Election Day

Be sure to exercise your precious right at the polls

It’s Election Day and voters on both sides of the state line go to the polls today.

At least we hope they do.

We won’t be voting for president. Today is not even a midterm election where all seats of the U.S. House of Representatives and a third of those in the U.S. Senate are up for grabs.

In Texarkana, Texas, nine amendments to the City Charter are up for vote. They include changing the number of votes needed for the City Council to pass ordinances and resolutions to a simple majority in many cases and lengthening the terms of the mayor and council members from two years to three.

Over in DeKalb, residents will decide two school bond proposals. There are city board races in Red Lick. And voters across Texas will decide on six proposed constitutional amendments.

On the east side of the line, the big issue is whether voters will approve a plan to restructure existing bonds so Texarkana, Ark., School District can build a new middle school. If the measure passes, the life of the bonds will be extended and there will be no increase in taxes. There are also two contested races for the Arkansas-side school board.

We won’t tell you how to vote. Frankly, we don’t think you should rely on anyone else to make your choices for you. We hope you’ve studied the ballot issues and come to your own conclusions. We will, though, encourage you to vote.

Our democracy works best when as many Americans as possible participate. But there are still those who, by choice or circumstances, will not show up at the polls today.

And that’s not unusual, especially in elections without major political races to be decided. A lot of folks skip the “small” votes and concentrate on the big ones.

In our view, that’s a shame. We urge everyone who has not yet voted to do so. But that is a matter for each person’s own conscience and sense of duty.