Early voting for Lamar County residents begins Monday, May 14^th, at the Old Post Office, 231 Lamar Ave., in Paris.    Mail-in ballots will be accepted until Friday, May 25^th.   

On Tuesday, May 29^th, the remainder of Lamar County voters will go to the polls to select their candidates for this fall’s General Election.    Those who will vote early or who have voted by mail, as well as those voting on May 29th, have been deluged with campaign mail, phone calls from candidates, and countless yard signs.  They have listened to radio ads, watched TV pitches, attended political forums, and, yes, maybe have answered the knock on the door by an eager office-seeker.   There has been much information to absorb in a relatively short period of time (the painful extensions of the voting date not withstanding).   The voters now approach the treasured opportunity of casting their ballots for specific candidates.

However, even before entering the voting booth, Democrats and Republicans will be making a choice:  “which political party best reflects my philosophy and belief concerning the governance of my precinct, county, district, state, and country.”  That initial assessment determines the answer to the first question asked of each voter at the polling location, “Will you be voting in the Democrat Primary or the Republican Primary?”

Why is it important to choose wisely concerning the political party in whose primary you will vote?    What difference does it make if a Constable candidate has a “D” or an “R” behind his/her name?    Will a Democrat Sheriff or a Republican Sheriff run the jail differently based on their political affiliation?  Will a County Commissioner, Democrat or Republican, ever make a decision on a critical social issue such as the sanctity of life?  How often have you heard, “I vote for the man, not the party.”?    Ever hear, “It doesn’t make any difference, they’re all the same”.   Oh, really?   Are all candidate’s philosophies the same, regardless of their political connection?  Can anyone determine the core beliefs of candidates based on the political party with which they filed?    Not only can you determine the values and viewpoints of candidates based on their political association, you can often predict the future behavior and policies of the candidates should they choose to seek higher offices in the future.   

Skeptical?   Need proof that party affiliation matters?   In the 1980s a bright, young, dynamic community organizer worked on the South Side of Chicago.    Gifted and ambitious, he then was elected as a Democrat to the Illinois State Senate.   He had greater political aspirations and was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate.  While in the Illinois Senate and the U.S. Senate his liberal beliefs, speeches, and his far-left voting records alerted conservatives as to what his future policies would be should he seek a higher office.   In 2008 he was elected to the highest office in our land.   Since then, his leadership pronouncements from the White House are an incredibly accurate reflection of his previous liberal policies.

So, does any of this have anything to do with the local elections in Lamar County?  Yes, they certainly do.   Those candidates running on the Republican ticket have aligned themselves with the platform of the Republican Party.  They have made a commitment to the voters of the Lamar County that they stand for individual responsibility, small government, fiscal conservative policy, traditional social values, lower taxes, marriage between a man and a woman, free enterprise unencumbered by excessive regulation, and sure justice with stiff penalties, truth in sentencing, and the absence of judicial activism.

These are the core principles of the Republican Party of Texas.  This is what we stand for.  This is what our candidates stand for.   If you, too, believe in these values I suggest that you are a Republican, regardless of how you have voted in the past.   

So you really can “…vote for the man, not the party…”.    Just be certain that the man (and his political party) believe in the same values in which you believe.

John Kruntorad

Chairman

Lamar County Republican Party