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Chester County Press

Vote

05/07/2018 04:21PM ● By Steven Hoffman

The Pennsylvania Primary Election will take place on Tuesday, May 15.

In the Primary Election, voters get the opportunity to choose their party’s nominees in the General Election that will take place in November.

On May 15, voters will select the nominees for U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives seats that are being contested this time around. What happens in Pennsylvania could be pivotal at the federal level, as control of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives will be particularly important.

Voters will also decide who will challenge Gov. Tom Wolf in the gubernatorial race this fall. All Pennsylvania State House of Representatives seats will be on the ballot, as will some State Senate seats. Democratic State Committee members and Republican State Committee members will also be on the ballot.

We encourage all registered voters to take time to vote―it's a small task with big implications.

One of the stories in this week's Chester County Press references Lyndon Johnson, the 36th President of the United States. Johnson's career in government included more than three decades as an influential lawmaker. He served as a congressman, a senator, as a senate majority leader, as vice president, and as president, and he said the following about the importance of voting: “The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men.”

Elected officials at the local, state, and federal level impact our lives with their decisions in many different ways. Everything from jobs and health care to water quality and national security to traffic and food safety can be impacted by the men and women who are elected to represent us.

If you're not happy with government―and, really, who is happy with government these days―then making your voice heard is critically important. Our democracy depends on us making smart decisions about who represents us in government.

On Primary Election Day, polling places open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Anyone who is in line to vote at the poll closing time is entitled to vote.

If you’re not already registered to vote, the deadline to register before the General Election is Oct. 9.