Here is the call to action, the case for vetting candidates and getting out to vote. In democratic forms of politics, representation and visibility matters. During elections, voters are the board of directors establishing the mandates for the elected officials. Elected officials are aware if they do not follow through with substantive legislation, they could lose their positions. Voters have allowed the gap between our elected officials and public to continue to widen due to lower midterm voter turnout.

My friend and a former Oglala Lakota Indian reservation political consultant Warren Eagle wrote, “When I believe in candidates, I support them as much as I can. My loyalties lie within our constitution. What is right and correct for our people is unpopular today. … The weakness in government is what we are up against today.”

Before you mark your ballot, take the time to define what you’re trying to accomplish: public safety, health care, education, etc. I would encourage voters to vet all the politicians before casting their ballots and offering a two-year or four-year contract to politicians. What are the politicians’ legislative priorities, and why? This includes possible inclusion of write-in candidates who may align and have a better understanding of issues to revise current statutes or policies. Plato wrote: “In politics we presume that everyone who knows how to get votes knows how to administer a city or a state. When we are ill ... we do not ask for the handsomest physician, or the most eloquent one.”

Educate yourself, then answer the call to action: vote.

John Peura, Moose Lake