Early voting has begun in Ohio, and the most important thing a voter can do before filling out a ballot is to become educated on the candidates and issues that will be decided.

No, this isn’t a matter of being certain you understand which letter comes after a person’s name to determine whether they are an “us” or a “them.” In fact, that is the least important thing to consider while voting.

Rather, this is a matter of learning enough about a candidate to determine whether that person will be a responsible, accountable and faithful representative of their constituents, and will remember they are elected to SERVE. When it comes to ballot issues, the most important thing is to understand what voters are deciding.

Ballot language is supposed to be clear, but it is not always easy to understand or thorough.

Washington County voters will see two county-wide replacement levies and one renewal. One replacement tax levy will support the Washington County Board of Developmental Disabilities. It will “provide tax value on the current valuations of the property taxes,” according to Washington County Commissioner Charlies Schilling.

The other replacement levy would benefit senior citizen services and facilities in the county. Again, this “brings the values up to the current valuation and that provides more resources fot the entity,” according to Schilling.

A renewal levy on the ballot for the public library will maintain the same millage, rates and amount it has been collecting already.

Learn all you can. Most recent editions of the newspaper include several stories to help educate voters, but you can also view copies of the ballot at https://lookup.boe.ohio.gov/vtrapp/washington/ballotlist.aspx.

These local issues are, in many ways, more important to your everyday lives than the decisions made during most presidential election years. Get out and vote — just don’t do it with nothing more to go on than your gut and a whim.