ShawneeDispatch.com

Next Tuesday is a very important day. Voters in every ward in virtually every city of the land will cast ballots that will play an important part in determining the shape and direction of our national, state and local governments for years to come.

In addition to voting for governor, attorney general and other statewide races, Shawnee voters also will vote in several hotly contested state legislative races. Johnson County voters will elect a new county commission chair. In western Shawnee, residents of the De Soto School District will decide whether to issue $105.7 million in bonds to deal with their burgeoning population.

We're not going to offer any suggestions as to how you should vote.

The whole business of newspaper endorsements has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years, as the ethics wallahs of journalism question how a newspaper can endorse a candidate on the one hand and claim to give even-handed coverage on the other. In large news organizations, it may be possible to keep the opinion and news functions separate, but not so in small shops such as ours.

Although we offer no suggestions on how you should vote, we would point out that it is critically important that you do vote. Should you think that your vote doesn't really count, just remember that, in every election, one finds races that are decided by just a handful of votes.

Whether it consists of marking an "X" with a pencil, pulling a handle or touching a spot on a computer screen, the act of voting is a holy one, and the voting booth, hallowed ground. Our democracy is based on the consent of the governed, and in the voting booth is where that consent is tendered.

There's really no question but that the decisions to be made Tuesday are important ones: positions all the way from the U.S. Congress to the Kansas Legislature will be chosen. The county race, soccer complex proposal and the school bond issue are added attractions.

Don't miss the opportunity to make your voice heard.