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Primary day in Tennessee is Thursday, Aug. 1. Early voting for that election got underway Friday, July 12, and runs until July 27.

Primary elections are different from the general election in November. In a primary, the political parties get to choose who their candidates will be in the November election.

Since no candidate filed for the August 2 Democratic Primary in the House District 4 race to represent Unicoi County and part of Carter County, voters in the Republican Primary will effectively decide the seat as they choose between Curt Alexander, longtime mayor of Elizabethton, and Renea Jones of Jones and Church Farms in Unicoi. 

Timothy Hill, incumbent in the District 3 State House Race, is unopposed in that race. Dist. 3 includes Johnson County, and part of Carter, Hawkins and Sullivan counties, including Blountville.

Primary elections are crucial in that they give voters of parties a chance to choose who they want to be their candidate rather than having party bosses choose who they want in a committee meeting.

Any candidate willing to do the work can get on a ballot. The problem with primaries, however, is that very few people actually turn out to vote in them.

Turnout levels are historically low for primary elections, which is disappointing. Yet, we constantly hear moaning from those who don’t like the results, but didn’t bother to cast a ballot.

Don’t be that person.

With low turnout in primaries, candidates have to work extra hard at getting out the vote, and the results are often a barometer of their efforts.

That is why we hope that everyone who can, gets out and votes in this primary whether it be in early voting, absentee ballot or by showing up on Primary Day on June 25.

Both candidates in the District 4 race have worked hard, and both have good credentials and have proven themselves capable candidates, who if elected will provide good representation in Nashville.

As we have said before, now, more than ever, participation in our country’s government is at a premium.

Voting is both our duty and our opportunity to affect change.

In this nation, our government is run by people we choose. If we do not vote, we are handing over that role to people of someone else’s choosing.

We are the employers, so to speak, and it is our duty to vet the candidates and hire who we think are the best people who will be leading our government and making decisions that will affect us all.

By voting, we give ourselves the chance to influence the way we will be governed, which is what our system is based on and all about.

Democracy just works better when you have large numbers of people deciding the elections rather than a scant few.

So please, go vote.