It’s Election Day.

It has been an unprecedented election season in many ways, especially as all eyes remain on the presidential contest between former President Donald Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris. If you haven’t voted yet, you have time: polling locations stay open until 7:30 p.m. today.

Read more about how to vote here.

The past several months, Dayton Daily News editors and reporters have been gathering information, talking with election officials and local candidates, and digging into local issues to provide you with the most comprehensive voter information in the Miami Valley. This is a key part of our mission: To serve our community with the information they need to make informed decisions at the polls, and to educate the public about why exercising their right to vote is so important.

As the editor of the Dayton Daily News, here’s my commitment to you on our coverage for Election Day and beyond:

• We advocate for participation and education. We encourage everyone to participate in democracy. That means we’ll provide information about local candidates and issues, how to register to vote and where to find your polling place. Democracy works best when everyone’s voice is heard.

• We focus on issues and impact, not the horse race. We aren’t reporting on how candidates trade punches. We focus on the facts at hand, the potential outcomes of a vote, and the impact it will have locally. Our reporters focus on where candidates stand on the issues, as well as their goals and principles.

• We need you to be involved. Telling you about candidates and issues isn’t enough — we want to know how the outcomes of elections impact you. The Dayton Daily News is committed to cultivating ongoing discussion around the impact of election results, but that requires your participation. We don’t accept contributed columns that endorse particular candidates — but we do invite you to submit your ideas on the problems facing your community and how you’d advocate for change. This is something we’re committed to year-round, not just during an election cycle.

You can reach me any time about our coverage at Ashley.Bethard@coxinc.com.

The newsletter should take about 4 minutes, 40 seconds to read.

What to know about the election

Here are all the things you need to know about election day.

• Voter guide: Our Voter Guide is a valuable way to learn about the candidates on your ballot. The Voter Guide contains the candidates’ answers to a handful of core questions, entirely in their own words. Not all candidates responded to our questionnaire.

• Our coverage: Our reporters have written deeper analytical stories, hitting more detailed issues in each race, and those have published on the elections section of our website.

• How to vote: Polling locations will stay open until 7:30 p.m. today. Voters can confirm their polling locations at VoterLookup.OhioSoS.gov.

• Photo ID rules: Voters wanting to cast a ballot in-person on Election Day should make sure they bring a valid photo ID.

Key races and issues

• President: Think of all the ways the federal government intersects with your life: Taxes, healthcare, social safety net programs, military spending (which fuels the local economy). The list goes on. The next resident of the White House will influence all of that.

• U.S. Senate race: Beyond specific stances of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and Bernie Moreno themselves, the race is one of several that will decide which party controls the evenly divided U.S. Senate, which has broad implications for presidential appointments and national policy.

• Congress: These races will help decide control of the U.S. House, which has major implications for government tax and spending priorities — the federal budget process starts in the House — economic policy and much more.

• Ohio Supreme Court: Political control of the Ohio Supreme Court, which has the final authority over the Ohio Constitution and its amendments, is at stake with three of the court’s seven seats up for grabs.

• Ohio Statehouse: There are 14 Ohio House races and three Ohio Senate races that will be decided by Miami Valley voters. All Statehouse races are significant for their communities. Lawmakers wield significant power in Columbus, setting policy impacting your property and income taxes, bringing state dollars for local projects, and legislating on issues such as gun safety, criminal justice and education.

• Issue 1: Ohio’s proposed constitutional amendment known as Issue 1 has drawn national attention and significant out-of-state money because, if passed, it could make ripples that help shape the political landscape of Congress as well as the Ohio legislature.

• County level offices: Montgomery County voters will decide on several contested top county leadership positions — two of the three county commissioners, the treasurer, recorder and clerk of courts, plus one judge.

• Local tax levies: Of the dozens of levies on the ballot, two county-level tax levies and two school district tax levies stand out:

— Five Rivers MetroParks and the Dayton Metro Library are each seeking comparatively small tax increases from Montgomery County voters.

— Beavercreek is asking voters to approve a 4.9-mill, 37-year tax to build a $260 million high school complex.

What else to know today

• One big takeaway: Customers call Frisch’s Big Boy closures “a loss to the community.” What has been a southwest Ohio tradition for at least 77 years is now in some jeopardy.

• Big move of the day: Development firm Oberer has been approved to build more than 100 homes on North Alpha Bellbrook Road in Beavercreek.

• Tip of the day: Downtown Miamisburg has welcomed three new establishments to the city for people to eat, drink and hang out with friends and family.

• Quote of the day: “I had no intention of falling in love, but that’s what happened ... As we went through different challenges, and I got to understand a lot of the trauma that they’ve been through, I decided that their journey stops with me.” — Carla Dameron on her adoption of three children.

• Stat of the day: In fiscal year 2024, the Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center served just shy of 46,000 veterans, an increase of 3.1% from the previous fiscal year.

• Things to do: Here are 35 events to check out this month (and get you ready for the holidays).

• Photo of the day: The NCCJ Halloween Costume 5K Walk/Run happened at Eastwood MetroPark in Dayton on Saturday. Attendees ran or walked to support the National Conference for Community Justice of Greater Dayton, a local nonprofit dedicated to advancing justice, diversity and inclusion in the community. Check out the photo gallery by Tom Gilliam.