From what the polls and common sense tell us, there won’t be very many competitive elections in Northwest Montana nor in the major races across the state when the results are tabulated Tuesday night.

But letters to the editor published in the Daily Inter Lake for the past several months suggest that political passions are just as high as ever, maybe more so, as readers have weighed in on everything from the ambulance levy proposal in Kalispell to the composition of the U.S. Senate next year.

In just the month of October, the Inter Lake published 168 letters to the editor from our readers on election themes. Since the June primary, it would be safe to say that well over 300 letters have been published endorsing candidates or taking them to task, as well as analyzing a variety of ballot initiatives and referendums.

What have we learned?

First of all, that Flathead County residents take very seriously their responsibilities — and their local government. Republican Phil Mitchell and Democrat Stacey Schnebel have made their own pitches for votes, and been the subject of both praise and derision for months. We are especially happy to see a hard-fought campaign for this position, which could influence the future of Flathead County for years to come.

Secondly, the expectation that our state legislators or members of the U.S. Congress can somehow just “get along” and “end gridlock” may be unrealistic. Using letters to the editor as a barometer, our elected officials are fairly representing “We the People” when they stick to their guns and do what they think is right.

It turns out that not everyone agrees what is right, and there is such a wide divide between right and left that it would be unnatural for politicians to suddenly switch sides when they got into office. What voters crave most is integrity. If you are elected as a conservative, then serve as a conservative. If you are elected as a liberal, then serve as a liberal. Don’t try to be all things to all people, or you will very likely be turned out of office in the next election — as a certain county commissioner recently learned.

Most importantly, we hope that our readers listened to their friends and neighbors who took the time to write down what matters to them. If we can’t learn from each other, then how can we possibly expect our elected officials to listen and learn from us?

Finally, we thank our readers for taking their responsibility as citizens seriously. Once again, Northwest Montana provides a shining example for the rest of the country. If you haven’t voted already, then we encourage you to show up at your local polling place on Tuesday and exercise the most important right and privilege you have — to shape our common future with an informed decision.

For complete election coverage before the election, visit http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_elections/ and on Tuesday night visit www.dailyinterlake.com for results.

Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Daily Inter Lake’s editorial board.