Know the Political Parties!

Know the Political Parties! - The Missourian: Editorials

Posted: Saturday, July 28, 2012 5:00 pm

It may come as a surprise to some people who aren’t up-to-date on elections to learn that in the upcoming primary election, Tuesday, Aug. 7, a voter will be asked which ballot he or she wishes. In primaries, the vote is by political parties.

Many candidates today do not put in their ads which party banner they are running under. For whatever reason they elect not to give their party affiliation.

In the Wednesday, July 25, issue of The Missourian, the official ballot was published. There are a number of races for important offices, from U.S. Senator on down. There are Republican, Democratic, Libertarian and Constitution parties.

There are races of considerable interest. We know some people favor a particular candidate, but don’t know which party banner he or she is running under. We know that from talking to some voters. Even though the ballot was published, people tend to forget if they aren’t given a last-minute reminder. It would be helpful also if each party would inform voters of their candidates.

Voter interest often is not too high in an August primary. With the large number of candidates, perhaps the voter turnout will be greater. But it’s hard to predict. Election officials have to rely on past elections in making predictions. But we do know there are voters who don’t know party affiliations.