The filing period is over and we now know who to expect on the ballots this fall.

Nothing else will be predictable about this election year, it seems.

Three primary races are underway, none of which seem as if it will be boring.

The three candidates running for Mower County Attorney currently work together. Candidates for 4th District County Commissioner and Mower County Sheriff have already voiced strong opinion about how they think the county's services could be improved.

It might be easy to get lost in the drama of it all.

But now is the time to start researching all candidates running for office. Find out what they stand for, what they want to accomplish and what they do not think is very important.

Many candidates will choose to go door to door to get their message out. Instead of politely accepting their brochures and closing the door, ask them what they think of the issues that concern you.

Find out if any of the candidates have Web sites, read the newspapers, watch the news and learn as much as possible about the candidates for whom you decide to vote.

Voting is a good thing to do. But being an informed voter is even better. A little research will give voters the peace of mind that they know as much background as possible about a candidate before filling in their ballots.

That way there will be little surprises -- as long as the candidate doesn't change his or her mind.