Happy Wednesday! Megan here.

You guys. Nearly HALF of registered voters in Sioux Falls turned out to vote in yesterday's election.

• It's a big deal – especially compared to the 24% turnout in the June Primary – but it also leaves tons of room for more people to participate in our local democracy.

My big takeaway from last night: Sioux Falls is showing up for the people we want to represent us, regardless of party affiliation. AND there's room to do more.

Part of the solution is accessible information about the candidates. Voters need to know who's running, what they stand for, how they respond to tough questions and whether they even answer when we call.

That's where Sioux Falls Simplified comes in.

We covered the state legislative races better than any news outlet in the state, sitting down face-to-face with candidates, asking specific policy questions and providing you, you lovely voters, with resources to help you make the best decisions to move our community forward.

And I think the turnout (and how close SEVERAL races were last night) shows how important it is that we all do our part to turn out and vote – not just for the sake of voting, but to vote with the knowledge of what we stand for and who we want representing us.

That doesn't happen without reliable, independent local news.

It just doesn't.

You can rely on candidates' social media pages, or AI summaries of their policy positions, but it just doesn't hit the same as some good ol' fashioned journalism.

Our community needs people who can sit down, have a conversation, ask tough questions and hold our elected leaders accountable.

Sioux Falls Simplified is doing just that, and we need your help to keep it going.

By becoming a paid member, you're buying in to a smarter Sioux Falls – a Sioux Falls that SHOWS UP when it's time to vote, and one that shows up knowing what they're voting for.

You're saying that you want an independent, trustworthy, LOCAL watchdog to make sure these people we just elected make good on the promises they made on their campaign.

So, let's celebrate the wins last night. But let's not take our foot off the gas.

Our local democracy is working – let's make sure it stays that way.

(And, hey, if you're more of a one-time gift person instead of a recurring subscription person, I gotchu)

(And yeah, I'm gonna brag a lil bit. I worked very, very hard on this coverage, and it absolutely rocks to see people find it, love it and use it to vote).

Ok, time to go nap – 3 hours of sleep is not enough. Love you, byeeeeeeeeee.