Tuesday’s here, Daily readers, and you know what that means:

It’s time to vote.

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a thousand times: Get off your butts and get out the vote.

“But who do we vote for?” you ask.

Well, on the off chance that you haven’t been paying attention all month long to the daily profiles and candidate appearance coverage in the Daily, let us refresh your memories. Refer to today’s front page if you have any questions.

The two candidates for governor are Tom Vilsack, a Democrat, state senator and former mayor of Mount Pleasant; and Jim Ross Lightfoot, a Republican, Shenandoah native and former U.S. Representative.

Both candidates’ campaigns have been consistently negative and often diluted. They have mostly attacked each other on meaningless trifles instead of focusing on issues.

But there are important issues emerging from this race, issues that will have a profound effect on the future of Iowa.

Both candidates have spoken of attention to education. Vilsack wants to reduce school class sizes and keep college graduates in the state by offering them forgivable loans. Lightfoot wants to return to the basics of education in Iowa schools and to focus colleges more on equipping students with the essential training needed to get good jobs.

Both candidates have spoken on crime. Vilsack wants to fight the meth influx in Iowa by giving life sentences to dealers who sell the drug to children. Lightfoot also wants to hand out tougher sentences to criminals.

Both candidates have spoken on taxes. Vilsack wants to cut property taxes in a “realistic” way. Lightfoot wants to cut state income taxes to 4 percent in the next five years.

These issues will affect us, as Iowa’s future leaders and taxpayers, more than any other segment of the population.

That said, we at the Daily endorse Tom Vilsack for governor. He has the vision and the goals that can truly make Iowa a place for growth and strength — a place in which we will want live in the next four years.

Vilsack is the guy who can get it done.

After 16 years of one idea, let’s not stick to more of the same. Let’s get some new leadership and new ideas into Des Moines.

We’ve made up our minds.

Now make up yours and get to the polls.