Freeborn County followed the rest of the nation in record voter turnout. Of the 18,612 registered county voters, a whopping17,775, or 95.5 percent, voted at their local polling locations.

A highly-passionate race at the presidential level, evenly matched city and county races, and even the weather likely played a role in drawing people to the polls.

This year’s voting totals beat 2000’s record 89 percent voter turnout by a solid 6.5 percent.

While some states in the nation continue to argue about provisional ballots, most states reported few problems at the polls, all a sign of voter civility during an oftentimes hotly contested race.

Locally, candidates were evenly matched in their races, whether for city council seats or county commissioner seats. We avoided making any predictions and it’s a good thing &045; several of these races came within a few percentage points.

We applaud the candidates who stepped up to run for an office, knowing full well that their lives would be changed by serving for public office. That so many were willing to take the heat, if necessary, for their decisions, to make this city and the county a better place for residents tells of their commitment and passion for this area.

Finally, congratulations to the winners of the election.