Nick Jimenez

Sunday, October 8, 2000

How and why we endorse candidates

Election season is a special time for editorial writers. It's as if sports writers had the World Series, the Super Bowl, the Final Four and the Masters wrapped into one event.
   And that is especially heightened during a presidential election year because electing the president is the equivalent of the Olympics of political sports. It only comes around every four years.
   But while the presidency is at the top of the ticket, there are more than a score of candidate contests on the rest of the local ballot. Everybody pays attention to the presidential race. But how many voters are able to devote the time to sort out the issues in the less glamorous races, or in some cases even know something about each candidate?
   That's why we get the big bucks.
   Sometime last spring, we began interviewing candidates in the primary races. And we have continued to interview candidates for the fall election. We're not through yet; we have many more candidates to go.
   This is for the purpose of making endorsements by the Caller-Times Editorial Board. The first of the endorsements, in local district court races, we offer to readers in the opinion column on the opposite page.
   The candidates recommended represent the choices of seven people whose names you see at the top of the editorial opinion column.
   Talking to the candidates, as the Editorial Board does, is what I figure every interested voter would like to do if he or she had the time and opportunity to do so. Voters would like to ask a candidate running for office pertinent questions: Why are you running? What are your goals? What are your qualifications? What makes you different from your opponent?
   We try to meet with every candidate, except those running for constable and justice of the peace, though it is not always possible; in fact, some candidates don't want to meet with the Editorial Board.
   We touch base with candidates on the local ballot, study the issues of the offices, and bring some perspective to the races when we write our endorsements. The intent is, of course, to be of help to the individual voter.
   Would we like for voters to take our list and follow our recommendations? Sure, but that's not really the main point. We'd like to elevate the electoral process. If we can get voters to cast a more thoughtful vote, then I figure we've done our job. I also figure that if we can give a good candidate in one of those obscure races a boost, all the better.
   Nobody wants to be a politician-or so they say-but without them, our way of governing just wouldn't work. Our democracy depends on people putting themselves in the fish bowl and putting their qualifications before the voters. Every candidate who runs deserves respect for his or her part in strengthening the political process.
   But the endorsements are not about the candidates, but voters. Voters need a life ring thrown to them in the tossing sea of claims and counter-claims thrown about in every political race.
   Every interest group has a reason to support a candidate. The endorsement can serve as something for the voter to hold onto that has no political affiliation and whose agenda is open to view every day in these pages.
   This year, I think, we will need educated voters more than ever. The ballot is a long one. Besides federal, state and local offices, we have community college regents and a local bond election on the ballot. We want the endorsements to bring some clarity to a complex and long ballot.
   The ultimate endorsement, of course, is not ours. That comes at the close of the day on Nov. 7 when the voices of the voters will be heard.
   (Nick Jimenez can be at 886-3787 or by e-mail at jimenezn@caller.com.)
  
  

 
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