By Samantha Swindler - editor@jacksonvilleprogress.com
The straight ticket is the most damaging political idea that ever struck the casual voter.
I’m not one to play the parties. I’d consider myself a Libertarian if anything at all. (If you’re wondering what that means, I’m fiscally conservative and consider “moral issues” mostly non-issues.) But since Libertarian candidates rarely make the ballot, I basically pick and choose my Democrats and Republicans and swing both ways on my ticket.
I know some good Republicans and good Democrats that I’m going to vote for.
As a journalist, you get the privilege of meeting many candidates first hand. This is something most voters don’t get the chance to do. (Again, I urge you to attend the respective parties’ candidates nights.) But I’ve met enough politicians to know that scum definitely DOES swing both ways, and if you don’t look closely, you might vote some in without knowing it.
Historically, Cherokee County has been Democrat territory — Democrats were considered the “working class” party and the representatives of choice for rural folk and farmers.
Now “Democrat” has been replaced by the dirty, nasty word “liberal,” which is about as close to a swear as you can come around here.
Slowly but surely, this last election especially, Republicans are gaining a foothold. I always considered Texas a “red” state, but am surprised by how recently the Republican Party seems to have taken hold in Cherokee County. Republican Chairman Jerry Ayers told me that the 2004 election was the first time more Republicans won county seats than Democrats.
In that election, Mike Alberts was the first Republican in years to almost beat incumbent Democrat Chuck Hopson in House District 11. Alberts was a Wells Independent School District teacher with no elected political experience and pittance for campaign funds compared to Hopson, yet he was defeated only by the smallest of margins — 53 to 47 percent.
Encouraged by the Alberts campaign, two more Republicans are vying for the chance to take on Hopson. Qualified as the other candidates may be, Alberts admittedly “opened this door” for the Republican party, as he stated during his party’s candidates night last month. I’ve heard the other Republicans speak. Brian Keith Walker (Tatum) definitely outshines his competitors when it comes to public speaking, but Larry Durrett (Jacksonville) has more years experience than the others in the political and business fields. I don’t know who’s going to win this one — it’s the closest and, I think, most interesting local primary election.
All this makes it obvious to me that Cherokee County is turning red. Because I know most people don’t meet the candidates, I think the switch is because people are voting party lines.
But in county elections, I don’t believe the party makes the candidate. If you must, vote party lines on state and national levels. There, elected officials may actually have some influence on abortion, the war in Iraq, or gay marriage.
But, on the county level, voting by party lines doesn’t make sense. What does it matter if someone is pro-life or pro-choice, or what their view is on the war in Iraq if they’re running for constable? None of that is going to measure whether this person will address problems of litter abatement, and I’m not aware of any local issues that split party lines.
Someone’s party affiliation is also not necessarily a judge of character. In recent years, Sheriff James Campbell, County Judge Chris Davis and 369th Judicial District Judge Bascom Bentley have all switched from the Democratic to the Republican Party. Based on that one action, are they better or worse public servants? I’d say they are still doing the best job they always have done, regardless of the primary they run in.
I don’t want to start electing local people based on “R” or “D.” Many of these local positions have little requirements to run, and no one is turned away if they meet them. On the national level, there’s a lot more weeding out of candidates for a primary ticket. Locally, you might have one person show up to represent his or her party. Should we automatically vote for them?
I think we’ve learned from recent constables that an elected position is a sweet gig if you can get it. It’s hard to be removed from office, and there is little incentive to work when the bosses — a.k.a. the taxpayers — aren’t really watching.
It has not escaped me that because most people can’t meet candidates in person, it is the newspaper’s responsibility to shed light on the demeanors and beliefs of would-be public servants. I will attend both parties’ candidates nights and plan to run articles and quotes from candidates — especially those seeking county offices.
Obviously, one can’t pick between parties in the primaries. But just because you vote in the Democrat primary doesn’t mean you can’t vote for Republicans in November.
I’m voting in the Republican primary because there are more races to be decided there. The winner of State Senate District 3 — the race among Robert Nichols, Bob Reeves, Dave Kleimann and Frank Denton — will be decided in March because no Democrats are running. In November, I’m going to give serious consideration as to who can do the most effective job patrolling and maintaining my precinct, regardless of party lines.
