With the election just around the corner, there are so many issues and candidates to consider that it can be overwhelming.

It is easy to just read the endless texts and emails that fill up our phones and computers. It is simple to scan the dozens of postcards that arrive in the mailbox every day. It is effortless to just agree with all the social media post that fill your newsfeed and pass along the idea.

But if we truly want to make an impact on our community and make a difference for our friends and family, we need to be informed.

Being informed is not just sharing unchecked posts that happen to fill your algorithm. Being informed is not just mimicking what your neighbor shares with you over coffee. Being informed is not taking for granted what you hear because it is repeated by others.

Ultimately, we have a civic duty to be informed voters and that requires work. Most importantly, it requires going to the source to learn about an issue or about a candidate.

While that isn’t easy for national or even statewide elections, it is possible on the local level. And to be honest, the local issues are what have the biggest impact on our lives. Local races and issues affect each and every one of us on a day-to-day basis and determine what our communities will look like years from now.

While the national and statewide races garner most of the attention, it is the local elections for school board, city council, bonds, Natural Resource Districts, and more that make an impact on each one of us every day. Yet, I would guess that most people can name those running for local offices or have made a personal appearance at the meetings explaining the bond issues.

But there is still time.

There are independent, nonpartisan websites that provide information about the candidates and where they stand on issues. For ballot issues, review the ballot language for starters and then visit websites about both sides of the issues to get a full understanding.

And for truly local issues like the school bond issue in McCook or even the recent sales tax bond passed by the city for the pool and ballpark, we can directly contact the people who have the most complete, accurate information so that we can make informed decisions. 

If you have questions or concerns about the proposed school bond issue for the McCook Public School System, there is the website, www.mccookbond2024.com dedicated to  information about the proposed plan including a video tour of the current facility. The best way to learn about the issue is to attend the final regularly scheduled open house on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 6 p.m. starting in the junior high cafeteria, which includes a tour. And the school administration is more than happy to give tours and provide information at any time between now an the election.

And there has been further discussion recently about the ballpark issue that moved forward earlier this week at the McCook City Council meeting. Again, attend a city council meeting to get up to speed. If that isn’t possible, reach out to your city council members or city staff with your questions. You will got a lot more accurate information by calling your officials directly rather than posting online or calling the radio station to vent.

In today’s politics, we may think we are informed but in reality our knowledge of the issues may be a mile wide and just an inch deep. We know a little about a lot yet don’t spend time digging deep about an issue or an a candidate.

To truly make a positive impact, we need to be informed about the issues in our communities, we need to research the items on the upcoming ballot, we need to go to as close to the source of the information as possible.

Earlier this week, I spent the day listening to journalists, political officials and community leaders from across the country, as part of The Atlantic’s Nebraska’s State of Our Union conference in Lincoln, co-hosted by the Flatwater Free Press non-profit organization.

Perhaps my biggest take-away was that people need to understand not just what is happening now but what is at stake with each decision, with each issue. With each vote, we decide what we want our community to look like generations from now. At each election, we shape our future for our children and grand-children. And if we are informed with clear, accurate information, we can make our communities the best places to call home.