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Chester County Press

Make sure to register…and then vote

04/09/2019 03:53PM ● By Steven Hoffman

The season of warmer weather is upon us and there are countless activities vying for our attention—gardening and yard work, cookouts and baseball games, yard sales and trips to the local park. Our already-busy schedules just got busier. Soon, Memorial Day will arrive and there will be vacations to be planned. High school and college students will be graduating in a few months and transitioning to the next phase of their lives.

In the midst of all this activity, an important, but often overlooked, event is looming: Pennsylvania’s Primary Election is set for Tuesday, May 21.

For “Party People”—those who are active in the Republican Party or the Democratic Party and those who make politics a regular part of their lives, participation in the Primary Election is almost a foregone conclusion. But most people will sit out the Primary Election. Historically, voter turnout is very low, even among registered voters, for Primary Elections. There might be an uptick during years when the U.S. Presidency is being decided, but overall, the turnout is very poor.

The Primary Election determines who represents each party in races that are decided in the General Election. It’s important.

There’s a connection between the fact that most Americans believe the government isn’t serving them well and the fact that most Americans don’t vote each and every time they possibly can.

Our Democracy depends on participation—everybody’s participation.  The fewer people who turn out to vote, the fewer people there are to help hold elected officials accountable.

In the upcoming Primary Election, a number of local and county races will be on the ballot, including board of supervisor contests, school board elections, borough council races and several of the county row offices.

The deadline to register to vote in Pennsylvania’s Primary Election is coming up on April 22. If you’re not already registered, make sure to register before then, and then turn out to vote during the Primary Election on May 21. Information about how to register in person, by mail, or online is available on Chester County’s website.