When it comes to elections, America needs to do a better job of two things: overcoming voter apathy and providing more education to our citizens.

Hopefully, the upcoming series of candidate forums hosted by the local chapter of the League of Women Voters will help address both those concerns. Leader Publications will help sponsor the events as a way to inform citizens about the choices they will face on Nov. 4 when they enter the voting booth.

Some of the details of the forums are still being worked out, so stay tuned for those, but one event that should be considered very important to local voters is pretty much already set in stone.

The Michigan House of Representatives District 59 debate is scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 13 at Southwest Michigan College in Dowagiac. Mike Moroz, a Democrat candidate from Cass County, and Aaron Miller, a Republican from St. Joseph County, are vying for the seat most recently held by Matt Lori but that will be vacated due to term limits.

This race was highly contested in the Republican primary and should attract a lot of attention in coming weeks.

Yours truly will be the moderator at this forum but I will be following the rigid script the League provides, using their format and questions.

Our hope is that this event and others like it will give voters the chance to hear these two candidates go head-to-head on important issues facing Michigan and our area specifically.

Public forums like these should be key parts of the decision-making process citizens go through when trying to decide who will lead our state and region. Hopefully voters won’t just rely on the media to convey what happens but will come see for themselves.

State representatives are very important and it is important that our local “voice” in Lansing fully understands the needs and challenges facing southwest Michigan. These elected officials will help shape policy and laws that impact every facet of our lives including the economy, education, roads, taxes, recreation and more.

The only way to get the government we need is to stand up and tell candidates what kind of government we, as citizens of this great country, want. Candidate forums like this are the perfect opportunity to do just that.

 

Michael Caldwell is the publisher of Leader Publications LLC. He can be reached at (269) 687-7700 or by email at mike.caldwell@leaderpub.com.