In the May 7 Democratic primary election for three Athens City Council at-large seats, we recommend the election of three challengers, Michael McSteen, Michael Bart and Jennifer Cochran. All three will bring thoughtful and fresh perspectives to City Council.

Here's a rundown of all of our endorsements in the Nov. 6 General Election. The original, full versions of these endorsements can be found at www.athensnews.com. Pull down the "Editorial" menu to find "Endorsements."

For the Ohio ballot issue that hardly anyone knows anything about, State Issue 1, we urge a no vote. It's probably enough reason to reject something as important as this if you're unsure of its meaning or consequence. But in this case, there are good reasons to say no.

We support the election of Marie Hoover, a Portsmouth Democrat, to the Fourth District Court of Appeals. This district includes Athens and 13 other southeast Ohio counties.

In the three races for the Ohio Supreme Court, we urge Athens County voters to lend support to the three Democrats running for election on the overwhelmingly Republican court.

We strongly recommend that Athens City School District voters vote yes on Issue 20, an emergency operating levy renewal that provides essential funding for school district operations and staff.

We support Democrat Pat Lang's election to the 15^th Congressional District, a convoluted and far-flung district that includes Athens County. Lang, the city of Athens law director, echoes many of the policy positions of our president, which is just fine with us.

The Athens NEWS supports Democrat Chris Chmiel in his campaign for Athens County commissioner. The seat is now held by Mark Sullivan, whom Chmiel defeated in the Democratic primary in March.

We believe it's imperative for President Barack Obama to be re-elected, and here's three compelling reasons why:

We support Steve Kane in the election for Athens County Sheriff, though our endorsement decision wasn't easy. While we are impressed with aspects of incumbent Sheriff Pat Kelly's performance during his first term in office, we feel he's a polarizing figure who plays fast and loose with ethical standards.