Editorial: Candidates, voters start your engines!

Wednesday, May 6, 1998 | 11:15 a.m.

Candidates began filing Monday for the 1998 elections. All of the statewide posts are up for grabs, including the governor's office; there is a U.S. Senate race and both U.S. House seats are being contested. Also, there are races in the state Senate and Assembly, as well as judicial contests and a slew of local races and ballot initiatives.

The candidates' advertising blitzkrieg will soon be put into overdrive, inundating voters with television ads, billboards and mailings. But voters also have a responsibility to demand more than just the candidates' spin, they should seek honest answers to tough questions. If voters don't challenge the politicians to respond with common sense solutions to difficult problems, candidates will keep hiding behind slick television spots and glossy campaign literature.

Voters also need to be wary of candidates who say they're not politicians (it's usually the first sign that in fact they are). For those who say it won't be business as usual if they get elected, check out who is donating to their campaigns. In some ways, heed these pronouncements the same way someone tries to sell you a product -- if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

While candidates always will tend to overstate the ease with which their policies will make the world better, that is not half as bad as when the public doesn't even bother to listen to what the candidates are saying. In today's political world, even if a candidate falls in the forest, he might not make a sound because there might not be any voters around to hear him. Although negative campaigns sometimes can turn the stomach of even a veteran political reporter, there is no excuse for voter apathy.

And don't just decide to go with the first candidate you hear about. Look at all your options; your vote should be exercised with at least the same care you show when buying a new television or microwave oven. After all, once a politician is elected, it's not like buying defective merchandise that can be returned to a retail store for your money back. With some of these politicians, you may be stuck with your choice for two, four, even six years.

So as the 1998 elections unfold, make a resolution to get registered, if you're not already, and pay close attention to what the politicians are saying -- and not saying -- about issues you believe are important.