It’s a little easier keeping up on the presidential race. On television, it seems John McCain is constantly making a speech in a battleground state, or Sarah Palin is shaking hands with undecided voters, or Barack Obama is being interviewed, or Joe Biden is addressing another crowd.

In the newspapers, reporters and columnists are writing or commenting on all of those things, and the Web sites pick up where all of them leave off.

But with local races, we don’t always have the luxury to have the candidates in the spotlight. Many of them juggle full-time jobs and don’t have the time to put their lives on hold to hit the campaign trail.

That’s why it’s important for Mower County voters to stay as informed as possible.

For starters, both the Chamber and the local League of Women Voters are hosting candidate forums this month to give residents a chance to here what those running for local office have to say.

In addition, the Herald will publish a special election section in November, packed full of information about the Nov. 4 general election, what the issues are and who the candidates are so voters can read about it before going to the polls Nov. 4.

Also this week, the Herald is interviewing candidates for the mayor, city council and county commissioner races in preparation to endorse the ones we feel are the best fit for our communities.

We will publish our endorsements Sunday.

We encourage our readers to stay informed, attend forums whenever possible and send in letters to the editor to share your thoughts and views to the rest of our readers.

Afterall, as in every election, the best voter is an informed one.