Some people may not vote today because they feel that today's Virginia Primary Elections are of secondary importance. That's not true. As today's Lynchburg News & Advance writes:
Although many voters have a tendency to ignore primary elections altogether, today?s primaries are important because the winners will be the folks carrying the party?s banner in the fall elections. And in the statewide races, some of those winners will be running for even higher office in the years ahead.
That last point is something to consider: many of the people running today will be our leaders -- for better or for worse -- for years to come. You know how hard it is to displace an incumbent? Well, days like today are exactly how they get to BE incumbents in the first place. If you don't vote, then you can't really complain in years to come when the folks elected today do things you don't like. In other words, this is your chance to prevent people you don't agree with, or simply don't like, from ever becoming incumbents in the first place. It's also your chance to put in place people you DO like and DO agree with, possibly for many years to come. That's one good reaons why today's Primary is not "secondary" in importance.
One more point to consider is that the House of Delegates races will, in several cases, essentially select the November winner because they are "safe" Democratic or Republican districts. The 45th District in Alexandria, southern Arlington County, and parts of Fairfax County is a classic example of a "safe" Democratic district. Which means, of course, that whoever wins the election today to replace long-time delegate, Marian van Landingham, will de facto be the next delegate from this district, possibly for a decade or more. That's why it's so important to get out there today and "VoteStrong" for the candidate with the most energy, integrity, and ideas in the field. In the 45th, of course, that would be David Englin.
Today's Lynchburg News & Advance editorial concludes:
Voting is a right and duty of citizenship that should not be taken lightly. Casting that ballot takes only a few minutes. Make your voice be counted as the parties select their candidates for the fall races. The polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Vote!
We couldn't agree more. See you at the polls!