Primary Elections are March 1, 2021. Why should you vote?

We find that the Primary Elections are

more important than the General Election. The purpose of a primary election is to narrow the field of candidates before a general election. Primary elections allow us — “we the people” — to play a larger role in the nominations of the party candidates. We encourage you to meet the candidates and check out their websites or Facebook pages. It is important that you do your homework!

Many voters don’t seem to realize that the primary is one of the most important phases of an election. This is when each vote counts the most, because it gives people the ability to decide who the best candidate is. Unfortunately, many people skip the primary election and only vote in the general election, many of them complaining that their party’s candidate is not the one they would have chosen.

The candidate who receives the nomination in the Primary will then run against the candidate nominated by the other party — or parties, as the case may be — in the General Election.

During the primaries, voters get to hear from several Republican and Democratic candidates, plus the candidates of third parties. The primaries provide a nationwide stage for the free and open exchange of all ideas and opinions -- the foundation of the American form of participatory democracy.

Furthermore, the primaries play a key role in shaping the final platforms of the major candidates in the November election.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the primary elections provide yet another avenue though which Americans can take part in the process of choosing our own leaders. General election voters might award the winner, but primary voters are the ones who set up the match, and that's a decision that should be made by more than just 5 percent of the people.

So in the end, if you think that your opinion and your vote doesn't matter, think again! The people in office now are making decisions that will affect your life now and later! This is why it's important to get involved and be heard now. Let your vote be counted.