Star-Telegram Editorial Board's election recommendations

Election Day 2012 has arrived. It's time to complete the long process of electing top government officials, including the president and vice president of the United States for the next four years.

Locally, the race for Texas Senate District 10 has been among the most hotly contested -- and most expensive -- in years.

It has been a long process, through party primaries originally planned for March, delayed by redistricting-related courtroom drama and finally held in May -- with runoffs in July. In the middle came municipal and school elections in May, with runoffs in June. Here and there were some local school district tax elections.

Today marks not only the end of all that -- assuming there are no major last-minute glitches in vote counting or serious election challenges -- but also the pinnacle of the democratic process in the U.S. Voting in elections is both a right and a high privilege.

Turnout through the 12 days of early voting that ended Friday was high in Tarrant County, indicating that voters are anxious to participate. The combined total of mail-in ballots plus in-person early voting hit 419,516, which was 42.8 percent of those registered.

The Star-Telegram Editorial Board studied the most hotly contested races on today's ballot, talked with candidates and published editorials stating the board's recommendations and reasoning. Our readers make up their own minds about how they will vote.

The Editorial Board recommendations are:

President: Mitt Romney

U.S. Senate: Paul Sadler

U.S. Rep. District 6: Joe Barton

U.S. Rep. District 12: Kay Granger

U.S. Rep. District 24: Kenny Marchant

U.S. Rep. District 25: Roger Williams

U.S. Rep. District 26: Michael Burgess

U.S. Rep. District 33: Marc Veasey

Railroad Commission: Christi Craddick

Texas Supreme Court Place 6: Nathan Hecht

Presiding Judge, Ct. of Crim. App.: Keith Hampton

State Bd. of Ed. District 13: Mavis Best Knight

Texas Senate District 9: Kelly Hancock

Texas Senate District 10: Wendy Davis

Texas Senate District 22: Brian Birdwell

State Rep. District 93: Shane Hardin

State Rep. District 95: Nicole Collier

State Rep. District 97: Craig Goldman

State Rep. District 99: Charlie Geren

Tarrant Sheriff: Dee Anderson

Tarrant Commissioner Pct. 3: Gary Fickes

Northwest ISD, Grapevine bonds: For all ballot propositions

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