Bewildering. Almost overwhelming.
But it is also important – this increasingly long and sometimes irritating business of deciding who can best govern us for the next few years. Not just the excitement and confusion of who wins the horse race, but who makes decisions in governing us, all the while reflecting YOUR core issues, YOUR core values.
The first wave of decisions ends May 24 as the Democratic and Republican parties winnow down their list of candidates to face off in the November general election.
Bottom line: Putnam County voters need to do a lot of homework.
The reason: This year there are 102 – that’s right, a 1, a 0, and a 2 – candidates in contested races for a dozen or so positions ranging from governor and U.S. senator to the “down-ballot” and locally important races for the chairmanship of the Putnam County Board of Commissioners and the District 2 seat on the Putnam school board. (See all contested races >> Page A7). In other words, you should not stop with voting for the most-visible candidates at the top of the ballot.
By itself, the open race for the 10th District seat in Congress has drawn 13 candidates – five Democrats and eight Republicans.
All told, the Republican primary ballot has 51 candidates in contested races; the Democratic ballot, 49.
In addition, the other two candidates come in a contested non-partisan race for a seat on the state supreme court, which is unusual on a couple of counts.
One, for whatever reason, the non-partisan judicial races will be a final, general election vote – in May, not November.
And, two, “judicial ethics” expects for cases to be judged on a case-by-case basis, thus precluding judicial candidates from saying how they would rule in types of cases. But how is the voter to know? Is a challenge to an incumbent supreme court justice a measure of incompetence? A personal grudge? Or a struggling second-string lawyer looking for some free advertizing or the off-chance of a steady paycheck? Again, how is the voter to make an informed decision? Maybe ask another lawyer or the state or local bar association. They know how important a supreme court decision is.
Beyond the sheer number of candidates is figuring out which is the best to earn my vote. Of the 102 candidates, I know precious little, if anything, about 90 percent of them, and I tend to be a little cautious about the other 10 percent. While I respect anyone who is willing to put public responsibilities – and hassles – on their shoulders, I also have to wonder about motivations and abilities. Are they excitable one-shot wonders? Wannabes? Perennial office-seekers? Some may not have much name recognition, but do their life experiences say something about their character and potential?
From my perspective, the best way involves face-to-face interviews. But 102 interviews? Impossible. Forums and debates? I have heard of only one, and it was by invitation only. Questionnaires? Some candidates refuse them. They dislike questions; they just want to get their “message” out. Websites? Somewhat useful for biographical information, but also can be misleading and evasive. Sometimes what they don’t say says more than what they do say.
So far this year, what I have seen of political campaigning centers on candidate- (and donor-) controlled advertizing. It is television for the big statewide offices where big donors (and big expectations) provide checks with several zeroes in them. In the lower budgets of the down-ballot races, it is the yard-sign battles, not so much as signals of support, but for name recognition in the right-of-way at intersections and strategic bends in the road.
I get it: shoe-leather campaigns alone just won’t cut it when you have to reach thousands, even millions, of voters. But they depend on voters being passive recipients of a message where the issues are defined more by the candidate or party and less by the voter.
So, one man’s advice: if you want to be a citizen, if you want your voice to count, it involves more than paying your taxes and going to the polls every once in a while. Seek out other opinions, and respect them. Get involved. Get informed. Contribute, and yes, that includes starting with $5 or $10 bucks, preferably to a local candidate where it can have more impact. Listen. Ask. Participate.
On a more mechanical level, more of one man’s advice: study the ballot you choose before you get in the voting booth. A sample of each party’s ballot is available at putnamber.com or in today’s Messenger.
If you skip anything, make it the “party questions.” They are essentially straw polls on generalized positions the party poo-bahs are pushing – NOT the same thing as the constitutional amendments you will see in November.
Consider an absentee ballot or early voting. May 13, 5 p.m., is the last day to apply for an application for an absentee ballot, whether by mail, phone, or in person at the new Board of Elections and Registration office in the county’s administrative building north of town off U.S. 441. A photo ID is required but may be obtained for free at the BER office. The final ballot must be received at the BER by 7 p.m. on May 24. (Exception: overseas military votes must be postmarked before election day but may be counted if received at the BER by Friday, May 27.)
Early voting has already started at the BER office during business hours (9-5, M-F – and on the next two Saturdays.)