The Pantagraph Editorial Board takes its role as a community leader seriously, particularly when it comes to endorsements in political races.

The endorsements you will be reading between now and the Nov. 4 election are based on research into issues and records as well as face-to-face meetings with the candidates (except those running for president).

The endorsements will start this Sunday with the contested races for McLean County Board.

For those who say, "You have no business telling us what to do," we agree. The editorials are not intended to tell you how to vote. Rather, they are one more tool, one more bit of information, to help you reach your own decision as a knowledgeable voter.

The news and opinion pages of The Pantagraph are full of information you can evaluate, weigh and use. That includes comments from our columnists and the words of our readers in letters to the editor.

This is a good time to remind you that all election-related letters to the editor must be received by 5 p.m. Oct. 24.

We will also be devoting space in the Oct. 26 Pantagraph to present an in-depth look at the presidential races.

That day we will forego most of our regular opinion features to bring you material on where John McCain and Barack Obama stand on major issues and how they voted on key bills. There also will be information about third-party candidates.

Oct. 26 is also the day we will present the Editorial Board's endorsement in the presidential race.

Yes, the editorials are meant to be persuasive, but they are also intended to be informative. We don't want to tell you how to think, but, rather encourage you to think for yourselves.

That's true whether you are reading an editorial, listening to a pundit or looking at an e-mail forwarded across the country.