https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/americandemocracyminute/episodes/2022-05-09T08_26_15-07_00

May 10th is primary day in Nebraska and West Virginia, and state primaries are coming up May 17th in Idaho, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oregon and Pennsylvania.  On May 24th, there are primaries in Alabama, Arkansas, and Georgia, and a run-off in Texas.

So, why should you vote in the state primary?   

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping your government by and for the people.

On a nationwide average, only 40% of eligible voters actually do in a midterm primary, In the 2018 midterms, 50% of voters turned out, the highest in over a century.  That’s encouraging, but the other half not showing up has big consequences.

Recently, we’ve talked about gerrymandering manipulating state voting districts for partisan advantage.   When the districts are rigged, partisan primaries often cause candidates to appeal not to the middle of their party, but to the true believers of the party who show up in higher numbers.   Candidates make more extreme promises because if they make it past the primary, they are almost guaranteed to win.

One study by the Public Affairs Council found that primary VOTERS weren’t more extreme, but primary voters shared a “dissatisfaction with the current political establishment.”

Another important reason:  When extremists get elected or incumbents unseated, party leadership takes cues from the results to help shape the coming general election and the post-election policy.  You can send an important message by showing up on primary day.

Check out today’s links at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.

For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.