We are about to witness, once again, the spectacle of an American election. All the predictions of the pundits and prognosticators will be put to the test, and it will finally be time for us, the voters, to express ourselves. If you are like me, you are excited for the opportunity a ballot represents. However, I urge you to recognize that there is a responsibility that goes along with voting, and there is still time to fulfill it.

Before you vote, it is important to know a bit about the candidates, their views, and their ideas. I do hope that everyone reading this will go to the polls, but only if you’ve made some effort to become informed about the issues at stake. This may be a difficult task, but not impossible, even this late in the process.

The biggest problem I see nowadays is how many people are only listening to one side or the other. There is no such thing as an “unbiased” news source. If you want to know enough to make an informed decision on an issue, you need to actively seek out the opinions of those with whom you disagree. Letting Jon Stewart, or Keith Olbermann, or Sean Hannity tell you what the other guys think are not good enough.

It can be hard work getting information from both sides of the debate. In any given week, I try to read The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Politico, but also the National Review Online, Investor’s Business Daily and the Drudge Report.

I garner opinions from the left, such as David Broder, Maureen Dowd, and Paul Krugman, but I also read George Will, David Brooks, Charles Krauthammer, and especially Thomas Sowell. On TV, I watch CNN, Fox News and CSPAN. As far as I am concerned, if you don’t read, hear or see something that pisses you off at least once a day, you are not paying close enough attention.

Do you have to do as I do? No. One right we clearly still have in this country is the right to ignore what is going on around us if we so choose. I would hope that those reading this are doing so because they want to be engaged in the process, but if you have no real desire to be thoroughly informed then that is your prerogative.

You also have the right to only listen to those in the media with whom you agree. I know how comforting it can be to feel like they agree with you on everything. I used to do it myself during the Clinton Administration, but don’t delude yourself into thinking that one side or the other is always right.

However, if you want to be a part of the solution, and really understand the many disagreements we have on the issues, then I challenge you to expose yourself to opposing views. You will be amazed how much easier it is to find common ground if you actually take the time to listen to those on the other side instead of dismissing or even insulting them.

Think of it this way, if you make the effort to listen to what the other side is saying and they refuse to show you the same courtesy then they are the ignorant ones. Democracy is about trying your hardest to convince those who disagree to adopt your position, but willing to listen as they try to do the same with you. Close-mindedness, insults, and slanted information may end a debate, but never confuse that with winning one.

Never mind the commercials, the glossy and not-so-glossy spots crafted by spin-masters and media consultants, start with the local paper, or perhaps The Springfield Republican. You probably saw the Collegian’s write-ups on the various gubernatorial candidates, or the interviews with Representative Ellen Story and her challengers Dan Sandell and Dan Melick, but maybe you didn’t read them. I encourage you to do so now.

All that being said, it is less than a week until Election Day as you read this, and I hope everyone will remember that there will be another one in just a couple of years. If you are a person of the left, and upset by the prospect of a Republican wave, just keep in mind that you will have other chances to advance your ideology. If you are on the right, don’t forget 2006 or 2008, when you paid the price for not living up to your promises. Besides, the only thing worse than a sore loser is a sore winner.

Next Tuesday is going to be a big day no matter what, but there’s going to be an even bigger Election Day in two years, so let’s all try to keep that in perspective.

Ben Rudnick is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at [email protected].