Voter burnout has set in. Besieged by endless news stories, analysis and polling, debating, fighting and a slew of advertising from all sources, many voters have reached the end of their tolerance for all things political.

We hope that fatigue doesn't lead to non-participation today. There are many reasons to take that final step and vote; and no good reasons to stay home ignore the polling places despite the frustration with this drawn out election season.

Voting is our responsibility; it's the public commitment to good government. When people take the time to vote they take the time to pay attention to what their elected representatives are doing. Once we vote, we have some expectations we will see results, and we should.

In South Dakota, there are several issues the state will be dealing with when the Legislature convenes for its 40-day session on Jan. 13.

Whoever we put in office today will be facing some of the most difficult situations the state has faced in years. A responsible state government will balance the budget (which is required, of course) with a thoughtful mix of cutting programs and expenditures and limiting tax increases.

Education funding will continue to be an issue; the state's highway department is looking for funding and the federal government is tightening the purse strings meaning less for the state.

And the ballot issues facing the state could change the political, and financial, landscape of the state for years to come.

Managing that will take the right people, and today we'll decide who those folks are.

Secretary of State Chris Nelson expects voter turnout to be between 75 percent and 78 percent of the state's 529,000-plus voters.

That's good to hear. Everyone should be deciding on the statewide elections, the higher the turnout, the better. Some folks, we know, figure why bother voting? Does one vote really make a difference? It wasn't long ago Tim Johnson and John Thune found out that a few votes really can make a difference. And there have been elections decided by even slimmer margins.

But the real difference a high voter turnout makes is in the message it sends.

We'll bother voting today so the candidates who are sent to Washington and Pierre know we care about the issues and the future of the state. We'll bother voting today so we have an investment in the next president, city council and South Dakota Legislature.