Campaign season is winding down, now it’s your turn

For starters, Happy Halloween to all the readers of the DCI. The lead-up to Halloween was certainly busy this past weekend with the Haunted Hustle and Mantorville Fall Festival drawing crowds on Saturday. There were also several Halloween activities on Sunday.

This next week, attention will turn to the General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 5. It has been a long election season, especially at the federal level, and I am sure a lot of people are glad that it is coming to an end.

I hope everyone who is eligible to vote has registered, learned about the issues and candidates and is prepared to cast a ballot.

We say it every election cycle, but it is true, voting is important. And it is a privilege we have in the United States that residents of many countries either do not have at all or the elections are merely for show and the ruling leaders make sure their candidates win.

If you have been thinking about voting early and still haven’t done so, there is still time. It is too late to request an absentee ballot, but in-person direct voting is now open. Dodge County residents can cast an early vote at the Government Center in Mantorville and those who live in Olmsted County can do so at the Olmsted County Elections Office in Rochester or Rochester City Hall.

While voting is available during regular business hours at those locations, extra hours have also been scheduled. You can cast your ballot on both Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. And of course, polling places are open on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. with a few smaller townships opening the polls at 10 a.m. And just a reminder that if you are eligible to vote but not registered, you can do so at the polling place. Information on what you need to bring to register on Election Day is on the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website.

The Dodge County Independent will be reporting on the election results as soon as they start becoming available. Results will be posted on the DCI website and Facebook with complete results in next Thursday's edition.