Almost everyone is frustrated because they want one party to finally achieve a decisive win and pull the country out of a polarization vortex — but it never happens.

Besides casting votes in the flashier congressional races, Catholic voters will get to speak up on any number of local and regional concerns through local ballot measures.

The editors have put together this guide to some of the most important issues facing voters this fall, with a focus on how Catholics can make choices that respect life and consider the common good.

I have covered this growing pessimism about our political system in previous columns, but the evidence keeps coming.

Americans across the political spectrum can agree that both parties have dumbed down democracy, but only the Republican Party is rapidly moving toward the idea of simply refusing to accept election losses.

As a large voting bloc that is “split down the middle,” Catholics have an outsized role in determining this year’s election results. Will they focus on abortion, the economy or some other political issue?