A marked decline in voter turnout occurs when it’s not a presidential election year.

It’s too bad, because the people you are voting for, or rather, not voting for, when you ignore a midterm election at the state level are the ones who will more likely affect your life.

The way your children are educated, the way your taxes are set and spent, the way your highways are built and repaired, in other words, most elements of your daily lives are affected in a big way by those who are running state government.

A lot of people run things in this state ­ we have the biggest state Legislature in the country.

So, that means there’s a lot to know.

It’s not an easy task, studying the candidates and the issues, trying to make the best choices for representatives who will guide the state in the direction each of us would like.

But if you don’t do it, if you don’t read the newspapers and candidate literature, if you don’t think about what those running stand for and how their views might affect you and your family and, most of all, if you don’t vote on Nov. 7, you’ve given up your voice.

So, don’t give it up.

Be part of the big picture that directs all the small ones.

– Editorials published by Neighborhood News Inc. are written by an editorial board.

To the Editor:

Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, global warming, Abramoff and Foley.

Who is holding the current administration accountable for these failures of policy, management and ethics? Not Jeb Bradley. He votes with the Bush administration more than 90 percent of the time. So who is representing us?

We need new leadership in Congress. Carol Shea-Porter is a very bright, independent thinker who will ask the important questions and provide the checks and balances now missing in Washington. She will represent all of us, not just one political party.

Please join me in voting for change and accountability. Our country can do better, and we must. The world is watching, and our future depends on it. Please vote for Carol Shea-Porter on Nov. 7.

Mimi Silverman
Bedford

To the Editor:

Dear fellow voters,

I hope you have had a chance to hear Carol Shea-Porter. She is smart, articulate and her message is clear.

I believe she is just what we need in Congress. I hope you will join me in sending Carol to Washington to represent us, by giving her your vote this coming Tuesday.

Tracey Carrier
Bedford

To the Editor:

My name is Eric Mayo, and I am a senior at Bow High School, working toward sending industrial-size misting fans to U.S. Forces in Iraq.

I need to raise approximately $1,500 to purchase and transport the units from a researched provider titled Cool Draft. Cool Draft has agreed to sell these fans to me at a hugely discounted price, and I am conversing with a woman who devotes the majority of her time toward transporting donations from America to soldiers over seas.

I would greatly appreciate any donation your families can afford, your time and effort in supporting our soldiers will make a difference.

Please contact me at iceguy888@comcast.net, 568-3293 or 224-5998.

Eric Mayo
Bow

To the Editor:

New Hampshire has a wonderful and special sense of place within the United States. This is, in no small part, due to our tax structure and open spaces.

My top priority is to continue this tradition by voting no to any proposed state income tax or state sales tax and working diligently to preserve our open spaces.

My strong aversion to any new taxes has made many of my Republican friends wonder why I am not a Republican.

The simple answer is that I identify myself, first, with issues and priorities and believe that it is not only possible but appropriate for Democrats, Republicans and Independents to share ideals and work together to achieve the best possible conditions for New Hampshire.

One of these conditions is a healthy environment so that now and in the future, we can breathe clean air and drink clean water.

Bedford has a wonderful small town charm and currently enjoys a balance of developed spaces and open spaces, as does the rest of New Hampshire. To make sure that a balance is maintained, undeveloped tracts of land need to be preserved.

One way to do this is through the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP). This program was created to leverage funding by the state so that lands could be preserved forever.

A second condition is that all children in this state should be provided with at least a minimal level of eduction, otherwise known as an “adequate education” as defined by the New Hampshire Supreme Court.

We need to provide the children of our state with a quality education, so they can prosper and help our state thrive in the future.

The third condition needed for New Hampshire to be its best is to provide safety and security for our citizens. For instance, our senior citizens, the people who are our parents and grandparents, usually retire on fixed incomes.

Some may not be able to manage the high cost of living on a fixed income.

I am committed to finding a means, other than new taxes, to provide help in the form of property tax relief. I would propose a plan similar to one that has been successful in other states for many years.

People who are 65 years old or older can have the assessed value of their primary residence reduced by up to 50 percent, depending on their income. Each municipality would determine the income amounts and the percent reduction.

I graduated from law school in 1995 and have been working for the state of New Hampshire since 1996. I have a working knowledge of how to get things done in state government and would like to use that knowledge to represent you in the state House of Representatives. I am also a mother of two and have been married to Don for 19 years.

I would bring a practical and reasonable approach to solving problems in New Hampshire.

We all want New Hampshire to be the best that it can be!

Please vote on Nov. 7. And, when you are walking into McKelvie Middle School, stop by -- I would love to meet you and hear you concerns.

Karla McManus
Bedford

To the Editor:

As a candidate for state representative I am often asked “What is your platform?” “Where do you stand on this certain issue?” ­ questions any candidate expects.

Yet my “platform, my “issues” are not the reason I’m running. Why? Because “state representative” is the title of the position I seek ­ “to represent.”

To represent the people of Bedford regardless of whether you are Independent, Democrat or Republican.

What is of utmost importance to me are the issues you have shared with me during my past three months of campaigning. I will write of those issues.

You are displeased with smoking allowed in restaurants and public places. Many of our children are employed in restaurants and you are concerned with detrimental health effects of second-hand smoke has on your loved ones and yourselves. Therefore, I will support a smoking ban in restaurants and public places.

You are worried about the possibility of additional tax burdens. I will stand strong against a state sales or income tax.

You are concerned of the negative effect additional government involvement may have on your property rights, property values and the quality of life which has made New Hampshire a most highly ranked livable state. I support limited government involvement.

I do not view you as an Independent, Democrat or Republican. You are my neighbors, my friends, my family.

I would be honored to serve you. I’m asking for your vote on Nov. 7. Thank you.

Isabel Partin
Bedford

To the Editor:

Over the past few days there have been allegations that Jeb Bradley has not been a steadfast supporter of the state’s military veterans.

As an Army retiree, and one who is actively involved in veterans affairs within the state, I know that Jeb is a staunch supporter of veterans and their issues.

In all of my many meetings with the congressman, he has never failed to acknowledge this support, and either sponsor or co-sponsor legislation that was aimed at fixing the problem I brought up.

Examples of this dedication are: sponsored an amendment that added $795 million to the VA’s health care budget; worked to ensure the rejection of increased fees for access to veterans health care programs; worked to alleviate the disability tax on military retirees, and is working to correct the remainder of this inequity; was a driving force in forcing the VA to keep the emergency room at the Manchester VA open 24/7; introduced legislation to help combat homelessness among veterans.

This is only a partial list of what Jeb has done for veterans, not only in our state but also across our nation. Finally, a perennial criticism is that our troops were sent into combat with inadequate equipment, with the Humvee being the item most commonly cited.

I was on active duty in the 1980s when this vehicle was brought into the inventory. It was to replace the venerable Jeep and trailer (1940s technology), and was never intended as a combat vehicle.

However, once it became obvious that it was becoming an easy target, Jeb worked hard to ensure that the Army “up-armored” this vehicle to further protect our troops.

I urge all veterans to look at Jeb’s record, and not listen to the rhetoric of his opponents and vote for Jeb on Nov. 7.

John A. Graham
Bedford

To the Editor:

Ready, willing and able stands Isabel Partin as a contender for the position of state representative on the Democratic ticket.

Apart from the usual accolades and witticisms of a dear friend speaking of another, Isabel has qualities, which uniquely qualify her for this position. Born in a small town in Colorado, Ms. Partin was raised by her mother after the early death of her father. It was at this time that Isabel’s dreams flourished among the deluge of constant reading opening up horizons that she was able to experience only vicariously.

As a young resourceful adult and the first member of her family, she acted on those dreams and put herself through college earning a B.A. with a focus in business administration and psychology. Working for 30-plus years in both corporate and government environments, she cleverly learned how to handle situations as evidenced by how she runs her everyday life with family and friends.

Isabel is the matriarch of her larger family unit. She carefully tends to her elderly mother’s needs managing all aspects for her care, trains and broadens her nieces’ horizons every year at her home, and drives down to Florida to meet her nephew returning from Iraq showing support. And to a friend, she is truly dedicated to their betterment and welfare. She does what she states she will do, she prioritizes and does not get caught in the quagmire of her own agenda. She will serve not for the sake of the position but rather for the sake of the people. These are attributes that the community at large needs. Please vote for Isabel.

Margaret Stilwell-Hamel
Bedford

To the Editor:

We strongly support Carol Shea-Porter’s candidacy for Congress. Jeb Bradley, although a decent person, is out of touch with our concerns, most notably the disastrous war in Iraq.

If you saw the televised debate last week, you could see Ms. Shea-Porter’s enthusiasm and grasp of the issues, and that she wants to make a change in Washington.

We as a country need to reassess what we are doing in Iraq and Ms. Shea-Porter will support a change of direction on this issue. She will work in Congress toward changing our relationship within the Middle East in combination with striving to make our country less dependant on oil for energy. Her distaste for politics as usual will help change the Department of Energy and the future of alternative energy for the U.S. and especially for New Hampshire.

Having been raised by Republican parents, her values for economic change and practices are moderate and fair.

We need her fresh ambition in the Congress. Please join us in voting for Carol Shea-Porter to represent New Hampshire in Washington.

Charlotte and Terry Daley
Bedford

To the Editor:

I want to thank in advance my friends and supporters who have helped me in my campaign for state representative from Bedford, and to urge all citizens of Bedford to get out and vote next Tuesday.

While this is an off-year election, the problems facing us do not take the year off, and deserve our attention just as much.

I have been a resident of Bedford for most of the past 25 years and have seen it change from a quiet New England town to a built-out community struggling to preserve some of its rural roots and character.

I am asking for your support and vote on Nov. 7, whether you are Democrat, Republican or Independent, to send me to Concord to work on the solutions to the problems of sprawl, educational funding, health care and human rights so critical to our future in New Hampshire. It will take cooperation from people of all parties to get these issues resolved, people willing to listen and work hard and get beyond party bickering. I promise, if elected, to do exactly that.

I also promise to make the issues facing us part of a public debate, not a private club. I helped organize public forums on stem cell research and on the environment at the Bedford library this year and promise to promote open discussion and increased public information on significant state issues throughout next year as well.

Please consider voting for the best candidates from both sides of the ballot, to send our best representation to Concord.

Bob Jones
Bedford