Last week’s 16 percent local primary turnout showed again how few registered voters can be bothered to vote. But in every election, there are sobering close calls that potently demonstrate the power of a few voters — both those who show up and those who stay away. This time, Garth McGinn had only 34 more votes than Ron Voth in the Democratic Party’s 4th Congressional District race. In the primaries for Sedgwick County Commmission’s District 4 seat, Kelly Parks won the GOP nod by 83 votes over sitting Commissioner Lucy Burtnett, and Michael Kinard took the Democratic spot on the November ballot over Dee Stuart by only 110 votes. In the statewide Democratic primary for secretary of state, David Haley bested Robert Beattie by only 226 votes. Everybody should have learned in school that voting is a right of citizenship in a free society, one to be practiced as well as cherished.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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13 Comments
I agree Rhonda. Getting out the vote IS important.
Why is it that the right seeks to thwart that?
JR,
You say that the “right” wants to thwart voter turnout and that may be true. But, the dems want to give wetbacks and felons the right to vote and that is just as evil.
V.L.R.B!!!
Did you say “right”? I’d be saying that it is both a priviledge and an obligation for citizens of a free society upon reaching the age of majority. Any attempts to deny eligible voters their due should be charged with subversive acts. On the other hand, the current general populace is very complacent and rather backward-thinking. I can’t forget a fellow college student who upon hearing about the election day, said she would vote the following week.
Michael Kinard is a good guy. Dee Stuart isn’t. He did our community a wonderful favor by defeating Stuart.
For the record, I voted but of course in the Democratic primary, we only had two contested elections in my district–the challenger to Tiahrt and the Beattie-Haley race.
There’s no point in voting if practically all the offices are uncontested . . .
Open the primary, then? Less extremism now that they have to appeal to both sides? Or maybe even ban party affiliations altogether, let them fight on merit alone, not tribal identitiy.
Open the primary, then? Less extremism now that they have to appeal to both sides? Or maybe even ban party affiliations altogether, let them fight on merit alone, not tribal identity.
Undeclared voters can vote in either primary, Roo.
Doesn’t make much difference, does it.
Yeah, but cannot vote for both, only either/or. Must wait till next day to take off the badge.
But hey, it’s only primary, not the real thing…
Roo Haa! We would get much better people in office if it weren’t for political parties. If everybody was independent and ran off of their own crediablity and not the money and hand of political party elites.
But Political parties do cut down on information cost. Basically it makes most voters to be lazy in getting informed about the issues or the candidate. Just vote the big “D” or “R” and you’re done!
James Madison warned us that political parties would fracture the nation. And they did a good job of it.
Just look at all the angry left-wing nuts and all the relgious right-wing kooks. They control the political specturm now. It’s sad!
Joe,I can’t remember where, but I read once that the “winner takes all” representative system has a tendency to condense all views into a “on/off switch” dual political party mode. Perhaps a more proportional system can be incorporated somehow, thus the making of multi-party political arena more feasible.
I can’t believe the other counties outside of Sedgwick didn’t vote for me!!! I was the best Congressional candidate for the 4th District. The pro-abortion, pro-homosexual Democratic Party machine kept me down!! We need to stage a revolution against them.