I hope you’ll take a minute to read Ian Campbell’s letter to the editor today about how significant it was to him to cast his ballot in the general election.

In a perfect world we would all share the commitment he shows to the democratic process. Thanks, Ian, for reminding us why we vote and why every vote counts.

We, in Washington, are near the end of voting for our next governor. We, as a nation, are near the end of voting for our next president.

I am torn this year, especially in the governor’s race.  That’s a reflection of the independent nature of my politics.

Maybe it was John Spellman and maybe it was Dan Evans when I last voted for a Republican for governor. There was a reason. They seemed to offer that nonpartisan take on our political world. They didn’t seem so far to the right. They seemed like they could work across the aisle.

Maybe Rob McKenna fits that mold. I covered him as a candidate and then as an elected member of the King County Council for years, but not so much since he was elected attorney general. I’ve been impressed with his honesty and his intellect.

And, on the other hand, is Jay Inslee, who came home from his years as a congressman in Washington, D.C., to run for governor.  He’s a Democrat, of course, so in my view that gives him a head start. But it seemed like the Democratic establishment just welcomed him without question. My concern is that the hyper-partisanship of the “other Washington” has rubbed off on him.

In the end, I’ll probably go with Inslee. Progress is being made to shore up and to reform our state’s educational system. I want those with a Democratic mindset to keep leading those efforts.

I think McKenna could do that, too. But, frankly, I am not comfortable at all with some of the Republican legislative candidates, especially the novice ones, who are set to come to Olympia in full partisan regalia. I am just afraid that he could get pulled too far to the right if Republicans make deeper inroads in the legislature.

Other statewide races aren’t so hard:

I’ll vote against charter schools.

I’ll vote for the legalization of marijuana.

I’ll vote for Referendum 74. Marriage is the union of two people. It’s that simple.

I’ll vote for Reagan Dunn for attorney general. He’s a Republican, but I think he’ll bring a keen legal mind to the job and he’ll also understand that being attorney general is also about politics.

Nationally,  I’ll vote for Barack Obama for president, of course.

There aren’t many local names on the ballot this time around. But what happens in Olympia and Washington, D.C., really does affect what happens here at home.

And, like Ian Campbell, I’ll fill in those ovals with a deep sense of responsibility. And, it doesn’t matter that I am an older person, Ian. Your vote counts the same as mine.