This year’s presidential election may either go down in history as the lowest of the lows or it may simply start a precedent for years to come.

The campaign has been filled with name-calling, mudslinging and downright bitterness between the two major party candidates and their respective supporters.

In many cases, voters have long made up their minds about which candidate to choose. Simply understanding which letter — R or D — is beside a candidate’s name on the ballot is often the determining factor for many voters.

A few others will decide based on the issues and the candidates’ individual stances on those issues.

But for any potential undecided voters looking for guidance from other, more local elected officials, the likelihood of getting a straight answer is pretty iffy.

A handful of area elected officials clearly and unequivocally declared support for either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.

Most, unfortunately, simply dodge the issue apparently out of fear of how taking a stance on the most important issue facing our country will affect their own likelihood of being re-elected.

If we wonder why we wound up with two, less-than-stellar options for president, we should look no further than our own local elections.

America no longer elects our best and brightest. We no longer put brave people with strong leadership skills and courage in office.

The reason is simple — they do not run for office.

Until we solve that problem as a country, our collective disappointment in our national leaders will continue to linger.