It’s that time again.
Twice a year, we remind you to get up and do your job as a citizen — of America, of Pennsylvania and of the counties and communities that make up the red, white and blue crazy quilt of our region.
Some people might yawn and shrug and figure it doesn’t matter. Today is only the primary elections. It’s also only a local election year. If there was ever an opportunity to just let it go, this would be it. Right?
No.
Local elections are where we see the impact of our voting up close and personal. It is when we fill the seats of our county government and when we pick people to run townships, boroughs and cities. School boards are becoming battlegrounds for decision-making that will have broad impact for years to come.
If you vote in your local elections, you don’t only have a chance to feel like you were part of the process, but you also can feel that impact when you see how your area’s economy develops and how laws are enforced. You don’t wonder about how an education policy might be put in place. You hear about it in real time from your neighbors, friends and children.
The primaries are an important aspect of that because for many races, this is where they will be decided.
When it comes to the presidency, the primaries are just the start of a whittling process that will get you to the big game in November. But in an increasingly polarized region, primaries can be the finish line.
Allegheny County is heavily Democratic. Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey won his race by winning the primary in 2021. The same is likely to happen with the Allegheny County executive race.
In Westmoreland County, the opposite is true. The county’s only Democrat is the minority member of the board of commissioners — a position that exists because of a built-in accommodation for the other party. Republicans who win their nominations for row offices and commissioner are likely to be winners in November.
So it is critical that people show up for the first stage and don’t let the opportunity to participate wait until later. If decisions are made at the primary, show up to make your decision count.
