Editorial: Tuesday is Election Day in Missouri; go vote

This is not a presidential election year. It’s not even a mid-term year. But on Tuesday, April 4, voters in Missouri will head to the polls. And make no mistake, this election is important.

While national media places much importance on our presidential and congressional elections, which we agree are important, it’s also critical voters provide the same attention to local races and ballot issues.

In this area, there are several important races to be decided. In Tuesday’s Southeast Missourian, reporter Nathan English provided a comprehensive list of all the races in our coverage area as well as ballot issues. These include school boards, aldermen races and other city positions, county health boards, a hospital board of trustees and special road district.

There are also several ballot issues, ranging from sales taxes on adult-use marijuana to tax issues supporting local school districts to a half-cent sales tax in Scott County with a corresponding elimination of property tax. And there are others.

It’s important for voters to be informed on the issues and weigh in. Meanwhile, we’d like to offer our thanks to those who put their names on the ballot. It’s important to have smart and capable people serving our communities. These are thankless jobs, but they’re important. Whether you win or lose your race Tuesday, thanks for your willingness to serve.

We encourage you to get out and vote Tuesday.