Voters benefited from large number of candidates

We congratulate all the winners from Tuesday's Primary election, but we would also like to extend a thank you to all of the candidates, win or lose.

Their candidacies accomplished several important things for their communities, chief among them giving residents options. In picking their candidates, voters chose what they believed was the best course for the future of their communities.

In Carson City, the presence of so many candidates is likely a big reason that voter turnout was far greater here than most of the rest of the state. The candidates cared enough about the problems of their community to enter the races, and voters seemed to reciprocate.

But it's also a good thing that the sheer quantity of those candidates (there were six mayoral candidates alone) likely split the vote to such a degree that no one candidate got 50 percent of the vote, which would have put him in office.

Why is that important?

Because it ensures the debate will go on, that candidates will have to continue to address the urgent issues facing the city. And, in Carson City, those issues became even more pronounced the day after the primary when anther major retailer announced it was pulling out of the city.

Challenging times? Yes. But the same level of concern for the community that led so many people to run for office in the Primary is also a good reason to believe that we can solve them.

This editorial represents the view of the Nevada Appeal Editorial Board.