I just realized what a complete waste the primaries are (although I always had a hunch), especially for a non-paritsan like me. While there are several
candidates I would like to vote for, both Democratic and Republican, I can vote for none, because I chose non-partisan. I realize that Democrats do not allow non-Democrats to vote in their primaries, because Republicans could take advantage of that and vice-versa.
However, as a coveted "swing voter" you would think my opinion would be MORE valued at the primaries, because this would tell both parties the type of candidates that would get my vote. Instead, die-hards on both sides choose their candidates, and people like me are left with choosing between the lesser of two evils. And they wonder why voter apathy rests at an all-time high.
James Leroy Wilson's one-man magazine.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Primarily a Waste of Time
My friend Scott Shepherd, of Another Spin, sent me an email:
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I don't think this is true in every state. In the last election, I changed my party affiliation to "decline to state." Somehow (and I don't remember where) I found out that in Calif and many other states, the parties DO open their primaries up to outsiders, it's just not common knowledge. You have to ask for a special ballot or something like that, but they do count those votes. If I remember, I'll write back.
ReplyDeleteBut the point is well taken, though, that the parties themselves decide who their candidates will be, and many are left out in the cold. Add to that their priviledges of monopolies on debates, ballot entrance requirements and the like, and it's clear; they run the show.