Milam County get ready to vote in primary

The 2024 Primary Election Day is fast approaching – Are You Ready?

March 5 will be the primary Election Day and there are many reasons to vote. The slate is set for the primary election and there are several contested races at the primary, county, state, and federal level. Each parties’ primary ballots also include many party-specific resolutions that pertain to the party platforms as well. In general, only about 30-40 percent of the population vote in the primary and those are the people who choose whom we vote for in the November General Election.

I think the big-ticket item on the ballot this year is the presidential election. Even though there are significant leaders in each party’s primary, there are also challengers in each primary as well. There are also some independent candidates running for president as well so it’s probably worth discussing how the candidates get on the ballot and how you are affected by voting in or not voting in the primary at all levels.

First, let’s talk about the local elections. All of the contested races for precinct, county, and state offices are in the Republican Primary. So, if you want to vote for the candidates in those races then you will have to vote in the Republican Primary. Texas is different than a lot of states where everyone is allowed to vote in the primary of their choice, and once they do then they are declaring their allegiance to that party until the next election or until they sign an affidavit changing their party affiliation. 

Also, it is important to remember, if you vote in the primary of one party, you can only vote in the run-off associated with that party. That means that if you vote in the Democratic Primary and then you wouldn’t be eligible to vote in a Republican run-off, and vice-versa. And just to complicate things further, there is another independent candidate running for president who will need a petition completed to get on the ballot and if you vote a party primary, then you cannot sign that petition. 

So, if you’re only concerned about the presidential election then here are your choices. If you’re a Republican vote in the GOP Primary, if you’re a Democrat then vote in the Democratic Primary, and if you’d like to see RFK Jr. on the November ballot then you’ll have to refrain from voting in the primaries and sign the petition to get him on the general ballot in November. 

Also of note, this year being a Presidential voting year, there will be not only a State Convention for the two parties but national conventions as well. So shortly after the primary, each party will have precinct conventions and a county convention, usually on the same day in April. If elected at the county convention, delegates can then attend the state conventions which will be held as follows: Republicans will meet May 23-25 in San Antonio and the Democrats will meet June 6-8 in El Paso. 

At the state convention, delegates are elected from there to attend the national conventions. This year the national conventions are held as follows, the Republican National Convention will be held July 15-18 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the Democratic National Convention will be held August 19-22 in Chicago, Illinois. At both the state and national conventions, decisions are made and voted on to determine the leadership of the parties as well as the platform positions for each party. 

Playwright and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin used a line in his show The West Wing that said, “Decisions are made by those who show up.” And while I know many things on the screen are not to be taken seriously, this one is the truth. People often have opinions, complaints, or suggestions as to how things should be done, but unless you participate in the process and get involved then not much will ever change. 

But first things first… Are you registered to vote? Please get out there and make sure you are registered to vote, and then vote! Vote in the primaries or sign the petition, go to the conventions, get involved, be a part of the process. But, regardless of how things go, let’s get the number of Milam County Voters to be higher than 30-40 percent this time