The Elections are Here: Go Vote on Tuesday, March 2!

By Nancy Sims
Pierpont Communications, Inc.

Tuesday, March 2 is Primary Election Day in Texas. We will learn which gubernatorial candidates will be victorious and the general elections will begin to take shape.
By now, I’m sure most, if not all, of you know there is an election taking place. The ad wars on the Republican side have been significant. Nicknames like “Tollway” Rick Perry and the “Earmark Queen” Hutichison have been coined in the media. Perry and Hutichison have been slinging mud at each other for the last few weeks. Meanwhile, Debra Medina has garnered support from supporters that feel disenfranchised from the existing Republican Party infrastructure and their government. The question of the week is whether or not Medina will garner enough support to force a run-off between Perry and Hutchison. It appears likely that this may happen. So congrats – we’ll get another four weeks of blatant attack ads.
On the Democratic front, Bill White and Farouk Shami have also been battling it out. Bill White is the clear front runner in this campaign but Shami has kept all of the pundits duly entertained this season. Despite being a first-time candidate with limited government experience, he has provided an endless supply of quotes that raise the eyebrow. Personally, I’m fascinated that a political candidate has offered to pay the state $10 million dollars if he doesn’t create 100,000 new jobs. All the same, it is likely that Bill White come out on top.
Of course there are a number of other races on the ballot as well.
Normally, as you know, I’m a broken record on pushing people to vote. However, party primary elections are a bit of a different animal. I like to call them “family feuds”. People who are strongly affiliated with a party need to cast their ballots to help choose the leaders that will represent their banner in the general election. The truth is that factions of each party have different points of view on which candidate is the best banner bearer.
In Texas, we do not have partisan voter registration. You are only officially recognized as affiliated with a specific party by casting your vote in the primary. If you vote early or cast your ballot on March 2, you must choose to either vote in the Republican or Democratic primary. Those are your only two options. If you choose the Democratic primary, you may not then vote in the Republican primary run-off. And no, you may not cross-over.
However, once the primaries are finished, your vote can be for the candidate of your choice. You are no longer bound by party affiliation.
Speaking of early voting, we are seeing high numbers of voters casting their ballots and the Democratic primary in Harris County has seen a significant increase. Most attribute this turnout to the competitive race faced by Incumbent Member of Congress, Sheila Jackson Lee.
Although a debate has lingered for the past two years over the Obama voters, the 2008 election saw many first time voters. Many pundits projected that these voters would not likely return to the polls again because they were one-time voters. However, the early returns from the Democratic primaries seem to indicate otherwise.
The Republican primary is also seeing a significant voter turnout during early voting and most people attribute this to the hotly contested race for Governor.
Many of the readers of this publication may be interested in the judicial elections as there are multiple hotly contested judicial campaigns in both party primaries.
My best advice for you, the voter, is to study these races closely. If you plan to vote in any or all of the races on the ballot, educate yourself. Too often, people walk in and simply elect to vote for the names they like. This can be particularly dangerous in judicial elections. There are many sources available to research the candidates ranging from the Houston Chronicle endorsements to the Houston Bar Association poll. Many organizations make endorsements as well. If you are aligned with one of these groups, research the endorsements they provide. Judicial offices are among the most important on the ballot and yet the fewest people know anything about the candidates. So please choose wisely.
Now is your chance. Will you align yourself with a party and cast your ballot?  If so, March 2, 2010 is your day!