Editorial: Take the time to vote wisely this fall

Twelve weeks might seem like a long time, but looking at the Ventura County ballot shaping up this week for the Nov. 6 election, you may want to get an early start educating yourself about the host of candidates and measures appearing on it. In fact, voting by mail begins in just eight weeks.

The candidacy filing period for local races closed Friday, except for the 25 contests in which an incumbent did not seek re-election. In those races, candidates have until 5 p.m. Wednesday to file.

If you’ve toyed with the idea of elected public service, some high-profile opportunities remain among those 25 races, including the Moorpark, Ojai, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks city councils and the Conejo Valley Unified, Simi Valley Unified, Ventura Unified, Hueneme and Pleasant Valley school districts.

As of the end of Monday, 64 city, school and special district races were set to be on the Nov. 6 ballot, with a combined 250 candidates, according to the Ventura County Elections Division. And that doesn’t include countywide, state or federal contests, such as those for Congress, governor and the state Legislature.

Eleven state propositions also will be on the ballot, including ones to allow more local rent control, to permit the state to change daylight saving time, and to repeal the gas tax and vehicle registration fee increases approved last year. Local ballot measures will include competing initiatives to impose term limits on the Camarillo City Council.

For serious supporters or opponents of President Donald Trump hoping to advance or thwart his conservative agenda, voting in the mid-term congressional races could be a simple party-line affair. The rest of this long ballot, however, may take some considerable study and research for those who want to fulfill their civic duty as educated, thoughtful voters.

In Ventura, for example, at least 15 candidates are running for four council seats and at least six for two school board seats. But voters will first need to figure out what districts they live in. Both agencies are launching district elections in November, and their sets of districts are not the same.

The same is true in Oxnard, where a total of 14 candidates are vying in four district council races and three more in the citywide mayoral election. Camarillo voters will have to evaluate nine candidates for three council seats, as well as the two term limit measures.

In Simi Valley, at least six candidates will vie for two council seats and at least three more for the mayor’s job. Thousand Oaks voters will need to sift through at least seven candidates for three council seats and at least eight for three Conejo Valley Unified School District board seats. The school board has a deep conservative/liberal divide, and voters will need to determine on which side, if any, each candidate falls.

Registering to vote is the first step, if you haven’t done it already. The deadline is Oct. 22. Voting by mail begins Oct. 8 and runs through Oct. 30. You can learn more at venturavote.org.

We always encourage people to run for elected office. Democracy thrives when elections are contested. Incumbents’ track records are debated, discussion about important issues occurs, and elected officials are held accountable to voters.

Hundreds of Ventura County residents have answered the call this time. Now it’s up to all of us to pay attention to what they say and do in the coming months, learn more about who they are and what they stand for, and choose wisely for the future of our community.