Voting is the only way for your voice to be heard in this election. That said, the Northern Star hopes all NIU students and the rest of the DeKalb community exercise their right to vote today. To help better inform voters, let’s recap our endorsements for this year’s election:

John Kerry for president

Sen. John Kerry has proven that not only will he make better choices than George W. Bush, but that he’ll be a people’s president and not one that has only the interest of the wealthy in mind. While both candidates clearly have different stances on issues such as abortion, gay rights and health care, Kerry is the obvious pick for president if Americans want to get our country out of the hole that Bush and many others have dug us into.

Barack Obama for U.S. Senate

Obama has made higher education a priority in his campaign. One of his biggest proposals is a call for an end to federal loan programs that work through banks and private lenders who charge high interest rates. He has expanded health insurance coverage for children of the working poor, passed laws to track racial profiling by law enforcement and prohibited officials from accepting gifts from lobbyists.

Ron Matekaitis for DeKalb County state’s attorney

Matekaitis has been criticized for his lack of felony trial experience, but the performance of the state’s attorney’s office under Matekaitis speaks for itself. Under Matekaitis, the state’s attorney’s office has taken active efforts to educate college students about DUIs. He was also instrumental in campaigning last year for the expansion of the DeKalb County Jail. Dealing with these issues is what matters most to the public – not how many felony cases Matekaitis may have tried personally.

Bob Pritchard for 70th District state representative

Pritchard, who was appointed to the position 10 months ago after the untimely death of former State Rep. David Wirsing, has proven he has what it takes to represent NIU and the people of the 70th District. Under the state’s current democratic administration, NIU has been hit with nearly $40 million in budget cuts. However, it wasn’t until after Pritchard took office that “erosion of state funding for NIU” slowed.

While the Star’s editorial board has laid out its opinions on who should be elected this year, readers don’t have to agree – but they should go out and vote to make their opinions, whatever they may be, heard.