Voter guide, endorsement recap coming Sunday

Early voting starts today in Clark County. Citizens who want to get their civic duty over with but are concerned they don't have enough information should wait until Sunday, when the Review-Journal publishes its biennial general election voter guide.

Voters are often seen carrying marked-up copies of the special section to the polls with their sample ballot. They do this because the section has the information they need to cast informed votes in line with their political perspectives. The voter guide includes the candidates' positions on the issues of the day, along with their political and professional experience. The section also details the functions of each public office, what the position pays and the physical boundaries of each district.

Don't know who your representatives are or which Assembly district you reside in? You will if you read our voter guide, a collaboration of almost every journalist on the Review-Journal staff.

In addition, Sunday's Viewpoints section will feature a recap of the endorsements of the Review-Journal editorial page. Over the past two months, our editorial board has made recommendations in every contested major county race, based on personal interviews with most of the candidates. Sunday's editorials will feature the last of our endorsements, on local and statewide ballot questions. We provide and defend our opinions to help shape yours, whether you agree or disagree.

The Nov. 6 general election ballot is a huge one, and not just because of the tight presidential race between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. There's also a close U.S. Senate race between Rep. Shelley Berkley and Sen. Dean Heller, two tight congressional campaigns and a handful of legislative races that will decide which party controls Carson City.

The Review-Journal takes its Fourth Estate responsibilities seriously. Its pages aim to inform voters on the state of their communities year-round, not just at election time, so they have the information they need to confront problems and improve their lives.

Your vote is important. Make use of Sunday's voter guide and endorsement recap so you can cast an informed ballot. Visit our website at www.lvrj.com/politics, and click on MEET THE CANDIDATES for additional information, including video recordings of candidate speeches. And if after reading Sunday's newspaper you still aren't sure about how to vote in a particular race, leave that race blank on your ballot. Don't cancel out an informed vote with an uninformed one.