Once I think voters got educated before casting their ballots

Let’s face it, when it comes to elections much of the time voters cast their ballots because they are friends with a particular candidate or went to school with a candidate or they know a candidate’s brother or their parents go to church with a candidate.

Mark White is Editor of The News Journal.

I tend to talk to people a lot about elections and political races and often their reason for voting for a candidate has little to do with a particular candidate being the best qualified person for the job. Too many times issues and qualifications seem to take a back seat to personalities, and far too few times does it seem like voters educate themselves before going to the polls.

As shocking as this may sound though, we did have one election a few years ago where when I think voters may have actually made it a point to educate themselves before going to the polls and voted for the best candidates.

It was the Corbin City Commission race in November 2016.

Then News Journal Publisher Trent Knuckles was a first-time candidate for Corbin City Commission, which added another degree of difficulty to our job of trying to keep things fair for all of the candidates.

Before each major local election, we send out candidate questionnaires/election surveys (whatever you want to call them) to all the candidates in the contested races asking them questions about their qualifications and what they feel are the major issues in the race.

In this particular race we also asked questions, such as how would they convince people in areas adjacent to the city to have their homes annexed into the city, how they would increase revenue for the city or accomplish reining in spending, and whether they thought The Corbin Arena had been a positive or negative for the city and what needed to be done to improve its operations.

We required Trent to provide his answers before we sent out the questionnaires to the remaining candidates and ran all of the responses unedited.

There were seven candidates for four seats on the Corbin City Commission and six of the seven candidates responded with their answers for the candidate questionnaires.

Several of the candidates gave really good, thought out and articulate answers. Some not so much.

Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but the candidates with the best responses and best ideas were the winners in that race.

This was the only time in all of the years that I have been doing this when I actually wonder if voters made it a point of educating themselves before going to the polls and tried to cast their ballots for who they felt were the best candidates.

I bring this up because we have an election coming up on May 17 that will decide, the sheriff and PVA’s races. It will also pick out the Republican nominee for jailer, who will face independent Troy Thomas in the November General Election. Voters will also be deciding on magistrates and constables in the first, third and fourth districts.

Over the last several weeks, the News Journal has been running our candidate questionnaires/election surveys in contested races. Last week we provided info on the jailer and PVA races, and this week we will be profiling the sheriff’s race.

These are important positions in our county. Please read these responses, educate yourselves, go to the polls and cast your ballots for the best candidates and not just because you used to go to high school with someone or your parents to go church with them.

Just a reminder that early voting will take place, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. at the old courthouse in Williamsburg and at the old Corbin City Hall.