A Voter’s Guide to help you make decisions Nov. 5

This week’s edition of the Dodge County Independent includes our 2024 Voter’s Guide. In putting together this guide, we are hoping we can help you are you make your decisions regarding who to vote for on Nov. 5.
We have been doing this for the entire election season through our Decision 2024 feature each week. Questions on topics of interest to you, the voter, has been asked of candidates running for Kasson-Mantorville School Board, Byron School Board and the District 24A State Representative race. We have concentrated on these races largely because of the number of candidates running for school board in these two districts.
In this week’s expanded Voter’s Guide, in addition to Decision 2024, we will have the responses to questionnaires sent to candidates who filed to run for school boards, local city councils, and the State House of Representatives. All responses we received back are published in this week’s edition.
For uncontested races, we have still given you information as to who filed to run and how many positions are open.
We have concentrated on local races for a reason. These are the offices that often have the most immediate impact on our lives. It is at this level the citizen can have the most impact. These are the people who make the ordinances for a specific city, set the priorities for schools, and, of course, approve the taxes that every citizen pays.
They are also the people we actually know. We may know them personally or know someone who does. They send their kids to the local schools, they work in the local businesses and stores, and belong to the same churches and organizations you do.
And these are the people you can directly hold accountable for their decisions. At public meetings, public hearings and other community events you can directly make your voice heard on the decisions they make.
We also give you some basic information that is needed when you want to cast your votes. Where do you go to vote, what time are polling places open, what if it is more practical for you to cast your vote before election day.
This is the type of information we all need to make informed choices.
There is a lot of information out there during election season and not all of it is helpful. What we are trying to do is provide you with useful information that is factual. So you can make the best decision on Nov. 5.