I'll be the first to admit -- for a long time I've been politically indifferent.

I think politics are messy, stressful, complicated, divisive, and -- frankly -- boring. While I certainly have my own political leanings, I tend to keep them to myself. I've found it's simpler that way.

A politically passionate person may call me uninformed, uneducated, ignorant, a poor member of society, and they may not be wrong.

Which is why I've been feeling more compelled lately to be better informed, a more educated voter and the best American citizen I can be. Our individual votes have always mattered, but it seems that in this current political season especially every single well-informed vote counts. And I hope to do my part.

I did some research (and got some help) finding resources and information on who will be on my ballot on Election Day November 6. Perhaps these will help you, too, at the polls.

First, I'd begin starting at the Minnesota Secretary of State website -- https://www.sos.state.mn.us/. From there, select the Elections & Voting tab in the upper left hand side.

Select View Your Sample Ballot.

In order to best determine what your ballot may look like, you'll be asked to fill in some details about where you live. I live in Monticello.

At this point you'll be shown a list of all the candidates for various offices and positions on the 2018 ballot. These are the people you will be choosing to vote for.

Some of the names will be highlighted. If you click on one, you will be directed to that particular candidate's website where you can read more about him/her and his/her political platform.

Additionally, there's an option to Click Here for Sample Ballot. If you click on the button, a sample of what your ballot may look like at the polling booth will be made available to download or print. This is another great resource for better understanding who you will be choosing to vote for for any particular office.

This has already proven to be a great resource for me in educating myself for the upcoming elections. I hope this can be helpful for you, too. Your vote matters.