Elections are a pretty big deal to us and there are interesting match-ups brewing in Union County.

Nine candidates have filed for a position on the Union County Board Commissioners. At the same time, area voters will also decide on a 10th Judicial Circuit Court seat and a vector levy in May.

Then there are state races, including the race to replace outgoing Sen. Bill Hansell in Senate District 29.

Our coverage of elections is important for obvious reasons but even more important is the task to ensure we present this particular news story accurately.

Elections can be a challenge to cover just because emotions of candidates and voters can run high. Our job, though, is to present as much information as possible that is accurate to work very, very hard to appear value-free.

Readers, I think, need to know as much as possible about a candidate or an issue. In this day and age, it may seem feasible to gather information from other digital sources but the difference between someone simply writing a paragraph on a candidate and then posting it and us is we have a stringent fact-checking system. We don’t simply write whatever about a candidate or an issue. We follow a set of rules whereby facts are checked and we work in a precise and diligent manner to present the facts.

That can be a challenge at times, depending on the amount of time we have to put a story together but we’ll hold a piece if we believe that more needs to be done, or certain facts need to be verified.

It is important to us that readers believe we will move in a methodical way when we are covering any story.

So, stay tuned, so to speak, this month and next as our election coverage increases and we work to make sure you, the reader, have all the information you need to make an informed decision.