In the swelter of Philadelphia in 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention argued for sixth months about voting rights. Some of them were afraid of too much democracy. They thought common folk were too ignorant to vote. In America, democracy has come about only through agitation and civil unrest.

So you’d think Americans would flock to the polls on Election Day. But they don’t. And the reason they give is that they don’t have enough information on the candidates and issues. Even in the Information Age, voters say they don’t know enough.

In addition to our regular content, in the coming months The Observer will publish profiles of candidates, allowing them to express their ideas directly, so you can decide whose ideas should win. And we’ll try to unravel the complexities of the issues. We’ll use The Observer website, www.WVObserver.com, to provide details about candidates and their positions. We’ll also regularly publish information about voter forums sponsored by nonpartisan organizations like the local League of Women Voters.

The Observer will do its part, so come election day, voters feel they know something about the candidates for local, statewide and Congressional offices. None of us should leave our hard-won voting rights in the Stratolounger, buried beneath the remote control. We owe it to one other and the future generations.

Speaking of the next generation, please take the time to peruse our Observer Kids page as there are two poignant February articles. Jasmine Edwards article Love is a Battlefield should remind us that our children are always listening and watching; and the group effort on Martin Luther King  Jr. gives us all hope for the future.