The Gadfly is a series of letters offering commentary on local issues and published in the Warrensburg Gazette.

We are less than 6 weeks away from a very important election. We vote for President, U.S. Senate, most statewide offices, the state legislature and many county offices. Contrary to usual practice, many of the incumbents in county races are contested. In addition, more races than ever by parties beside the Democrats and the Republicans, with both the Libertarian and Constitution parties fielding candidates for President and all state-wide offices; the Green Party and Ralph Nader will not be on our ballots.

Both the Libertarian Party and the Constitution Party do much of their campaignng via the internet. Both could be considered economically conservative since both take issue with intrusive government, excessive government spending, subsidies and interventionist foreign policy. The Constitution Party explicitly bases its philosophy on Christian principles, so its positions on issues like abortion and censorship differ from the Libertarian Party's.

If you’re an absolute loyalist for one of the four parties represented on the ballot (Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians or Constitution), all you need to do is fill in the oval for that party's "straight ticket" at the top of the ballot. Your vote for each of that party's candidates will be recorded and you don't need to fill in the little ovals for any of their candidates. Easy.

Let’s suppose you’re a straight ticket voter, but you think one of the unopposed candidates of another party is doing a good job and is worth voting for. Just select “straight ticket” at the top, but select the specific candidate of the other party. You don't have to fill in the ovals for any of your party’s candidates because your "straight ticket" vote already votes for them. Still easy.

Now, suppose you identify with one party but don’t like their candidate in a contested race. You can still select a "straight ticket", but select a different candidate in any race (opposed or unopposed). You’ll only abandon your party for the specific races you select. If you are upset with both of the major parties or support the Libertarians or another "third party," you can use this same philosophy to express your opinion of the major parties. Just vote a "straight ticket" for the "third party" while still voting for individual candidates in races where your party has no candidate.

In any case, learn the issues and candidates before you go to the polls and cast an informed ballot.