There’s an election today, but it’s not a big one. No president, senator or U.S. representatives are on the ballot. Not even a governor or state legislators.

The people’s veto question about same-day voter registration has generated some interest and lots of bombast, but it won’t cause long lines at the polls.

The never-ending casino campaign has been a gold mine for television stations, which have aired nonstop misleading commercials on both sides. My mailbox has been flooded with pamphlets seeking to persuade me that the entire economy of Maine hinges on whether voters approve or reject more gambling. Nonsense.

The commercials and the junk mail are good reasons for mute buttons for the TV and plenty of wastebaskets.

It’s not that the issues are trivial; they’re not. It’s just that the ad campaigns don’t deal with the reality. That means voters who really care have to read and listen with skeptical eyes and ears before deciding what to do.

The lack of big races and vital issues on the ballot doesn’t make this election unimportant or one to skip.

City and town candidates and issues and are on the ballot, and that’s where your vote really can make a difference. I won’t predict winners or losers, but I have no doubt that somewhere in Maine an election will be decided by one or two votes.

I don’t think I have missed an election — city, state or federal — since I turned 21. I usually vote on election day. Occasionally, when I know I’ll be away or can’t go to the polls, I’ve used an absentee ballot. That’s what I did for this election. A medical appointment will make it impossible for me to get to the polls today, so I voted last week.

I seldom reveal how I vote, but I’ll make one exception for this election.

I voted for Susan Campbell for the Augusta school board. My vote probably won’t make a difference. Campbell is unopposed.

I voted for Campbell because she came to my door and talked to me about some of the issues facing our schools.

She was seeking signatures on the petition to get on the ballot. When I was a newspaper editor responsible for news coverage I refused to sign petitions because I thought it was important to be neutral, except on the editorial page. But I’m no longer an editor and nobody thinks a columnist is neutral, so I signed Campbell’s petition. It was a first for me and it felt good — another way to take part in our democracy.

That’s the great thing about local elections. They allow everyone, candidates and voters, to play meaningful roles in self-government. In Maine, that often means we talk to the candidates.

Candidates for local office — school boards, city councils, boards of selectmen — are volunteers. They don’t run or serve for the money. Campbell said she thinks the pay for Augusta school board members is $150 a month, but she wasn’t sure.

I checked; she’s wrong. It’s $200 a month. Campbell spends about 20 hours per month on school business and many more hours with the state school association. The hours increase when the school board is working on budgets or contract negotiations. The $200 probably covers the cost of gas for trips to meetings and schools.

“I’m not a politician and I never will be a politician,” Campbell said. “It’s all about the kids.”

Candidates for other local offices will echo that. They run to help the city or town, to do something worthwhile. It sure isn’t for the pay.

Campbell has been on the Augusta school board for 11 years — since her son was in kindergarten. Now he’s a senior at Cony High School.

Campbell will be school board chair next year. That will get her a $25 a month raise. More importantly, it means she will hand out diplomas, including one for her son, at graduation. She says she’s excited about that.

It also takes time and energy to run for office, to ask for the privilege of working for the community. Campbell went door-to-door seeking 200 signatures on her petition. She figures each signature took about 30 minutes “because everyone wants to stop and chat.”

“That’s great, hearing what people have to say,” she said.

Campbell’s son recently turned 18. She went with him when he registered to vote. Today will be his first election.

“I’m hoping he’ll vote for me,” she said.

If he does, that will mean at least two votes — his and mine — for his mom.

This is not a big election, unless you care about your local government, about men and women like Campbell who run because they want to do something good.

David B. Offer is the retired executive editor of the Kennebec Journal and the Morning Sentinel. Email [email protected].