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The Benefits of a Primary
Municipal Elections for Connecticut are happening this November.
More attention is given to municipals as this is the real battle for local control and to keep your town charm. With extensive pressure from Hartford and a one-party rule of the state, town government is the last chance for attempting meaningful consensus and community buy in.
What Is A Primary – and Why Should We Believe in Them?
For Most Republicans and Democrats, they are unaware of our electoral process for local, state and federal candidates. The ballot is typically the result of a few engaged members in a Republican Town Committee ("RTC") or Democrat Town Committee ("DTC"). Each year a closed caucus of RTC or DTC members, or an open caucus (open to only Democrats or Republican) is held and slates are filed.
For the closed caucus, these candidates are determined by fewer than 100 (on the high side) engaged and elected RTC or DTC members. For an open caucus, they are open to the registered republicans or democrats and is determined by how many supporters a candidate can bring to the caucus.
For those who are not on the slate, they can petition to get on the ballot.
Earlier this month you may have seen people with clipboards in Greenwich asking you for a signature.
This is the petition process and grassroots at its finest. For starters, anyone willing to go up to a complete stranger to advocate to run for an office should be heard. WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO GIVE THEM A MOMENT OF YOUR TIME – THE FUTURE OF YOUR LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COULD POTENTIALLY BE IN YOUR HANDS.
In this charged political environment, it is a sign of strength to approach a stranger (who is likely to be not of the same political party) to ask them of their political affiliation. It can result in a healthy dialogue or a nasty engagement filled with vitriol and hatred.
Primaries serve as a way for voters to select their party's candidate for a general election and determine if the will of the people is in line with the select few who are eligible to participate in a caucus. The arguments for and against them, are often debated within political parties.
What Are The Pros?
Supporters of primaries, like us, argue that WHEN DONE RIGHT, they can:
Most campaigns for municipals are really a late August – November season. A primary can get the teams motivated a little earlier. Regardless of which side a volunteer supports when they canvass, knock on doors and go to events, they bring attention to the primary and inform the voters (most of whom are often unaware) that there is a General Election in November.
It is scary to think that we encountered citizens that were unaware of the 2024 election but it’s a symptom of the general public belief that their votes do not matter and they cannot make a difference.
Another major pro is that if the candidate and their team are enthusiastic and their message is persuasive, they can actually convince an unaffiliated voter who leans conservative or liberal to actually become a Registered Republican or Democrat so they can participate in the primary (if done in time).
Here in Connecticut, unaffiliated voters outweigh Registered Republicans or Registered Democrats.
At one point, the Republican Party allowed unaffiliated voters to vote in a Republican primary, from 1984 until a convention repealed the rule on September 7, 1991, for Congressional Primaries.
The process of gathering signatures and campaigning directly to voters can be seen as a test of a candidate's mettle and a way to build a strong foundation for the general election. It breeds excitement, especially when there are significant controversial issues at stake.
What Are The Cons?
On the other hand, some political strategists and party leaders believe that a prolonged primary battle can be detrimental. They argue that it can drain financial resources, create internal divisions, and force candidates to take more extreme positions to appeal to their party's base, which might make them less electable in the general election.
The other concern is that voters at a primary are the extreme conservatives (if Republican) and extreme liberals (if Democrats) and the candidate who wins might have less voter appeal to the general public – which is not the case when a primary is done right and the candidates get to all voters.
The other major argument against is that a well-funded party can focus its efforts on the general election opponent from the start and this is a distraction.
Ultimately, the effectiveness of primaries can vary depending on the specific race, the candidates involved, and the political climate. There is no single answer to whether they are a net positive or negative for a political party.
As there are primaries going on, we strongly encourage you to check with your town to see if there are ones going on.
We will inform you of a few primaries we are aware of. But local primary candidates should be reaching out to you and asking for your vote.
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