The race that proves who will be the next President of the United States of America is a hot mess.  This is not news.  You may be feeling frustrated, dumbfounded, or even doomed, and I will enlighten you to know that you are not alone in these emotional responses.  America gets it.  But here is some hope: the president doesn’t have as much power as you think he or she does.  If you really care about the state of our country, the local elections are where your vote will matter most.  

Governor & Lieutenant Governor:

Eric Holcomb (Republican) – http://holcombforindiana.com

He is the current Lieutenant Governor of Indiana, the former State GOP Chair, and former Congressional Aide. He is also a Navy veteran.  His running mate, Suzanne Crouch, is the current State Auditor and an former State Rep. and former Vanderburgh County Commissioner. Holcomb’s platform consists of main points over economy, community, government, and education.   

John Gregg (Democrat) – http://www.greggforgovernor.com

He is an attorney, the former State House Speaker, and the former Vincennes University President.  His running mate, Christina Hale, is a State Representative and an former Kiwanis International Executive. Gregg’s platform focuses on improving schools, insuring equality and access, improving infrastructure, and fighting for veterans.

Rex Bell (Libertarian) – http://electrexbell.com

Rex Bell is a Libertarian candidate for Governor of Indiana in the 2016 elections. He was also a 2014 Libertarian candidate for District 27 of the Indiana State Senate. He ran unsuccessfully for the 6th Congressional District of Indiana in 2012.  He is also a carpenter. Karl Tatgenhorst, his running mate, is an IT Director and Army Veteran.  In his campaign, he focuses on fighting the war on drugs, supporting religious freedom, and the creation of jobs.

Adam Adkins (Write-In) – https://adkinsforgovernor.wordpress.com

He served in the US Army, founded DSI Construction Services, and coaches youth basketball teams.  His running mate is yet to be named.  His platform focuses on campaign reform and setting spending caps on elections, civil rights reform, and hemp and cannabis reform

Christopher Stried (Write-In)

Christopher is currently a junior at Purdue University running for Governor.  He is double majoring in Communications and Political Science.  You can find him on twitter @fullstriedahead.  His running mate is yet to be named.

United States Senator:

Evan Bayh (Democrat) – http://evanbayhforindiana.com

Bayh is a former governor and U.S. Senator.  He plans to bring “Hoosier common sense, fiscal responsibility, and principled compromise to Washington.” During his time as Governor, he balanced the budget each year and amassed the biggest budget surplus in Indiana history.  He was the one to sign the 21st Century Scholars Act, giving 70,000 young students full tuition scholarships to Indiana public universities.

Lucy Brenton (Libertarian) – www.lucyforsenate.com

Brenton is the current secretary of the Hamilton County Libertarian Party.  According to her campaign site, “In 1995 Lucy ran for City County Council of Indianapolis and received the largest percentage of votes for a Libertarian candidate at that time.” Pertaining to abortion, she believes government should not be involved in what is ultimately a medical decision controlled by the woman in whose body the baby is growing.  She stands strong in her work to reduce and eliminate the obstacles that prevent small businesses from creating jobs in this country so that more jobs are available to the people who want them.

Todd Young (Republican) – https://toddyoung.org

Described as “A marine unafraid to stand for conservative principles,” Young is Indiana grown founded in the belief that “if you work hard and dream big, anything is possible.” According to his campaign website, “Todd’s desire to run for office was prompted by the devastating passage of President Obama’s stimulus in 2009 and health care plan in 2010, coupled with President Obama’s weak leadership on the world stage.”

Attorney General:

Lorenzo Arredondo (Democrat) – http://www.arredondo2016.com

Arredondo came from an immigrant family. His father was killed by a train when he was 13, forcing him to work three jobs to raise money for school. After graduating from Indiana University, he taught every grade from K – 12.  He held the position of Lake County Circuit Court Judge from 1976-2010.

Curtis T. Hill, Jr. (Republican) – http://www.curtishillforindiana.com

He currently serves as Prosecuting Attorney for Elkhart County, Indiana. He believes in the hope that is grounded in the American justice system. Hill earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from the Indiana University School of Business in Bloomington and went on to receive his Doctorate of Jurisprudence from the Indiana University School of Law.

Superintendent of Public Instruction:

Glenda Ritz (Democrat) – http://glendaritz.com

Ritz currently holds the position and was elected in 2013.  She previously held the position of Library Media Specialist at Crooked Creek Elementary School in Indianapolis.  She decided to run for the office when a third grade student walked into the library, and she asked her if she would like to check out a book. The child replied, “Mrs. Ritz, I don’t need to check out a book, because I just passed my iRead3 test.” This response spawned the question: “What are we doing to these kids? They think the only purpose of reading is to pass a test.” She has since created a grassroots outreach program at the Department of Education to work with every school principal in Indiana. As a result, we have transformed 193 schools from low-performing to high-performing, affecting over 108,000 students.

Jennifer McCormick (Republican) – http://www.jennifermccormick.org

She is currently the superintendent of Yorktown Community Schools.  She established leadership and vision within the Indiana Department of Education.  Her goals are to “restore a partnership between the Indiana Department of Education and stakeholders with an emphasis on communication and team-work, provide districts with quality tools to enhance instruction and support teachers, develop a credible statewide assessment system, and put students before politics.”

United States Representative:

To find your Representative, go to http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and type in your ZIP code.  

Carroll County and surrounding counties are included in the 4th Congressional district.  The current representative is Todd Rokita.

Todd Rokita (Republican) –

He identifies with the Republican party, and is the GOP incumbent candidate for the 4th district again.  Rokita withdrew from the race on July 15, 2016, in order to run for Governor of Indiana, but upon not being chosen, he once again sought re-election.

John Dale (Democrat) – http://www.johndale4congress.com

Dale has been a teacher at Western Boone High School for 25 years.  He is a long time member of the ISTA and the NRA.  His campaign promises to help students and graduates manage student loan debt, create fixed-interest rates for college loans, and guarantee that all children have access to quality education.

Steven Mayoras (Independent) – http://www.mayorasforcongress.com

Mayoras grew up in Carmel, IN and graduated from Purdue University.  He is a small business owner, which is where he was inspired to run for office, because he personally felt the negative effect of government on small businesses.  Mayoras will work hard to return Congress to the function of representing individual rights equally and protecting the U.S. Constitution.

For more information on the candidates, please use the links above to find their campaign website. As a voting citizen within this great democracy, it is exponentially important to maintain an educated vote.