Don't miss out on being a part of history; get educated and vote on Tuesday

At this stage of any election process, it’s easy to become cynical. This year that’s the case more than we’ve ever seen in any other presidential election.
In fact, it’s not uncommon to hear people say, “I don’t trust any of them. They’re all crooks, and I’m not going to vote.”
Sadly, this would be the worst response to what should be a celebrated moment in American politics.
Voting has always been a privilege, a right and a responsibility for American citizens. We don’t need to remind Star Herald readers about their civic opportunities, except to say, “Please vote.”
There has never before been a time in American history when there have been so many monumental firsts in a political campaign, and it would be a shame to miss out on participating in the 2016 General Election because we’re tired of negative campaigns.
Even for voters who feel they’re too uninformed to vote … there’s still time to study.
•Residents interested in viewing the races that will appear on their ballots can go to myballotmn.sos.state.mn.us. This link on the Minnesota Secretary of State website shows a voters entire ballot options based on a submitted zip code and street address.
•The Minnesota Secretary of State site also has all the nuts and bolts about voting how-tos. (Minnesotans, by the way, don’t need to register ahead of time to vote; they can do so at their polling stations at the time they vote.)
•The Minnesota League of Women Voters https://www.lwvmn.org/elections-voting/2016-elections is a long-standing non-partisan source of candidate information and voting directions.
•In Rock County, the Rock County Auditor Treasurer’s Office also welcomes inquiries the old-fashioned way: in person or by telephone. The number is 283-5060.
This week’s edition of the Star Herald makes one last attempt to provide voters with candidate information. Page 3 has questionnaires from the DFL and Republican candidates for our district’s seat in U.S. Congress.
Previously published questionnaires with candidates in other races can be found on the Star Herald website, www.star-herald.com. We’ve compiled all the profiles into one handy PDF document that’s accessible for free on our homepage.
Happy studying and happy voting Tuesday, if you haven’t already done so.