Vote in the Primaries on June 12th!

Many may already have their calendars marked for the first Tuesday in November, reminding themselves to take an hour off to vote. All statewide offices and U.S. House seats will be on the ballot, and some districts will have Statehouse and local races (see link for a sample ballot below).

But do you have next Tuesday, June 12th on your calendar?

Next Tuesday are the primaries for these contests, and primaries are when you actually get more choice in deciding who should represent you in Washington and Columbia..

Here are three reasons why you should ALWAYS vote in the primaries.

1. By the time November rolls around, you may not be happy with your limited choices. See the 2016 Presidential elections. You may have been perfectly happy with one of the two candidates America ended up with for the 2016 Presidential election. But according to Gallup, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump headed into Election Day with the highest unfavorable ratings of any candidates since the 1950’s. There wasn’t much choice in the general election, but there were almost two dozen other candidates to choose from in the primaries. You’re much more likely to find a candidate that aligns with your ideas in the primary, and you can feel good about the vote you cast.
2.  Many districts are heavy for one party. Most districts across the country are decidedly red or blue, including the Upstate. In these districts, you’ll have much more influence in the primary than the general election, where you can decide which Republican or Democrat will be representing you.
3. There may not be a general election. In some races, you may not have candidates running from opposing parties. That means the winner will be decided in the primaries. If you’re waiting until November to show up to the polls, you may be missing your opportunity all together to cast your vote. This is particularly true in local government.

Whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, or Independent, please be sure to show up next Tuesday to your local polling place to vote in the 2018 primaries!

Quick Facts & Links:

Primaries: June 12th (If no candidate is able to get 50% of the vote in the primaries, there will be a runoff between the two top vote getters.)
Primary Runoffs: June 26th
General Election: November 6th

Find out what districts you live in and where to vote
You can see a sample ballot of who’s running here

For questions on the June 12th primaries, or for ways you can get involved in Advocacy here at the Greenville Chamber, email me at [email protected].