Mid-term elections, like the one coming up on November 8th, often get short shrift in terms of voters learning about issues and candidates. When evaluating candidates’ websites, look carefully at what is there and what is not. For example, I just found out that my county board member, Michael Danforth, is a licensed weapons importer. He not only avoids acknowledging this potential conflict of interest in his postings and comments about this in public appearances, he doesn’t tell us that he voted against the assault weapons ban resolution that just came before the county board.
Candidates should be transparent about positions on key issues and acknowledge potential conflicts, especially issues that define our values such as climate control, voter suppression, abortion rights, and gun control. Does this candidate represent our community?
A remedy is for each of us to become proactive. Be informed. And vote. Your vote counts heavily in local elections with low turnouts. Be sure you understand who you are electing. Candidate websites are readily accessible and allow you to understand what they think is important, what their positions and qualifications are. Websites are neither hard to find or difficult to access.
In the era of nearly infinite information, we can find whatever we want to believe and avoid conflicting information. Yet with a little effort we can be positioned to make a difference. Take local elections to heart. We owe it to ourselves and our community to contribute positively to local governance by evaluating candidates and getting to the polls.
Del Bloem
Lake Barrington