What’s on your calendar for Tuesday, April 3? I hope near the top of your priority list for that day is the word VOTE. If it’s not there, why not take a minute to make that addition to your activities for that day.

That’s right, next Tuesday, April 3, you and I will go to the polls to cast our vote in Wisconsin’s spring nonpartisan elections, when we elect any local or state office that is not elected by party. You can find some helpful information about this election, including the statewide race to fill an open seat on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court, by going to our web site at www.fri-wi.org, that’s fri-wi.org. On our home page, just click on the Supreme Court link and that will take you to our Election Central, where you will find important information to help you prepare for voting on April 3.

In addition to the statewide Supreme Court race, we have Court of Appeals elections in Districts II, III and IV. In addition to the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals, 25 counties will have at least one circuit judge up for election, with multiple seats up in La Crosse, Milwaukee and Waukesha counties.

Other offices you will likely see on your ballot will be for county executives, county supervisors, municipal judges, mayors, city councils, town boards and school boards. All of these races affect you and your family pretty directly.

I’ve said many times that the level of government that most directly impacts our lives on a day to day basis is local government–our school boards, cities or towns, and counties. The decisions made at those meetings have a great deal to do with how high our taxes are, where our money is spent, what fees we’ll be paying, what the quality of services will be in our communities, how property is allocated and zoned, what type of education will be offered, and on and on. Beyond this, it’s very possible that you may have a local referendum regarding your school district or other issues. Each of us needs to be sure we’re knowledgeable and prepared for this election and beyond that, that we make sure we vote–in person or via absentee ballot if necessary.

There are several steps you can take to ensure you are able to cast your most educated vote next Tuesday. To start with, call your municipal clerk's office to get a complete list of what offices and what candidates will be on the ballot. Once you’ve found out who the candidates are, find out more about them. You can do this by simply calling the candidates, either at their residence or at their campaign headquarters if there is one. Ask the clerk how to get phone numbers for the candidates. If the clerk can't help, check your local phone directory, look on the Internet, or check any campaign literature you may have received. You are not imposing by making these calls. Candidates running for public office need to be open to the public. They should be expecting calls at reasonable times and sincere questions.

Here are some good general questions to ask: What made you decide to run for public office? Why are you running now for this particular position? What issues do you consider most important in your campaign? What's your view of the role of government? And lastly, who has endorsed you?

In addition to the general questions, you can ask about the specific issues that are pertinent to the office the candidate is seeking and that are important to you. To get a true picture of where the candidates stand, ask questions in a neutral way. For instance, ask a school board candidate what he or she thinks about the way schools are currently funded, not whether they believe the state should give the districts more money.

You can also find out a lot about the candidates through your local news media. Read the local newspaper—look for articles, press releases, ads, letters to the editor, endorsements, reports on forums, etc.  If you don't get the paper daily, visit your public library and read the paper there to follow how these races have played out. Find out about any candidate forums or other public appearances that are going to be held. Attend these events with your questions prepared. Write your questions down so you can submit them in advance, if necessary. Stay alert for local radio programs or community cable stations that will feature interviews with the candidates.

Being an informed voter is not easy; it takes some work on our part. However, being an informed voter is vital in our representative republic. So, please, mark election day, Tuesday, April 3, on your calendar. Get active, get informed and get to the polls.

This is Julaine Appling for The Family Research Institute of Wisconsin reminding you the prophet Hosea said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”