The August primary election is less than three months away, and voters will have several important decisions to make.

Primaries are used to determine which candidates will represent their party in the November election. But, with relatively few candidates on the ballot in our area, and limited representation from Democrats, the winner of the primary will, for many Northeast Michigan seats, automatically win the November election.

There also are several local property tax proposals on the ballot.

So this election is as important as any, but it is unlike any in which any of us have ever voted.

Because of the coronavirus, there will be no candidate forums, and few candidates will head door-to-door to share their positions on the issues. There will likely be no rallies.

So the onus is on us to research candidates and where they stand, to look into their backgrounds to see how it measures up with the promises they make and the positions they claim to hold.

The News will of course do its part, with candidate profiles yet to come this summer.

We urge all voters to read those profiles and do more of their own research, checking out candidates’ websites and social media sites, looking up their voting history and old meeting minutes.

We may not get the facetime many of us want with our candidates for elective office, but we can still get a good sense of who those candidates are by checking out the facts.

(THE ALPENA NEWS)