To our readers:

HUNDREDS of candidates are seeking office in dozens of races, from the U.S. Senate at the top of the ticket to local township constables at the bottom. Each race is important, not just to the candidates, but to the voters who will be asked to employ them for the next two, four or six years.

The Review-Journal believes an informed electorate is critical to support the democracy we all share, and that the more information voters have before filling out a ballot or going to the polls, the better the choices they will make.

This voter guide is our contribution to that democratic process: Nearly the entire staff of the Review-Journal has been deployed to try to interview every candidate for office that Southern Nevadans will see on their ballots, to ask those candidates about their plans for the future, and to give voters enough information to make a decision based on their own principles and priorities. Not every candidate returned our calls, but those who did are represented in this voter guide.

In our print edition, we’ve focused only on the top races on the ballot. But readers can find our interviews in every race on the ballot on our website.

It’s our hope that our work will serve as a platform for our readers and the larger community, providing insight as you make the decisions that will affect our community.

In addition to this voter guide, we have also offered candidates the opportunity to share their own biographical information and answer a few questions selected by our editors. That guide is online now and will remain up as voters go to the polls in the June 14 primary.

Whether you prefer to vote by mail, vote early in the run-up to Election Day or vote in person at a polling place on Election Day, we hope that every eligible voter will take advantage of these resources to register, get educated about the candidates and issues, and turn out to cast a ballot.

That’s how we can all contribute to making our democracy work.