July 12, 2010

Don't stay on the sidelines as primaries approach

This year's primaries in both parties are about as hard fought and important as they ever are.
And the only people who can vote in them are registered Democrats and Republicans. Unaffiliated voters are out of luck.
Many people register as an independent because they don't want to sign on with either party. Given the way the parties operate, that's hardly surprising.
But the reality is that people who don't pick a side don't get to pick the candidates either. In a fundamental way, they are actually giving more power to the party regulars by refusing to side with the either the Democrats or the Republicans.
Voters have until noon on Monday, August 9 to enroll as a Democrat or a Republican. Don't wait that long. Go do it soon.
Quite honestly, it's silly to give up your right to vote in the August 10 primary. Take a stand. It matters.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

17 comments:

Tim Gamache said...

This is one of those times we are in complete agreement Steve.

DEMOCRAT 4 EVA said...

Democrat ALL THE WAY!!!!

Anonymous said...

Steve, why not tell us again, who is primarying, whod we consider voting for?

Anonymous said...

Tom Colapietro for KING

Anonymous said...

4 eva:

You show your true Dumb-o-crat-ness by missing the entire subject of this story.

Let me explain it to you. Primaries are contests within one party.

Anonymous said...

I would also like to note that people often register as independent to avoid all of the campaign literature that is issued, and because they think that doing so will insulate them from visits and phone calls from their local candidates. The opposite is true. Registering independent increases the likelihood that candidates from BOTH parties will contact you to try and earn your vote.

Steve Collins said...

6:40 a.m. --
I'll get into the primaries. Don't worry.

DEMOCRAT 4 EVA said...

July 13, 2010 8:30 AM

Maybe YOU should re-read the post, Einstein.

Steve was stressing the importance of choosing a party in order to vote in the primaries. Not hard to understand, at least for me.

Based on your post, I'm guessing you're a huge fan of Sarah "I'll say or do anything for money" Palin and you listen to Shmuck "fat head" Limbaugh religiously. And you probably think GW Shrub was the greatest president eva.

Go crack open another Bud, it's past noon.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like Democrat 4 EVA for his/her meds this morning.

incumbent OUT !!!! said...

As a life long democrat I am getting pretty sick and tired of not having a candidate to vote for in the primaries . All registered voters should be allowed to vote in any and all primaries , as is common in other states .

Anonymous said...

DEMOCRAT 4 EVA is quite the name-caller. I am not the poster he/she was addressing, but I am a huge fan of Sarah "clean up the corruption" Palin, and I am always amused by Rush "talent on loan from God" Limbaugh. I am absolutely certain that George W. Bush will eventually be considered one of our better presidents. There are some Republicans that I am not fond of, however, and it is dangerous to follow any political party blindly. All voters registered with a party should carefully consider their candidates and vote in their primaries. It could help make the difference between having a candidate you can honestly support and having a candidate that you have to be blind to follow.

Anonymous said...

If we had people with very good intentions running on a Independent ticket, we would not be discussing our corrupt two party system.

Brian said...

hey guy the truth is people dont vote in primarys because they just dont care. whats ave turn out for any primary R or D 10% 20%? 20% turn out for dems in a city like bristol as about 2% of the total population.
And the truth is the politicians dont want you to turn out and vote. They want you home watching TV where you cause trouble for them or ask questions

Anonymous said...

Isn't Nelson going to be "double dipping" if he wins as Registrar of Voters? What makes a fireman qualify for THAT job? Oh that’s right, he’s Artie’s friend!

Anonymous said...

And 10:15 probably is a Satin worshipper too! Stonehearted Republican .

Anonymous said...

Was Nelson a fireman?
Heard he couldn't qualify.


Anyone verify that?

A Proud Democrat said...

11:49AM & 3:51PM~Elliot Is In His
2nd Term As Democratic Town Chairman...He Retired From The Bristol Fire Dept. Last August...Yes, He Has Experience To
Fill The Position of Democratic Registrar...He Is "RETIRED" and Artie's Friend and He Has Every Right To Run For Any Position That He Is "Qualified" For...Do You Have A Problem With That???
If I Were You I Would Focus On Mary Rydingsward and Her Liar Flier...She's Treasurer For A 3rd Party...Working Families...She's Unemployed(From UCONN) and Desperately Needs A Job...She Chose Resignation OVER Termination...The "TRUTH" Will Come Out About Mary Over The Next Few Weeks..."She's A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing"...I'm "Kindly" Giving The Citizen's of Bristol A Head's Up...