Don’t miss your chance

to have a voice Nov. 4

Political candidates are making their last push to sway voters in these final days before the Nov. 4 general election.

Election Day provides citizens of this country something many others do not have, — the power to elect our leaders.

Although some people may question the campaign tactics of some candidates, the beauty of our political system is that your voice can be heard if you go to the polls on Nov. 4.

If you don’t like the way a candidate travels down the campaign trail, then let him or her know through your vote.

We must display our devotion to democracy by going to the polls. It is up to you to decide who will best represent you in the years to come.

While we sometimes view our local leaders as insignificant in the bright spotlight of national politics, their actions greatly affect our communities.

The saying all politics is local is a wise one.

It is your local representatives in your municipal government and on your school boards who spend a lot of your tax money. These are the people closest to you who should advocate your interests to those at the county, state and national level.

Locally, there are important elections in both Old Bridge and Sayreville, as the seat of mayor is up for grabs in both towns. Additionally, there are three Township Council terms up in Old Bridge and two Borough Council terms in Sayreville, where control over the governing body is at stake.

This year in New Jersey, the elections for state-level offices are particularly important, with every seat in the Senate and the Assembly up for grabs.

Many of the problems that seem to face every town in the state — overdevelopment , rapidly escalating property taxes, traffic congestion — must be addressed in Trenton first.

Before leaders at the local level can make necessary changes, the regional pressures which contribute to these issues must be alleviated.

However, the Legislature has consistently ducked action on the tough issues — such as fixing New Jersey’s broken property tax system — in favor of pushing bills on less pressing matters that they feel might win them votes on Election Day but do little to actually improve the lives of New Jersey’s people.

Don’t miss your chance to let them know how you feel on Tuesday.