ON CONSUMERISM
by Arthur Vidro
New Hampshire Primary
A consumer’s greatest power is the vote.
Being able to elect one’s leaders is a privilege denied to billions on this planet.
So remember Primary Day in New Hampshire, and you have the right to vote.
Though I encourage everyone eligible to vote, I shall not be voting today.
As a registered but unaffiliated voter, I would have to request either a Democrat or a Republican ballot at the poll. And then be restricted to those candidates on that one ballot.
Aligning myself, however temporarily, with either party just doesn’t feel right.
Sure, in a Presidential primary, when all candidates, regardless of party, are vying for the same single elected position, it’s easy. Select the ballot reflecting the one candidate you wish to support.
I have no problem doing that.
In 2020, I requested a Democrat ballot and proudly voted for moderate Amy Klobuchar, who I thought, then and now, was the best candidate running via either party.
In 2016, I requested a Republican ballot and proudly voted for moderate John Kasich, who I thought, then and now, was the best candidate running via either party.
But primaries for state and local positions are a different ball of wax.
Today’s ballot in Claremont, for example, contains candidates for about a dozen offices. But it’s very rare when all the candidates I favor fall onto the same ballot. Usually some are Democrats, some are Republicans.
Voting today would be like going to a dance where you have to declare, upon arrival, if you want to dance exclusively with blondes or exclusively with brunettes. Not allowed to dance with partners from both parties.
And if you want to dance with a redhead (vote for a candidate not belonging to either of the two major parties), you’re out of luck.
This is a dance where moderates often feel they just don’t belong.
In the state where I used to live, my being a registered Independent totally disqualified me from voting at the primaries — even though I spent the day there working at the polls. For that state had Closed Primaries.
At least in New Hampshire I have the option of temporarily changing my registration at the polling site and getting a ballot for one party and voting. This is called a Semi-Open Primary.
Slightly better are Open Primaries, such as in Vermont, which allow a voter to request a ballot for either of the two major parties, without having to join that party, not even temporarily.
I prefer the system over in Washington state. It is called a Nonpartisan Blanket Primary. It applies to all primaries except the Presidential. One must register to vote, yes, but a voter does not register with a political party.
On the ballot itself, each candidate may use up to 16 characters to identify (or not identify) the party (major or minor) they prefer or say something about their views. No partisanship required.
The top two vote-getters then advance to the ballot for the general election.
If that was the set-up in New Hampshire, I’d be voting today. Heck, I might even run for office — under the party founded in 1940 by radio star Gracie Allen: The Surprise Party.
That’s the only party where I belong.
