In response to last week’s WordsWorth article about Amendment V, I would like to offer a counterargument. Hamiel stated that, should the amendment pass, “voters would know less, not more, about candidates.” My question is this: why must voters need a label in order to decide on which candidate to vote for? Isn’t it a person’s duty as a responsible voter to know exactly where each candidate stands on the issues? Sure, a political label can provide a guesstimate on where a candidate’s views lie, but it is not exact.
On top of this, for current primary elections, every name on the Republican ballot is, as you guessed, Republican. Oh dear. How do those voters ever decide between them all when none of them are labeled Democrat? The answer is, of course, that they’ve done research on each candidate, and choose the one who best aligns with their own views.
You could still argue that it would affect general elections, but again, if someone has to rely on a label in order to decide which candidate to vote for, is that person being an informed, responsible voter? No. Frankly, if someone isn’t informed on where a candidate stands on the issue, they shouldn’t be voting at all.
Amendment V may also help Independent candidates. As people research those up for election, they may learn about the Independent candidates running, and find that their own views align more with an Independent than with a candidate of the political party they originally would have voted for. You could argue that Amendment V would hurt Independent candidates’ chances because they won’t automatically be added to the ballot for the general election, but they would have little chance to be elected anyway if a voter stubbornly chooses to remain with their party without considering alternatives.
It boils down to this: unless you’re afraid of voters going to the polls informed versus checking off the box next to a candidate’s name just because that name happens to have “Democrat” or “Republican” next to it, you shouldn’t have any objection with Amendment V passing.
Parker Senska
Forestburg