Wednesday marked the beginning of early voting here in West Virginia, an option put in place several years ago to allow more registered voters to have opportune time to cast their ballot. Make sure that as a registered voter, you do just that.

This election season has been one filled with controversy and negativity, at least on a national level. The informed voter must delve through all of the sensationalism to determine which candidate would provide the best leadership in the given office.

Search out the records of the candidates rather than trying to sift through the personal attacks, lies and media hype that has surrounded the presidential candidates.

As voters we are tasked with making a choice to place in a powerful leadership position any number of individuals who will then make decisions for us and on our behalf. We must take the time and due diligence to make an informed and educated vote rather than being swayed by the advertising venues or biased promoters.

In addition to the national race for president and vice president, we here in Jefferson must make the best selection for offices such as county commissioner, assessor, sheriff and state officials. Each of these offices in one way or another affects us in our daily life and we need to be conscious of who will provide the best leadership during the given term.

Here at the Chronicle, we do not endorse any given candidate officially. Instead, we urge voters to, again, educate themselves on the best choice. We do discourage the practice of voting just along party lines, as one should vote for the person’s qualifications rather than a party name. More than anything, we simply encourage each of you who are one of the thousands of registered voters in this county to travel out and vote responsibly.

Early voting will be offered at the Jefferson County Courthouse each day from now until Nov. 5 including two Saturdays. There is no reason individuals should not go out and make their choice. For those who wait until election day, that day falls on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Polls open at 6:30 a.m. and stay open until 7 p.m. Visit the Jefferson County Clerk’s website at www.jeffersoncountywv.org to find out about the candidates for each office.