In a little more than 13 weeks Election Day will be here.  Voters will be casting their votes for President of the United States among other down-ballot positions.

            While several candidates are running as Independents or on other parties, the Republican candidate is former President Donald Trump and the presumed Democrat Candidate is Vice-President Kamala Harris.

            Among the other candidates are Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. who is running as an Independent, Jill Stein (Green Party), Randall Terry (Constitution Party).  Cornell West (Independent), and Chase Oliver (Libertarian).

            To nobody's surprise, with the withdrawal of President Joe Biden from the race for President, most focus is now on a Harris versus Trump matchup.

            It is important for voters to focus on the policies and positions that work in the best interests of our country and ourselves.

            Study the candidates and seek out your information from multiple sources.  Social media should never be considered a reliable catch all, cure all, and tell all source.  The lies and half-truths keep coming and coming from the fingers of the keyboard warriors.

            If you support this candidate, the other side hates you.  If you support that candidate, the other side hates you.  If you haven't made up your mind yet and have not professed your loyalty to one or the other, both sides hate you.

            Sadly, in the minds of many, there doesn't seem to be one truly fair and honest news source for candidate information.  That's why voters need to seek out multiple sources to vet the candidates.

            Does what happened years ago matter?  Is history a tell-tale sign of the future?  Voters have to make up their own minds as political spin-masters try to make up your mind for you.  What's happening now and what are the candidates' future plans are what matter most.

            The childish name-calling routine, on all sides, is boorish and does nothing to advance debate across party lines.

            Has social media memes taken the place of serious discussions among voters? 

            Will sanity ever return to our election cycles?  Will voters actually be voting for the best candidate of the one they hate least?

            Who can unify our country?  Can our country be unified by this election?  Is it the candidate's fault or do we carry part of that responsibility?

            Don't let somebody else cast your ballot for you.  Know the candidates, their policies and positions and vote for the one who will represent you and the United Sates best.

            You have a responsibility as a voter to know the facts on all of the candidates, not just one.  If you don't, how can you compare them?  Take that responsibility seriously.

            It's your vote; choose wisely.