Opinion editor's note: Strib Voices publishes a mix of commentary online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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Dan Glessing, a sixth-generation farmer and president of the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation, is a straight-shooter. He represents more than 31,000 members as leader of the state's largest general farm federation.

I met him at his home near Waverly, about an hour's drive west from downtown Minneapolis last Wednesday. My colleague Jill Burcum and I had traveled there to introduce ourselves, discuss agriculture concerns and broach anything short of general election politics. Glessing, who runs a small dairy operation in addition to growing alfalfa, corn and soybeans, was happy to oblige.

As he harvested a cornfield near the end of a two-hour visit, Glessing turned to me as I perched next to him in a combine and said something that I hadn't expected. It broke the boundaries of our politics-free conversation:

"In this election, I hope we're able to identify issues that connect us more than issues that divide us. At the end of the day, we're all people who want the same thing."

I don't know Glessing's politics, but I couldn't agree with him more. Unquestioned loyalty to party or personality marginalizes a voter. He's correct that there are infinitely more issues that connect us all as Minnesotans than the deeply partisan political divides that have made the coming election often seem like a public exercise in hopeless division.

Ever since mid-August, when we announced that the Minnesota Star Tribune would not offer endorsements in the upcoming election cycle, we have heard from many of you. Some have registered disappointment regarding the decision and others have reacted a bit less charitably. We hear you.

While we understand concerns raised about pausing an editorial practice that this institution exercised for generations, we have chosen this course in hopes of lessening partisanship and increasing ways of forging effective public conversation.

We have and will continue to embrace our role to inform and offer perspective. That is our most fundamental role in a healthy and vibrant democracy. Ultimately, we believe it is up to each voter to recognize the enormous stakes at play and to engage accordingly. It's up to each of us to undertake the public service of self-education and to remain sharply focused on what is in our own best political welfare and the welfare of the collective.

We will now begin offering studied analyses in selected congressional races that have been identified because of their competitive nature. Those races have also advanced issues that have overreaching impact far beyond geographical borders.

As stated previously, we've kept a close eye on congressional candidate stances on issues that matter to most Minnesotans and align with our collective welfare.

These issues include but are not limited to candidate stances on the following:

  • The economy and tax policies
  • Health care
  • Agriculture
  • Manufacturing
  • Immigration
  • Reproductive rights
  • Education
  • Criminal justice
  • International relations
  • The environment

In addition to offering our analysis of certain U.S. House races as well as the U.S. Senate race, we will also invite candidates in each of the targeted races to offer their own commentary to appeal directly to voters on our Strib Voices pages. We also will share our thoughts on the presidential contest as we get a bit closer to Election Day.

The stakes of the Nov. 5 election could hardly be more consequential. Every vote counts. The Minnesota Star Tribune will not tell you for whom you should vote, but we do intend to share our thoughts on the candidates who have taken the most deliberate steps to govern best on behalf of Minnesotans.