Well, having gotten finally through the haying season, with a stretch of 100 degree Kansas heat, and back from the two week gathering of my Ancient Rider family, my thoughts turned to my next post here. Much is going on in the country, but my current dilema has been the Kansas primary election slated for next Tuesday. As you all know I have been unaffiliated (independent) when it comes to my voter registration, but that changed last week. I switched my registration back to Republican for the first time since Bush I.
This was a very tough decision to make since I think the Republican party, as a party, is just as corrupt and out of touch with the American people as it was when I left it. The Democrats are no better, worse in some ways, which is why I haven’t joined them. So why did I re-register as a Republican?
Simple: we have a primary election coming up that will decide the next US senate seat, the Secretary of State, the Governor and one House seat. The Democrats have not fielded a candidate in any of these races who stand a snowball’s chance in the Kansas summer of winning the race. In fact, Kansas hasn’t elected a Dem to the senate since the 30′s. At least two reasonable, and by that I guess I really mean viable, candidates are present on the Republican side, so in essence, the primary will decide the November outcome.
The only way to truly make a difference in this election is to vote in the primary, and since Kansas primaries are closed (only open to the registered affiliated voter) here I am. I admit it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but what is the other choice? In each case there is a “reasonable” Republican candidate and a “fringe” candidate. I hesitate to use the Tea Party label, but I am somewhat apprehensive of a couple of the “fringies”. I believe it is important to elect intelligent, REASONABLE people to run our state and represent us in DC.
The problem of illegal immigrants will be one key that may decide the outcome of three of these elections. (Sam Brownback will win the Governor’s office, even if he revealed himself as Satan) In the Secretary of state race, one of the candidates is the author of the new Arizona law, and he has alot of support here. Two of his platform stances involve voter ID and registration, insuring that voter fraud is no longer a factor. In the other two races it will also play an important role. In each case one candidate is soft on illegals, the other much more strict. We’ll see how it turns out.
I decided that I didn’t want to be on the sideline bitching about who won because I was an independent. If some of you think I am compromising my values…..maybe I agree with you, but at least my voice will be heard. Sometimes a person has to act for the greater good.
You aren’t compromising your values if your intent is to have your voice count in a democratic (small D) election.
That is my thought, but in the interest of full disclosure, I have represented myself as an independent. While I still consider myself to be, this is the now.
I admit it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but what is the other choice?
Can you write someone in?
I live in a state where one must declare to be either Democrat or Republican in order to vote. Once you declare, you get a ballot — blue or red so voting anonymously doesn’t really exist — then take it into the booth to X whomever you want. At the bottom of the ballot are blank spaces where you can write someone in. That’s where I put in whom I want to vote for.
Sometimes I put a Republican name on a Democratic ticket. I always choose to be a Democrat though I’m not really. The older I get the more toward the Green Party I lean. But you cannot register as a Green in my state. That does not keep me from voting Green though.
I’ll be moving from my current state to another as soon as my home sells. I don’t know if I’ll be able to register Green in that state though I hope so. Said state has put Greens in gubernatorial races. This gives me hope.
The bad taste comes from being required to declare as a Republican to be able to vote. I support a candidate in each primary. Here the choices outside the two-party candidates are certifiable nut jobs who noone takes seriously, you might as well write in Mickey Mouse. As I’ve said before, I vote the person, not the party. This time there happens to be a good choice, who happens to be Republican.
Witchstead, Duane’s point is that he wants his vote to influence the outcome of the election. Writing a candidate’s name in has, under the overwhelming majority of circumstances, the opposite effect.
It has the opposite effect if you want to be on the winning side. But it has the desired affect of voting for someone you think will represent you even if they don’t win. And, it’s also a protest to the two party system. It says “two parties do not adequately represent the population.”
Making a point, to yourself, by writing someone in on a primary ballot, is the ultimate exercise in futility. You might as well stay home and bitch about the outcome like the other 75% who don’t bother.
I don’t believe it’s a compromise of values at all. In fact, standing on the sideline and not voting is the biggest compromise of values one can make. People could at least write someone in if they’re not selecting one of the formal candidates. But if that’s not possible, there is still a choice to be made and it benefits everyone to select the best of the worst candidates…
I go back and forth on this, but I think that it is unethical to switch one’s party simply to vote in the primary (granted, I’d prefer no primary anyways, but that’s just me).
A fellow by the name of Micheal Heath, head of the Christian Civic League of Maine (a very vocal social conservative who has in the past campaigned against equal rights, abortion, etc. – the usual nonsense), told his followers in the 2000 and 2004 elections (it may have happened in the 2008 election as well, I don’t know) to switch their party to Democrat for the primary, and to choose the one who was most unelectable, so as to throw the elections.
Additionally, the primary is in theory to designate the candidate from the party, by the party members – jumping on the bandwagon at the last second just to get your opinion on the candidates known, when not willing to stand with them the rest of the year, seems, well, dishonest to me.
And I do understand where you are coming from on this Duane, as I wrestle with this every primary season, but I haven’t found a point where I can justify it to myself yet.