We take our responsibility of writing political endorsements seriously.

When we feel strongly about a candidate, either way, we aren’t afraid to say so.

But when we can’t decide on a candidate, because both are so qualified, we hate to pick one just for the sake of picking one. We know our choices can influence elections: Some vote as we suggest; others vote the opposite way, maybe even because we suggested it.

In races that are that close, we want the voters to decide, without our interference. Such is the case Nov. 7 in a Marysville School Board race with incumbent Chris Nation running against challenger Ray Sheldon.

Nation, without a doubt, is one of the most-effective members of the school board. He asks more and better questions than anyone on the board – whether they are directed at Superintendent Becky Berg, one of her department heads or any of the other administrators, even putting some principals on the hot seat at times. The best decisions are not made in a shell. As great as Berg and her staff is, they still need to be questioned to make sure all options are considered. That’s the only way the best decisions are made. Why have a school board if they just rubber stamp everything? Nation leads the team in this area.

But one thing the five-member board lacks is diversity. Sheldon would give them that. He wants to give Native Americans a voice on the board. That is very important and cannot be understated. We have a great number of Native American students in the district, and they deserve a place at the table. The board can try as hard as it wants to understand the life of those kids. But we’ve learned unless you live it, you can’t totally understand.

Don Hatch was on the school board for many years and might still be today if he wasn’t advised to resign for medical reasons. His viewpoint is sorely missed on the board. He is advising Sheldon on the campaign.

We wish Sheldon would have filed for a different post that may have made a decision much easier. But he didn’t. Try as we might, we just can’t pick a winner.