Voting made easy

You will notice in the second section of this week’s newspaper that we changed our format for the voter primer that we provided for you in preparation for next week’s general election. Instead of asking each of the candidates a series of questions — as we have done for decades — we simply gave them a word limit and asked them to tell you about themselves and what they hope to accomplish if they are elected.
We simplified the format for a couple of reasons. The first was to allow candidates to provide information about themselves to voters with as little filter as possible. No ‘fake news’ here!
The second reason we changed the format was to encourage more candidates to respond and help residents make informed decisions on election day. That is, after all, the reason we offer comprehensive election guides to residents and readers every two years — to give busy voters a single resource where they can find as much information as possible about the election they are about to participate in. 
Unfortunately, the number of candidates who chose to participate (at no charge) in the election guide in this issue didn’t increase substantially because of our new format. Every effort was made to provide our brief survey to candidates and remind them of deadlines through the contact information they provided when they filed for election locally or at the state level. We apologize if there is no information in this edition about a candidate you hoped to learn more about, but assure you that significant efforts were made to collect responses from every candidate and all of them were given an equal opportunity to participate.
We are proud to say that what you find in the second section of this newspaper is still the most comprehensive and informative resource about the general election in Weston County that exists, and we hope it serves you well.
Please read the responses provided in the General Election Preview before you enjoy the privilege of voting next Tuesday, and be proud of the fact that you made the effort to learn as much about the choices in front of you as we could offer you.