Keep Georgia’s primaries open

Election day is set for Tuesday and though next week’s vote is only a primary the fate of many local political hopefuls will be determined. Our state Senator, the District Attorney for the Dublin Judicial Circuit and the holder of the District 3 county commission seat will be named next week, while the pool of candidates for the more crowded tax commissioner, District 2 county commission and Superior Court judge for the Dublin circuit races will be narrowed down if not decided by a majority vote getter. 

All this will happen on the Republican ticket. 

Georgia currently has open primaries, allowing all eligible voters to cast a ballot regardless of party affiliation, so if you want a say in those races be sure to request a Republican ballot. The only race being decided in our Democratic Party ballot is who will face U.S. Rep. Rick Allen in November. 

Along with the races on the GOP ticket is a party question asking if the Georgia Republican Party should close primaries to registered members. This election is clear evidence that they should not. With the limited number of candidates we have in some races, closed primaries would mean a select few would decide the outcome of elections for important positions in our community. 

So get out on Tuesday, have your say in local election outcomes and keep our primaries open.