Success of primary up to voters (5/5/03)

If one measure of small town electoral politics is the number of yard signs, then this year's primary election should be a great one.

But the real measure of any elections isn't signs or newspaper advertising or radio advertising.

It's votes.

And that depends not on campaign strategies or the size of the war chest, but on the voter.

In other words, Tuesday is up to you.

We can't remember a time when so many candidates have battled for the Republican and Democratic nominations for mayor of Portland. It's a busy, interesting, and diverse field on both sides of the ballot.

Folks who prefer to sit at home and grumble that their votes don't matter don't have any ammunition for their arguments.

Their votes do matter. Few things matter more in a democracy.

While this newspaper does often make endorsements in the general election, it's our policy to stand silent during primary contests. Both parties ought to be focused on putting forward the best possible candidate for next fall, and any endorsement would probably just complicate the situation.

So there's nothing to come between the voters and the candidates.

They've put themselves up for consideration, and its the voters job to take that consideration seriously.

And when they've considered, there's just one thing to do: Vote. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]