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Few would dispute the notion that Republican President Donald J. Trump and Democrat former President Barack Obama make the strangest of bedfellows. On virtually every public policy issue imaginable, the two stand universes apart.
But on one key contemporary issue, the two men are in lockstep with each other. Both argue that Tuesday's general election in Ohio and the United States ranks as one of the most critical mid-term elections in American history.
At a campaign rally in Cleveland last weekend, Obama implored Ohioans to exercise their right to vote by Nov. 3 and labeled this general election a crucial "circuit breaker" to "rein in some of the foolishness" and bring accountability" to the current presidential administration.
Likewise, Trump, in Youngstown earlier this month, specifically urged some 3,000 rally goers at the Covelli Centre to maximize turnout this fall by using early voting options to ensure their ballots are cast well ahead of Election Day.
Clearly, Mahoning Valley and Ohio residents are listening.
The proof is in the astonishingly high levels of energy among the electorate as gauged by surprisingly high levels of early voting in our region, state and nation.
As of early this week, more than 34 million Americans had cast early ballots ahead of Tuesday's election, far eclipsing the total of all early votes in the last similar round of midterms in 2022.
That same trend sticks locally and statewide as well. According to the Ohio Secretary of State Office's early voting dashboard, 27,847 early ballots had been cast or requested in Mahoning County as of early Wednesday. In Trumbull County, 24,363 ballots had been issued. Statewide, about 1.5 million votes had been logged in early.
Boards of Elections directors in the Valley predict turnout totals nearing or exceeding 60% of the electorate by the time polls close Tuesday night. Voter turnout for the 2022 midterms in the Valley bottomed out at about 50%.
Driving this interest, of course, have been the heated competitive battles here and elsewhere for control of the U.S. Congress and the direction this nation will take over the next two years.
Also high on Ohioans' radar is the neck-and-neck battles between Democrat Amy Acton and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy for governor and of Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Jon Husted for the open U.S. Senate seat in the Buckeye State.
Locally, voters in Mahoning and Trumbull counties will be selecting county commissioners, judges, state representatives, a state senator and will be deciding the funding fate for some key social-service agencies, for police and fire protection in several communities and taxpayer dollars for about a dozen local school districts.
Thus, we urge residents of the Mahoning Valley to responsibly cast ballots in this critical general election. Early voting continues this weekend at boards of election offices in Youngstown and Warren. Saturday hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday hours run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. No early voting is available Monday. As usual, polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Above all else, do not let your frustrations with divisiveness in today's local, state and national political scenes negatively impact your civic duty as an American. Our system of government heavily relies on robust participation by the electorate. To work efficiently, each of us must exercise that right responsibly.
VINDICATOR ENDORSEMENTS
The Vindicator's commitment to elections is longstanding. We spend hours in endorsement meetings with candidates for office and in reviewing their backgrounds and credentials. Based on what we learn, in those interviews and elsewhere, we issue endorsements. Here is a summary of our recommendations detailed in previous editorials for the races and issues on local ballots:
● U.S. HOUSE 6th DISTRICT: Republican incumbent Michael Rulli
● U.S. HOUSE 14th DISTRICT: Republican incumbent Dave Joyce.
● MAHONING COUNTY COMMISSIONER: Republican Christine Oliver
● MAHONING COUNTY AUDITOR: Republican Ralph Meacham
● TRUMBULL COUNTY COMMISSIONER: Republican Michael Hovis
● TRUMBULL COUNTY AUDITOR: Democrat Edward Stredney
● STATE ISSUE 3 TO INSERT MANDATORY VOTER ID IN STATE CONSTITUTION: Yes