(Editorial - Graphic Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

Early in-person voting in West Virginia began Wednesday, and voters will be making important decisions all the way through Primary Election Day May 12.

It is important to do your homework, rather than risk making a choice based on name recognition alone. (That’s what all those out-of-state folks spending unusually large amounts of money on some races are counting on, after all.)

For that reason, West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner is encouraging voters to take advantage of the WVSOS Sample Ballot Lookup Tool. Voters who enter their name, date of birth and home county can get a look at the ballots they’ll be seeing when they head to the polls.

Find it here: https://wv.omniballot.us/sites/54/ballot/app/sb/vr.

You can also, of course, find sample ballots printed in your local newspaper.

“Voters reviewing their specific sample ballot before voting is one of the best ways to prepare for the upcoming election,” Warner said. “The Sample Ballot Lookup Tool is a convenient option available to all registered voters to be informed on Election Day.”

Once you’ve gotten a look at the candidates and issues you’ll be deciding, try to find unbiased reporting (you can find that with us, too) to help you make an informed decision about who will best represent and serve you and your community; and what is the right decision on those other items.

It’s easy to fall into the trap that these are just primaries in a non-presidential year, and therefore not worth the effort. One look at those sample ballots will remind you just how much is at stake, right now.

Don’t let those decisions be made by a tiny percentage of the voting population, and don’t go in unprepared.