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Presidential Elections 2008
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| Yes | 54% | 44 votes | Total: 82 votes | |
| No | 46% | 38 votes |
Yes
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Add to FavoritesThere was a time when voters had to choose a presidential candidate and the slogan went "may the best man win." Voters selected the best candidate for the position from the choices of those running at the time.
Today, and for some time, the choice hasn't been the best of the best, but instead it is a choice of the least-worst of those running; the one that will do the least harm during their term.
This particular election cycle has been brutal to the voting public. Some states will not be allowed to have their delegates seated for the Democratic convention because state party leaders made choices that were different than what they agreed to in 2007, violating their party's agreements. Record attendances at primaries and caucuses around the country have been overwhelming those who are running the events and, in many cases, the chaos that ensues in trying to cram too many into spaces too small for the mass has resulted in allegations of caucus attendees being turned away before being allowed to cast their ballot.
The Republican candidate is already decided, albeit, "unofficially" until their convention.
Democrats are facing the difficult decision of which to choose between their two front runners; Senator Clinton and Senator Obama.
There are those who belong to neither political party. Why should their votes not be allowed a voice as this country moves towards electing their new president, why should any one person who is legally able to cast a ballot in the November election be denied a chance to help select the candidate that gets there?
Independent voters don't have a convention, nor primaries and caucuses. So how are they to vote to help select a candidate? Better still, if a Republican (or Democrat) does not favor any of their choices, why should they be prohibited from voting for a candidate in the opposite party in their primary or caucus? The short answer to this is they shouldn't.
Every eligible voter will be have the opportunity to vote in the Presidential Election come November. Those same people should be allowed to vote for their presidential candidate, regardless of party affiliation (as long as they only vote for one candidate for the primary/caucus), of choice.
From my Independent vantage point, it seems to me there are no longer any "true" Republicans and Democrats. They are now liberal or conservative Republicans and the same for Democrats.
What did I get for attending the caucus for the Democrats? I got my vote to count for the candidate of my choice and a mailbox full of Democratic campaign ads from state office election candidatesone of the reasons I did not care to join either of the parties.
In order to get a true count of the "people's choice" for a candidate, all the people must be allowed to vote for who they wish, even if they have to cross party lines to do it.
Learn more about this author, B. L. Babb.
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No
I believe that people should vote in the primary of the political party that most closely reflects their ideology. We have a two-party system here in the United States. Currently, and for some time now, the two major parties have been the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. There are clear and meaningful differences between the parties. While every person may not agree with the majority opinion in either party on every issue, I think that most will have a clear tendency in one direction of the other. I say that we should let those who tend to agree with a party's philosophy be the ones that choose the candidates that will represent that part of the political spectrum. Ultimately, everyone can choose from among the nominees in the general election.
Yes, there are some problems with this. There are some people who have an unusual mix of opinions on the issues, such that they can't really align with one party or the other. Should they not be able to participate in the primary election? Before we examine this, let's look at why anyone would want to vote in the "other party's" primary election. One reason is the lack of choices in a person's own party should such people be allowed to voice their opinion about candidates in the party to which they clearly do not align themselves? Another reason is to vote for a weaker candidate in the "other party", one that can be defeated in the general election. Should those who truly don't like a candidate be allowed to vote for him or her simply to try to thwart the wishes of the true party members? A third reason is to vote against a candidate in the other party who is viewed as very undesirable. In effect, such a person is trying to affect the will of the members of the "other party".
My answer to all of these assertions and questions is that the ultimate election is the general election. I believe that is it unethical for someone to vote in the primary of one party, yet vote for the nominee of the other party in the general election. If a person is undecided about the party to which they are aligned, they should wait and select from among the nominees when the general election rolls around. I think the test of the ethics of primary voting is whether a person votes in the primary for a person for whom they will vote in the general election. If not, I think they are doing a disservice to our system of representative government.
Another issue that warrants attention is what to do about people whose views change over time. What if someone views him or herself as a Republican now, but decides that they are more aligned with the Democratic Party in some future election? If we somehow discourage or prohibit people from voting in the "other party's" primary, how can we allow for such changes in sentiment?
So, what is my solution? I believe that we should have party registration: only those who are registered with a party should participate in choosing the candidate to represent them. However, a person should be allowed to change their registration at some point before the primary. Perhaps three months or six months is an appropriate interval.
Learn more about this author, Ken Spitze.
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