WHAT IS A PRIMARY'S PURPOSE?
I am sure you, as the reader, are wondering what that question means. One, it was to get your attention; and two, to expound upon the purpose of primary elections.
A primary election is designed so those who wish to participate in the political electoral field can put forth their resumes to voters. Job applicants, i.e. “candidates”, can put forth their platforms and articulate why they want to serve and how they might be the best choice as the final nominee to move forward to the general election.
Historically, voter participation in primary elections is low, probably through lack of understanding why primaries are important. Beside opening the field of politics to numerous people, the main goal for political parties is to seek candidates who will stand on the party platform. A platform is a formal set of principal goals the party would like to see achieved by elected officials. Allowing people not affiliated with a platform, is a sure-fire way to dilute the pool of good candidates. It corrupts the purpose of a party primary.
Voters should want to know where any candidate stands on issues; so debates, town halls and public engagements are held to allow voters to listen and learn before they cast a vote. The winners go on to the general election against an opposing party and platform.
It is always nice to really like, or know, a candidate, but it is much more important to understand what they will do as an elected official. Where do they stand on taxes, not just collecting them, but how they should be spent. What about the economy, and not just the US, but your own hometown or county. What about personal liberty? What about the state of our local education system and its relationship to state budgets? What about how federal policies are impacting local governments? How will this person, if elected, be accountable and accessible?
These are all important questions, yet in the most recent primary in Person County very few people asked these questions. When you cast a vote, you are selecting people who will oversee our 'joint bank account' and regulations regarding living in Person County. Who do you trust with your money?? If you oversee any of my finances, I have an absolute right to ask you questions.
It’s time we really start to think about the future, rather than letting it happen to us. The state is growing, and eventually Person County will be faced with lots of new residents escaping urban areas below our local southern boarder, as well as from northern states.
PJ Gentry