SC needs to make voter registration by political party
Why have a primary election and a general election?
Prior to political party primaries, candidates were selected by a few influential party leaders. Favors, deals, and agreements frequently influenced the decision-making — not always in the party members’ best interest.
It was called “smoky back room selections” — very unsavory.
A better process was for party members to elect who they, the members, want to represent their party. This way, party members promote and support the party members’ choice in a fair election. It’s much more democratic.
How is that working?
Not as well as it should.
In our South Carolina primaries, all registered voters can choose which political primary they vote in.
Problem? Yes.
Too often, we see at the polls known activists from party “A” voting for who they perceive as the weakest candidate in party “B’s” primary,hoping that candidate “A” will have a better chance of winning the general election against the weakest opponent. This happens in both major parties.
Fair? No. Effective? I hope not.
Fixable? Yes.
In many states (but not South Carolina) voters are required to register by party to cast a vote in a primary, but the voter still retains the right to vote for any candidate/ballot issue they choose in the general election.
Isn’t it time South Carolina steps up and changes to a fairer system and have voters register by party and change the potential sabotaged system we now have?
Richard Geraghty
Bluffton
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This story was originally published January 30, 2018 at 2:07 PM with the headline "SC needs to make voter registration by political party."