Last year, North Carolina voters set record high turnout in the midst of a historic contest for the White House. But a year later, voting booths could be sadly silent in Chapel Hill and other cities across the state on Nov. 3 if pivotal local elections are overlooked by the same voters who flocked to the polls last fall.

It doesn't have to be that way.

Research by the N.C. Center for Voter Education shows that the No. 1 reason why voters don't go to the polls is because they don't know enough about the candidates.

Fortunately, voters can find the facts they need to cast a confident ballot by visiting NCVoterGuide.org, an online voter guide created in a partnership between the N.C. Center for Voter Education and UNC-TV. The guide features candidate profiles, along with resources on voting in this year's Durham election.

Local elections may not have the flashy ads and celebrity endorsements of presidential contests, but they do deal with such vital issues as the water we drink, the neighborhoods we live in and the schools our children attend.

In fact, our votes will never carry as much weight as they do in local elections.

Bryan Warner

N.C. Center for Voter Education