Trending
Tuesday's West Virginia primary election may not seem like much, with only a handful of contested races appearing on the ballot in local counties, but our decisions, and the results they bring, remain important.
The highest-profile contest we'll be facing is that of U.S. House of Representatives for our state's new Second District. Much of the attention has been focused on the battle between two current members of Congress – Republicans David McKinley and Alex Mooney – to represent the district. There are others on the ballot, though, with Republicans Susan Buchser-Lochocki, Rhonda Hercules and Mike Seckman also seeking the Republican nomination, and Democrats Angela Dwyer and Barry Lee Wendell hoping to move forward in their own race.
On the state level, Democrats Owens Brown and Randy Swartzmiller and Republicans Laura Wakim Chapman and Judi Varner Meyer are seeking their respective parties' nomination to represent the First District in the West Virginia Senate.
All House of Delegates candidates in the First, Second and Third districts see no opposition in their primary, and will automatically move forward in November's general election. The same is true for most local races where most candidates are unopposed Tuesday.
The exceptions are board of education races in both Hancock and Brooke counties, as well as the county clerk, county commission and circuit court clerk races in Hancock County. The school board races, which are listed as nonpartisan, will be determined Tuesday, with voters of each county selecting three members. The other local elections, pending new challengers lining up for November, will essentially be decided as well, although they will still move on to the general election to make it official.
Then there are the executive committees for the two major political parties, and a few other single-candidate races.
Our choices Tuesday will help to determine our leadership for the next few years. They will speak for us. They will act on our behalf. They will make decisions which affect us all.
No matter how small or insignificant the ballot may appear, we must remember our decisions as voters still matter. These individuals, whether on the local, state or national level, will represent all of us once they are elected.