By now, registered Utah County voters should have received their mail-in ballots. With less than two weeks until Election Day, Nov. 6, this is your chance to research the issues and help shape the future of Utah Valley by voting.

While a midterm election may not have the glitz or prominence of a presidential election, it’s important for voters to weigh in. It’s especially important for Utahns because they’ll be voting for federal offices, local offices and numerous initiatives that include heated issues such as medical marijuana and local funding.

Honoring the Jeffersonian tradition of a well-informed electorate, the Daily Herald has prepared a voter guide at http://www.heraldextra.com/vote. This guide provides unfettered and unfiltered access to candidate information in local races and the candidates’ positions on key issues facing Utah Valley.

As we mentioned earlier, there are a number of initiatives on the ballot. Residents in different areas of the county may see different proposals.

Here’s the Daily Herald Editorial Board’s take on four key local initiatives:

Nebo School District – The district is asking voters to approve a $298 million bond to help fund the construction of three new middle schools and rebuild three aging high schools — Payson, Spanish Fork and Springville. The price tag appears high, but it won’t increase property taxes — the district’s responsible management of prior bonds allows it to add this bond without a tax hike.

It’s important to note that this bond will go toward construction, not teachers’ salaries. It’s utterly distinct from the statewide “Nonbinding Opinion Question No. 1,” which asks if Utah voters are willing to pay a higher gasoline tax to fund teacher pay.

If voters fail to approve the Nebo bond, it may set the district back by more than a decade as it will be forced to cram more students into crowded, aging facilities. This could mean larger classes or adding yet more portable classrooms to the 100 currently in use.

The bond will allow the district to replace high school buildings that have served well but are now around 50 years old and lack key security and technological improvements. The new middle schools will also ensure that junior high students from one school will smoothly transition to high school as a group instead of being sent to separate schools.

The Daily Herald Editorial Board recommends Nebo district residents vote yes on the bond.

Orem’s Proposition 5 – Orem voters will decide on a zoning change that will allow Woodbury Corp. and PEG Development to build a student housing village next to Utah Valley University. Despite claims to the contrary, this proposal affects only the 9.58 acres surrounded on three sides by UVU.

We understand that the project isn’t optimal for some, but the developers have made some changes to accommodate concerns — including routing the development’s traffic through UVU on Campus Drive instead of 400 West.

Voting no on the zoning change won’t necessarily kill the project — UVU has the option to acquire the property and develop the housing, but the city and Alpine School District would lose out on nearly $500,000 of annual property taxes.

The Daily Herald Editorial Board recommends voting for the zoning change and Proposition 5.

Orem Family Fitness Center and Library Hall Bond – The city of Orem is asking voters to approve a $24.5 million bond to improve the city’s fitness center and add a meeting hall to its library.

Both of these facilities are long overdue. The fitness center was built nearly 40 years ago and desperately needs an update to continue serving Orem families. Likewise, the meeting room will allow the library to host events for up to 500 people without cramming people into the children’s library area, which is what happens now.

The city has crafted its proposal so that residents won’t have to pay increased property taxes. It has also saved $8 million for these needed upgrades.

The Daily Herald Editorial Board recommends a yes vote on this bond.

Provo Police, Fire & City Facilities Bond – At this time, it appears the city faces an uphill climb to win voters’ approval on a $69 million bond to rebuild the downtown police and fire stations in addition to City Center offices and Fire Station 2 in north Provo. However, it doesn’t serve the city’s residents to continue kicking the can down the road.

Prior city leaders dragged their feet on making needed improvements and now the city has crumbling, 46-year-old facilities that are woefully inadequate for the police officers and firefighters that we trust to help protect the city.

City officials have a plan to rebuild the facilities on the same downtown block as the current buildings. That will help keep city services centrally located while helping to free up valuable real estate on Center Street when the current facilities are removed.

We encourage Provo voters to vote yes on the facilities bond.

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The Daily Herald Editorial Board has also made endorsements in the following local elections:

U.S. Senate – After the long tenure of retiring U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, Utah voters have two strong candidates from the two major political parties.

Democratic candidate Jenny Wilson has made a laudable effort to connect with voters and has offered thoughtful positions on critical issues.

Republican candidate Mitt Romney will hopefully be able to hit the ground running, given his prior experience as Massachusetts governor and 2012 presidential candidate.

The Daily Herald Editorial Board endorses Mitt Romney for U.S. Senate.

4th Congressional District – In a heated contest, Democratic candidate Ben McAdams has poised a strong challenge to incumbent U.S. Rep. Mia Love, R-Saratoga Springs.

McAdams appears ready to do the hard work required of a member of Congress.

At the same time, Love appears to be an effective representative for her constituents and there isn’t sufficient cause to remove her at this time.

The Daily Herald Editorial Board endorses Mia Love for another term in the U.S. House.

County Commission Seat A – Utah County needs a fresh start after Commissioner Greg Graves leaves the post at the end of the year.

Both candidates for the seat — Republican Tanner Ainge and Teri McCabe of the United Utah Party — appear to have a firm grasp on the issues facing the county. We feel Ainge’s background in finance will help him steer the country through the next four years.

The Daily Herald Editorial Board endorses Tanner Ainge for County Commission Seat A.

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If you’ve got a mail-in ballot, remember to make sure your ballot has a stamp on it before you send it in. It must be postmarked no later than Nov.5, the day before the election.

If you don’t have a stamp handy, you can drop completed ballots off at your city recorder’s office or at the Utah County Elections Office in downtown Provo. On Election Day, you can drop completed ballots off at any election service center in the county (where you should also be able to nab a coveted “I voted” sticker).

If you’re not registered to vote, you have until Tuesday to register either online at http://vote.utah.gov or in person at the county elections office.

After the polls close on election night, be sure to visit the Daily Herald’s website, http://www.heraldextra.com, for live, up-to-the-minute results and breaking election news from around Utah Valley.

This is your shot to help make a difference. We’ll see you at the polls.