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Today is an important day for area citizens: it is the first chance to weigh in on who will get to serve the community on the various boards that are the lifeblood of local politics.
We refer, of course, to today's primary election.
A full slate of candidates across the ideological spectrum have lined up for positions throughout Clinton and Centre counties.
Those positions include notable, important decision-makers like county commissioner, school board director and township supervisor -- all of which can have a direct impact on voters' lives … and finances.
People often complain conversationally about "choosing between two evils," for the November ballot. This is more commonly said in reference to positions higher up in government, such as presidential elections or for statewide positions.
The primary election is your chance -- the voter -- to attempt to prevent this by selecting the candidates on the November ballot.
However, despite the power inherent to the primary election insofar as setting the tone, policies and personalities that will face off in the general election, primary elections historically see dramatically lower turnout.
From data posted on Clinton County's website, in 2022, the primary election saw a turnout of 34.84%, compared with a general election turnout of 64.32%.
In 2021 -- another year with no national and few statewide races on the ticket -- the primary election turnout was even lower, at 29.64%, compared with a general election turnout of 32.24%.
In 2020, a presidential election year, the primary election had a turnout of 37.6%, vs a general turnout of 79.14%.
Consider two factors:
-- The primary election in Pennsylvania uses a closed system, which means you must be a registered voter of a given party in order to vote for that party's candidate. For this year's primary election, Clinton County's voter population is 12,167 Republicans, 6,646 Democrats, 111 Libertarians and 2,657 "others." Those "others" -- mostly independents -- are not allowed to vote in the primary election, which is an ongoing source of debate at the statewide level. Regardless, their exclusion will drive down primary turnout somewhat.
-- For those who choose to only vote in the general election, which represents a substantial number of voters in an average year, you are delegating a lot of your voice to the minority who do vote in May. These voters, who may be unhappy with their options in November, have essentially yielded their ability to say anything about it. Do the math: in 2022, 7,605 people (2,620 Democrats and 4,985 Republicans -- this problem is bipartisan) voted in the primary. There were 14,130 ballots cast in the general election that year. That means 6,525 voters had no say in what candidates made it on to their ballot.
Luckily, there is an easy fix for this.
Polls are open today from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for registered voters.
You can visit this website -- www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/PollingPlaceInfo.aspx -- to find your polling place.
Show up.
Use your voice.
Vote.