No matter how high the mud; get out and vote

We are days away from the general election and the mudslinging has kicked into high gear. The negative political ads, mailers, Facebook posts and Tweets know no political party affiliation. They are an attempt to keep the voter away from the polls on Election Day. They are the most basic forms of voter suppression disguised as political advertising.

Whether they are targeting an incumbent or a challenger, the creators of these negative forms of communication are hoping that the voter will become so disenchanted with the targeted candidate that they will not venture out to vote on Election Day. 

As voters, we owe it to the political process to ignore these veiled attempts to prevent us from having our voices heard at the polling booths. We owe it to all the candidates involved to educate ourselves on their merits and not rely on the rumors and innuendos. Finally, we owe it to ourselves. We must not allow any political party, candidate and their "machine" to dictate to us, as voters and citizens, how, why and if we should vote. 

Vote for the candidate that will have your best interests and that of the constituency their office serves at heart. Strap on those boots and trudge through the mud that has been flung and vote.