Why do we have to choose to be a Republican or Democrat in the primaries to cast our votes? Can we vote for people from each party? What about the people running in Independant Parties? Why are they left out?
2007-07-12 02:05:36 · 11 answers · asked by Naturescent 4 in Politics & Government ➔ Elections
So, can I vote a split ticket in the Primaries? I'm sure many people have the same question or don't understand - hence the lack of votes.
2007-07-12 02:37:33 · update #1
Types of Primaries:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primaries
2007-07-12 17:12:55 · update #2
Excellent ideas! You really have to choose good leaders who are capable to run and who will truly serve the people rather than the party.
2007-07-12 02:17:27 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The purpose of the primaries is to have the people associated with a particular group (Republican or Democrat) make the choice about who will represent them toward a given office. The problem in voting in both primaries is that you would tend to vote for the strongest person in your party and the weakest in the other so as to bias the final election. The independent parties do not need a primary since these third parties are usually created around one person (Teddy Roosevelt and the Bull Moose Party, Ross Perot and United We Stand)
2007-07-12 02:19:37 · answer #2 · answered by MICHAEL R 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A Primary is not an official part of the Government election.
A Primary is when a given political party has an election to select it's candidate. This is not a Federal or State Election, but is, in fact, a Party election with no binding power outside the party.
Many parties other than the Republicans and Democrats have their own primaries, but they aren't as publicized.
Only Republicans can participate in the republican Primary, and only Democrats can participate in the Democratic Primary.
2007-07-12 02:19:40 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
One of the most important votes every House and Senate member casts - perhaps THE most important vote - is which party they will vote for to fill leadership positions.
Ted Kennedy or Trent Lott? Newt Gingrich or Nancy Pelosi? Whatever your politics, there is a vast difference on many issues between them.
So when a candidate identifies with a particular party, they are telling you an awful lot about themselves. It's not 100% of what voters need to know, but ignoring their self-identification seems to me to be the ultimate in foolishness.
2007-07-12 02:48:11 · answer #4 · answered by American citizen and taxpayer 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can vote a mixed ticket if you want to.
If I had a choice of Zell Miller or Olympia Snowe, I might vote (R) for the only time in my life.
I vote all D. because so far in my adult lifetime, the R's have been 99.9% a-ho's. I know about 50% of D's aren't so hot, but it's the lesser of 2 evils until a 3rd party shows promise of winning. We saw how Perot helped Clinton win and how Nader helped Bush win.
Voting D. or R. is unfortunately realistic, not idealistic. Maybe this will change, and it should, but you're going to need 2 bad D/R candidates and a great Indy.
2007-07-12 02:18:39 · answer #5 · answered by topink 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You do vote for an individual who tells you that he has certain views, being either democratic, or republican, as well as other parties ways of thinking, but at the end of the day you are voting for an individual. That is why even within the same party there are disagreements.
2007-07-12 02:14:42 · answer #6 · answered by daniel s 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
These programs you refer to were initiated within the great society. Lyndon Johnson's programs. He was president from 1963 to 1969. After forty years the result of these programs are negligible improvement of life style for recipients. Blacks for instance still feel like they're victims and have less opportunity than everyone else after forty years. I'm not saying they are the only ones. If someone wanted to support me for forty years I'd consider that a hell of an opportunity. My main point here is the democrats initiated these programs forty years ago and there has been little results per ca-pita. They always claim how beneficial they are and what a worthy investment they are for the taxpayer. Now we see a gross expansion of this theme. The answer to your question is yes. It hasn't solved the problem in forty years and it never will. The democrats continually sell the same bill of goods year after year.
2016-05-20 08:16:11 · answer #7 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
in some states you can. In others you have to choose a party for the primaries and wait till the general election to vote across lines.
2007-07-12 08:39:56 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This would be too easy. Just vote for the person? Ban the electoral college? Ban the lobbyists? Ban the crookedness that goes on? Why it wouldn't be America!
2007-07-12 02:20:09 · answer #9 · answered by PATRICIA MS 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
because the candidate associated with that party is that party's representative in the election.
You wouldn't want your opposing baseball team to be able to pick your starting pitcher.
2007-07-12 02:14:06 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋