The end couldn't come soon enough.

The rage, pain, distress, disgust and disappointment have been unceasing. But enough about the Fighting Illini's miserable road trip last weekend to Oregon.

There's an election on Tuesday that may -- emphasize may -- diminish the Sturm und Drang (storm and stress) related to the presidential race.

But there's more to it than the top of the ticket. A handful of contests raise interesting questions about voter insight.

In no particular order, they are proposed tax increases requiring voter approval, former Gov. Pat Quinn's statewide property-tax advisory referendum and an ugly race in the 104th Illinois House District once represented by Danville Republican Mike Marron.

The public is sick of increasing property taxes. At the same time, they play a huge role in funding local government, particularly schools.

So what's going to happen in Mahomet, where the school board is again asking voters to approve a big tax hike? If past is prologue, the proposal will go down. But tax-hike proponents have had months to campaign against no formal opposition except public aversion to paying more.

There's another proposal for a big property-tax increase from a public body, one many people don't even know exists -- City of Champaign Township.

Township government is a vestige of the agricultural society that dominated more than 100 years ago. It's a testimonial to the fact that a government entity has life everlasting.

Appointed township Supervisor Kyle Patterson hopes voters will approve his proposed 400 percent property-tax increase to fund social services. This doesn't look like a winner, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Finally, there's the proposed quarter-cent sales-tax increase sought by the Champaign County Board, ostensibly for public safety. But because money is fungible, it's really not.

This contest has devolved into a mud fight, some Democrats on one side and some Democrats on the other. A quarter-cent increase isn't much. But when voters are allowed to veto a tax increase -- any increase -- they often do.

If it goes down, look for sales-tax-hike proponents to try to make Champaign County a "home rule" entity. That would allow the county board far more flexibility to raise property taxes.

Regarding the statewide advisory referendum on raising income taxes on "millionaires and billionaires" to finance property-tax cuts, give Quinn credit. He's combined two hot-button issues that purport to be about one thing -- property-tax cuts -- but are really about something else -- passing a progressive state income tax.

This question will test how well voters understand the issue. They should say no.

Why?

Because they said no just four years ago, when Gov. J.B. Pritzker asked voters to repeal the Illinois Constitution's flat-tax mandate and allow the state to tax different levels of income at different rates.

A vote in favor of the Quinn proposal will allow Pritzker and legislators to say that voters want a second chance to amend the constitution to allow a progressive income tax.

Finally, there's the stomach-turning 104th Illinois House District race.

Incumbent Republican state Rep. Brandun Schweizer, a retired U.S. Marine, was appointed to take Marron's seat after Marron resigned. He's facing Democrat Jarrett Clem, whose campaign managers are waging a campaign of personal vilification against Schweizer.

Clem's campaign literature has gone so far as to suggest -- but not explicitly charge -- that Schweizer was rioting on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2021, when he was actually on military duty in another state.

Will low-information voters buy a well-funded smear campaign? Sure -- that's why candidates who want to win at any cost run them.