Election Day around the corner

Do you know what next Tuesday is?  Yes, it's November the 8, the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November.  And that means it's Election Day.  

This isn't a presidential election year or even a midterm—so who cares?  It's still an important election, because many local officials are on the ballot and local decisions often have a greater impact on your everyday life more than national decisions.

So are you ready for Election Day?  It is important to figure out if you're registered to vote.  If you aren't, that's okay—just make sure you get registered so you can participate in the next election.  

If you are registered, then you need to figure out who is on the ballot.  Indiana has an awesome website to give you that information—as well as other voting information—at www.indianavoters.in.gov.  Even if you are registered to vote in your hometown, this website will provide the same information.  From there, you can click on "Review candidates on my ballot" or scroll to the bottom and click "Who's on your ballot?"  My ballot only has two offices, each with a Democrat and a Republican running:  two candidates running for mayor and two candidates running for city judge.

Now that you know who's running for office, you need to figure out who you want to vote for.  In today's world of technology, learning about a candidate is very easy—many of them have websites.  Both Fred Nation and Duke Bennett have websites that will tell you all about who they are and what they plan to do if elected Mayor of Terre Haute.  Last week, I reviewed Nation as candidate for mayor.  This week, let's look at Duke Bennett.

Duke Bennett is the current mayor of Terre Haute and was elected four years ago in 2007.  A lot has happened in the past four years.  Most obvious to college students are the efforts to revitalize downtown that have increased the atmosphere of the area just south of campus.  Many new businesses have moved there in the past few years, and as someone who's been around since 2007, it looks way better.  And this revitalization is ongoing.  I'm pretty excited to see how downtown continues to evolve. 

Duke Bennett has also worked to update policies regarding sewage and wastewater treatment, to eliminate the "bad smell" Terre Haute has emitted for years.  

His successes as mayor speak for themselves.  Duke Bennett is the kind of leader that our city needs.  One important characteristic of a good leader is the ability to recognize the talents of others and utilize those talents to their best abilities.  

This means surrounding yourself with capable individuals and allowing them to focus on specific areas.  Not everyone is suited to perform the same duties, and no one can be the best at everything.  

Additionally, Duke Bennett is fairly historic in terms of partisan politics.  For many years, Terre Haute has been an area that was heavily dominated by Democrats—Republicans need not apply.  The current city councilman and county councilman are Democrats—yet Duke Bennett works with them to create a stronger Terre Haute.  

Duke Bennett is an uncommon example of putting partisan politics aside and working for the public good.  This ability to work with elected officials of the opposite party is becoming increasingly rare—and increasingly important.  The issues facing our city, state and nation are not partisan issues—working together is the best way to solve them.

Voting is one of the easiest, yet incredibly important, ways you can participate in our democracy.  Voting allows your voice to be heard without saying a word.  Having an informed vote is incredibly important—we all hate listening to the crazy person in class who clearly has no idea what they're talking about.  

So inform yourself.  Learn about the candidates, and make an educated opinion.  And don't forget to cast your ballot on November 8.