Why you should vote in the primary election
“At every level, democracy is a community driven project.”
Primary election season is upon us. In this edition we focus on why you should vote in both the primary and general election—and we explain the difference between the two.
ACTION ITEM
Vote now!
When you vote for your representatives in Congress and for statewide office, you actually get to vote twice. First is the primary election, where voters choose the finalists who will face off in the general election. Primary elections are happening right now, and the general election is on November 8. You’ll probably also see local races like city council, county commission, school board, or municipal judges on your ballot.
2022 is a midterm election year, and this year is super important. The party who holds the presidency often loses seats in Congress during the midterms. The only way to stop that is to show up and vote.
Among many other things they do, members of Congress ultimately vote to approve or deny presidential nominations for the Supreme Court. If you’ve been paying attention to the pending Roe v Wade court decision, you should care about who represents you in Congress.
In other words, you should vote now in the primary AND in the general election in November.
Four more reasons you should vote in the primary:
Voter turnout tends to be very low in the primary. That means your vote carries even more weight than in the general election.
Folks who vote in the primary tend to be whiter, older, and more conservative than the electorate. If you don’t fit those categories, you can make a very real difference by casting your vote.
In districts where voters of one party overwhelmingly outnumber voters of the other party, the candidate who wins the primary is almost guaranteed to win the general election, which means you’re actually picking the winner right now.
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for re-election this year, including your representative.
Here’s a fifth reason: There are many more candidates in the primary than in the general election, with a wider range of views. It can be easier to vote with your heart in the primary election. In the general election, you usually have only two choices, and sometimes your best choice is to vote against the worst candidate (the French call this “building a dam” against the far right). You might also think of this kind of voting as harm reduction for your community.
Each state sets a date for its primary, and a few have already taken place or are happening right now. Check this calendar to find out when your primary is in your state.
Don’t wait! If you’re not registered (or not sure), start here. Then learn who’s on your primary ballot through your state elections office or from Vote411.
THESE ARTISTS 4 DEMOCRACY WANT YOU TO VOTE
“Artists often have less economic power than other people in society, but we have just as much (if not more) civic power. We can speak up for what matters to us and our communities through the art that we make AND through voting. Voting matters. Every election matters. Especially local elections—everything from the school board to the county sheriff affects our everyday lives. Not voting means letting someone else decide your future—everything from what you can learn in school to what you can do with your own body.”
—Marisa J. Futernick, A4D member
“I vote because it reminds me that nothing of consequence comes from just one person. It is a collective decision made by more people than I can fathom and by people I cannot fathom. It grounds me in my own humanity and that of others.”
—Lee Webster, A4D member
“Voting in the primary election is so important! Sometimes only 20 percent of registered voters show up. This means an unrepresentative segment of the population decides who we get to choose from in the general election. By voting in the primary, you can push the political conversation in the direction you want. Even if your candidate doesn’t win, if they get a lot of votes the winning candidate is more likely to adopt elements of their platform. Get out there with your friends and vote!”
—Kysa Johnson, A4D co-founder
“I forfeit my voice when I neglect to vote and I can’t be a passive witness to what the world around me is, and becomes. Voting is my responsibility as a participant in democracy. If I don’t exercise my responsibility, actual choices will be more limited in my daily life and the lives of my fellow citizens. As someone who believes the human species, animal species, and natural world are interconnected, I must use my vote to have my voice speak out. Of course there are other actions that are necessary, but this one is a must. Voting is what I do. It’s not an optional activity.”
—Lynne Berman, A4D member
“Vote like your life depends on it. Because it does.”
—Bronwyn Mauldin, A4D member
“At every level, democracy is a community driven project. Each time we choose not to vote we are saying we don’t care what type of community we live in. At worst, it means that we put our body politic in the hands of a minority, extremist leadership like the current GOP. Each time we don’t vote is a potential step towards never being able to vote again. Vote every single time.”
—Sarana Mehra, A4D co-founder
Need some help convincing a friend to vote? You could start by forwarding this newsletter to them.
Read the back issues of our newsletter to meet all the artists for democracy we’ve profiled, including Guggenheim Fellow June Edmonds, Creative Capital awardee Sandy Rodriguez, and Pulitzer finalist Kristina Wong.
Thanks for reading the Artists 4 Democracy Newsletter. Artists 4 Democracy promotes democratic and civic engagement by mobilizing artists to get involved in political action. Through voter registration drives, fundraisers, and events we seek to foster and protect our participatory democracy.