Georgia (and lots of other places) Primaries and WHY This Matters

Reminder: Primary elections are going on right now in a lot of places. PLEASE DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS.

Let me explain…

Primaries are when we decide who goes the ballot for the “big” elections in November.

They’re the reason you only have a handful of people to choose from in those elections- it gets narrowed down, sometimes significantly, during the primaries.

I hear a lot of folks saying they don’t vote or they do vote but feel hopeless because they feel like they only have undesirable options to choose from. My hunch is that at least some of those people don’t understand that a big reason for that is that people like them don’t show up for the primaries.

Here’s the other thing: this particular election isn’t for the President of the United States and that’s the only time most people vote. I’m not tossing shade. I get it. This information is not the most exciting thing we learned about at an age where someone making fun of your outfit or tripping you up in the lunchroom was truly devastating.

But we’re here now and shit is bad and this is one small way we can get involved that will actually make a massive difference in our smaller communities- and THAT is where the tidal waves begin.

I’ll just speak to my local election here for a second because it will be different everywhere and you will need to do a lil bit of research to figure out what and who will be on your ballot.

In this primary in Hampton, GA, we’re deciding who gets to stay in the running for crucial roles like District Public Service Commissioners, District County Commissioners, State House Representatives, Senators, the GOVERNOR of Georgia (there are currently FIFTEEN options to choose from - 8 Republican, 7 Democrat, so even if you always vote for a specific party, now is when you get to decide WHO within that party best represents you), Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Commissioner of Agriculture, Commissioner of Insurance, State School Superintendent, Commissioner of Labor, Supreme Court Justices, Court of Appeals Judges, Superior Court Judges, Judges of State Court, and Magistrate Court Judges.

This is ALL in this one election.

Many of them are uncontested at this point, but that’s a different fight for a different day.

Ya know what else is on there?

-Questions about whether taxes should be raised for specific purposes.

-Questions about ethics and conflicts of interest within publicly held offices.

-More ESPLOST questions.

It’s a bit overwhelming, if I’m honest. Yes, even for a nerd like me.

But I’m setting aside time today to sit down and go through this verrrrry long list of candidates one by one so I can feel confident in my choices.

And because early voting is happening right now, I’m going to pick a day when it isn’t raining (and I haven’t forgotten to grab my license, because you do need some form of identification to vote) to walk up to the library and cast my vote.

The voting process takes all of 5 minutes when you’re prepared and I have literally never waited in line during early voting here.

Please. PLEASE, do yourself a solid and get out and vote in your primary. These are the people who make day to day decisions about your everyday life. You should have some say in that.

Let me know if you need help finding a sample ballot that lists out all your options wherever you are. Note: depending on where you are, some of these options will be limited to the party you are registered with. You CAN change that. I can help you figure that out too if you need it.

(((Photo of a very tired Shannon who did not want to go for a walk this morning but did anyway and is now happily sipping and writing at The Awaken Drip Coffee Lounge)))