Actual ballots are in the mail.

Every registered voter in the county (over 300,000) will receive a ballot. The number of candidates and issues you have the option of acting on vary according to where you live. In the old days, voters generally had the same set of influencers to shape the vote discussion. Our newspapers did a great job in coverage of races. In larger races, the television networks all contributed to an informed electorate. In fact, while the three major networks had nuanced differences in their coverage, the basic facts of what happened were generally agreed upon.

But today the challenge of finding out what is going on is much more difficult.

There are not many trusted sources left.

Newspapers are a shell of what they once were. Local periodicals have valiantly attempted to fill the gap … but are woefully unable to have broad reach. The major television networks are much diminished in their reach and credibility.

Website reviews on issues are helpful, but they are often viewed as biased. The Democratic leaning sites will exaggerate the worthiness of the democrats and downplay that of the Republicans. Likewise, the GOP sites will be equally one-sided in the information they disseminate.

Then we have the special interest groups making ads backing or attacking candidates and measures.

Next is the “independent committees” who do the same, only with less oversite, disclosure and regulation.

Then there are the two official political parties who both think that candidates of the other party are unworthy and should never be credited or complemented on anything. They also have a very generous understanding that their own candidates didn’t really mean that stupid thing they said or did … and that talking about it is fake news.

The decline of competitive districts in congress, due to gerrymandering (and partisan gerrymandering has officially been blessed by the Unted States supreme court), has resulted in only around 10% of our congressional districts being considered competitive. That is out of 435 districts in the country.

The diminished status of recognized, independent, and credible news sources has made the selection process for voters much harder, especially in swing areas.

So, I have come up with a few ideas to mitigate that.

First, don’t vote for or against anyone because of their party affiliation. Vote for or against someone if you agree or disagree with their position on issues important to you, but don’t vest that candidate with your vote simply because of his or her party.

In fact, in these partisan times, a candidate who has a demonstrated record of putting their district ahead of their party should get serious consideration from all voters. Our area is known for this. Gary Condit, Kristen Olsen, Anthony Cannella, and Adam Gray all fit that bill.

In local nonpartisan offices, party affiliation should not be a factor at all. We want local officials who view issues through a lens of what’s best for the city or county – not the voter affiliation of an office holder. Ask anyone running for local office who says you should vote for me because I’m a Democrat (or Republican) just like you, “What are you going to tell people who don’t like either party to get their vote?”

It is also easier for a candidate to disguise their positions when they march behind a party flag. We have one republican candidate for congress in our area who put the phrase “Endorsed by Trump” all over his signs last June. Now most of his signs we see don’t mention the President’s endorsement. That raises questions. Is the endorsement not good anymore? Why not? If it is still good, why would he want it downplayed? Or is he disappointed in Trump now? If so, why?

So, get ready to wade through countless mailers, vicious social media assaults, radio and televisions ads to make the best choice. And talk to your friends and people you trust.

This is a big election. Be sure to vote.