Wouldn’t it be swell if you could forget about all those complicated issues of the day, ignore the campaigns of this candidate or that one, and just remain steadfastly unconcerned and uninformed about any upcoming election or about what direction would be best for your ballot to be cast?

Wouldn’t that be swell?

Well, we say, “Absolutely not.”

Sure, it’s a well-worn cliche, but participating in elections is the cornerstone of any well-functioning democratic society and seems a small price to pay for the many freedoms that we enjoy here in the San Juans and across the nation.

While there may be plenty of room for improvement, we ignore taking part in elections, local and beyond, at our own peril.

On that note, we encourage islanders to become informed about the OPALCO election on the horizon.

For this 2015 election, there are four candidates running for two open positions in OPALCO’s District 2 (Orcas, Armitage, Blakely, Obstruction, Big Double, Little Double and Fawn Islands).

The 2015 candidates are: Winnie Adams (incumbent), Randy J. Cornelius, Ed Sutton and Chris Thomerson (incumbent). Candidate bios are sent by mail to each co-op member with their ballot, and are available online at www.opalco.com.

Ballots and a voting guide will be mailed the week of April 8 and the annual report will be posted online.  Co-op members can vote one of three ways: online, by mail or in person at the annual meeting. Also on April 9 there is an OPALCO Board Candidates Forum from 7 – 9 p.m., Orcas Library, which is opportunity for members-owners to ask questions and help shape OPALCO’s direction about rate increases, broadband policy and more. Remember, the future role of each position will be, in large part, up to you.