Be sure to get to the polls today and vote. It’s not a presidential primary, which means you won’t see Barack Obama or John McCain on the ballot. You won’t see Sarah Palin or Joe Biden.

No, you’ll see people in races that have a greater impact on you. Sure, the president of the United States is a big deal, but decisions made by city, county, school and state officials are more likely to affect the average voter than anything the elected officials with the federal government do.

That means the vote you cast today is important. You help slim the number of candidates running from each party in partisan races, and for nonpartisan races you narrow the candidates to two.

Then everyone gets two months to put all these candidates under a microscope. Democracy is not perfect, but it sure is better than any other form of government.

Polling locations across Freeborn County and in many nearby places close at 8 p.m. Make sure you get there with time to spare.