Daily Herald opinion: As an ugly partisan campaign season ends, we turn to more genteel local contests in 2023

Congratulations, you've made it.

Odds are good your mail delivery will be lighter today without the sheafs of campaign mailers you've been receiving and your nightly TV watching is more enjoyable, now that it's no longer punctuated by displays of some of the most vile and venomous attempts to denigrate one candidate or another.

Take a deep breath as we in the news media do. It's just about over, with notable exceptions, as the last remaining votes are tabulated and canvassed.

We can finally spend our precious resources covering a variety of news stories that have taken a back seat during election season.

Election coverage is one of the most important things a news organization can offer. We provide coverage that introduces you to the candidates, shows you how they differ on key issues and gives them an opportunity to answer what we consider the questions most on voters' minds. Where we can, we offer our opinions on who we feel can more capably serve.

But even jaded journalists tire of the constant barrage of negativity and the seemingly bottomless well of ill will, deceptive practices and shenanigans candidates or their proxies promulgate in an effort to turn potential voters against political rivals.

Whatever happened to standing on your principles, talking about your good ideas and inspiring hope?

Political action committees and dark money drive a lot of the messaging here, but not all of it.

To be fair, not everyone succumbs to dirty politics. There are plenty of excellent candidates who talk about what they have to offer rather than focus on how evil their opponent is.

If only we could find a way to go back to the days when politicians were more genteel in their approach to campaigning.

But you have to go way back for that. Lyndon Johnson in a TV ad that aired only once, suggested that if Barry Goldwater were elected president in 1964 the world would be consumed by a nuclear armageddon, killing all of our children.

There once was a time when only bad candidates resorted to smear campaigning. Now even good candidates tend to get sucked into doing the same.

But negative campaigns have never done much to bring more people to the polls. It seems to disenfranchise as many potential voters as it inspires - often for the wrong reasons.

It only drives the wedge between Americans even deeper.

To those who by default play dirty pool, we encourage you to rethink your position. To those who normally try to avoid it, keep resisting.

At least now we can set our sights on 2023's local election, which tends to be a much more collegial affair.

Of course, there's usually a lot less money and influence at play in such races.

See you then.