have highlighted each. We encourage you to review these issues before voting.

In Cape Girardeau, one of the more talked about issues is a proposition to extend a sale tax portion of the fire tax.

And there are judges who appear on the ballot. Voters will be asked whether to keep these individuals in office.

As the election season winds down, we extend our thanks to all the candidates. Running for public office is not easy, and we commend those who put themselves forward for consideration.

Polling places are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. today. You may view a sample ballot, read candidate questionnaires (which also ran in Sunday's Southeast Missourian) and read election stories at semissourian.com/election.