Elections are a little over a week away and many candidates are desparate to gain as many votes at the last minutes as possible.

The Pacer staff has been following each election closely, because we’re journalists and that’s our jobs. But even if we weren’t journalists, we like to make informed decision on issues that can shape our lives for the next 2-6 years.

We urge students to go vote, but we stress that you must know the issues that you’re voting about. Nothing is worse than a person deciding our future that doesn’t have a clue about what’s been discussed and debated until he walks into the voting booth.

Students must realize they have the opportunity to make a real difference in the future of Tennessee and America. People like the reiterate time and time again that we, as young Americans, are the future of America. They’re right.

At The Pacer, we’ve tried to publish stories about local candidates that matter to students. We can’t physically walk you into the voting booth and hold your hand while you vote, but we can insure that students who read The Pacer will be more informed if or when they do vote.

We are the future. It’s our right to vote, and people should exercise that right to the fullest extent. If you don’t vote, you have no room to complain if the government goes down the tubes in the coming years.

On November 7, The Pacer will add a page to our Online Edition devoted to election results. We will report results from local, state and national elections. Please check out our web page for results to issues and elections that matter to you.

From all of us at The Pacer: GO VOTE!