Election Day is almost here and, we suspect, few people are more happy than the candidates themselves.

While voters might be getting a little tired of being bombarded with TV ads and robo-calls, think about how the candidates must be feeling by now.

We want to take this opportunity to thank all of those who made the commitment to run for office - particularly in local government races.

By tossing their hats in the ring, they invested a lot of time in running for the race at the risk of ridicule. Most of the challengers attended meetings, went door to door seeking votes and devoted hours to learning about the offices they sought.

The experience can teach them a lot about the issues and about their neighbors - good things, we trust.

Even when they don't win their initial races, the campaign puts them on the radar screen of voters and government officials. This sometimes leads to appointive positions on commissions or advisory boards. This puts their desire for public service to good use and often gives them the seasoning and experience they need to be better candidates the next time around.

Recognizing the hard work involved in campaigning - and the difficulty unseating an incumbent - it's still disheartening to see so many seats uncontested.

In McLean County, 6 of 11 board seats at stake in this election were uncontested, as were the offices of auditor, coroner, county clerk, recorder and state's attorney. The circuit clerk's race might have been uncontested, too, if the longtime incumbent hadn't decided not to seek re-election.

The story is similar in Woodford, Ford and Logan counties with no contested races for countywide posts.

Even in situations where the incumbent is doing a good job, a contested race can be valuable for triggering a closer examination of issues and encouraging incumbents to get out and meet with people.

What is it that discourages people from running?

The time commitment is difficult to overcome. And even local elections can be expensive - yard signs and brochures don't come cheap.

If more offices were non-partisan, that could encourage more participation from people who don't want to be labeled as being from one party or the other.

We encourage more people to consider getting involved in government.

And if you see a candidate on the street before or after the election - even one you didn't support - thank them for taking part.