Editor’s Note
Back in the old days — that’s less than a decade and before there were such things as blogs and interactive conversations with readers — editors used to respond to their newspaper readers with an “editor’s note.” Sometimes it clarified a point made in a letter to the editor. Sometimes it offered a correction. Sometimes it was just a simple explanation. An editor’s note was a handful of sentences; maybe a four or five paragraphs. It was always a personal link between the editor and the reader. Only difference between it and today’s blog is the immediacy and the platform. Welcome to Editor’s Note.

I pulled a Republican ballot

December 30th, 2008 at 05:33pm Linda Grist Cunningham

I fess up: I pulled a Republican ballot in the last primary. And, you thought I was a Democrat. Oh, that’s right, I pulled a Democratic ballot the time before.

I hate Illinois’ system of partisan primaries. Primaries ought to be open, just like the general election. I hate going to the primary polls and having to “declare.” Not because I want to be known as a Republican or Democrat, but because I prefer voting for the best candidate in a race. I don’t give diddly for the party badge.

So, on primary day, I am forced to decide which ballot to pull that will give my vote the greater chance of making a difference. I pulled the Republican ballot this last time because I was pretty sure Illinois would choose Obama not Clinton in the primary, and I wanted to cast my vote in the Republican primary for state’s attorney. That’s just not the way voters should have to choose.

Pulling that GOP ticket does entitle me, though, to an unintended perk: I can now attend the Winnebago County GOP caucus at 5 p.m., Jan. 13 at Flinn Middle School. Care to join me?

Entry Filed under: Uncategorized

11 Comments Add your own

  • 1. Jared B.  |  December 30th, 2008 at 7:37 pm

    I just have to ask then… If you consider yourself to be a Democrat, why do you think you should have any say in who the Republicans select for the general election for State\’s Attorney?

  • 2. Milton Waddams  |  December 31st, 2008 at 11:44 am

    Good point.

  • 3. Linda Grist Cunningham  |  December 31st, 2008 at 11:53 am

    Not so much. I never said I consider myself a Democrat. I said I wanted a non-partisan primary so I could choose the candidate I preferred — regardless of the party affiliation.

    Direct quote: “…because I prefer voting for the best candidate in a race. I don’t give diddly for the party badge.”

    I have pulled Democratic ballots, Republican ballots and even the occasional non-party ballot, all depending on which candidates and which races were most important to me at the time.

  • 4. Milton Waddams  |  January 2nd, 2009 at 1:16 pm

    How would you have a non-partisan primary? A primary is by its nature a partisan election. What you would like is more akin to an Australian system with lots of candidates on the ballot with instant run-offs via 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices.

  • 5. Linda Grist Cunningham  |  January 2nd, 2009 at 1:22 pm

    Sorry, Milton; I misspoke Re: “non-partisan.” I should have said “open primary.” There are open primaries in other states. I simply meant that I should be able to do as I do in a general election: Pull one ballot and vote for the candidate regardless of party.

  • 6. Linda Grist Cunningham  |  January 2nd, 2009 at 1:26 pm

    Here’s a good link to lots of definitions of various primaries: http://www.answers.com/topic/primary-election

  • 7. Johnny Blaze  |  January 5th, 2009 at 7:13 am

    My God Women, Was this supposed to be a surprise ?

    Are you really that self deluded or is it that you believe the rest of the world is that stupid ?

    The fact of the matter is that anyone possessing a functioning
    cerebral cortex could have deducted this piece of so called
    Breaking news in their sleep.

    Your disastrous oversight of the Rrstar Forum proved this long ago.

    As the Bush Administration began its disastrous rush towards ruin, that forum became a sounding board to many folks in Rockford and the surrounding area.
    There was a time when thirty to forty people would take the time out of their busy days to comment on his latest atrocity
    Every day of the week and twice on Saturday.

    Sure, it was a hard sell for your stable of far right wing lunatics,
    But the responses to their nonsense was pointed and truthful,
    That is until YOU began to involve your non partisan self by allowing these lunatics free reign by eliminating anyone who would dare disagree.

    Proof?
    The proof is the shell that exist today of what once was a crowded vibrant local discussion board.
    All that is left today are a few of your favorite
    Right Wing lunatics still trying to convince the world that George W Bush is the best president the U.S has ever had.

    Congratulations, you single handedly won the forum for the lunatics and Dubya as you tell us you pulled a republican ballot !!!!

    As Gomer used to say, Surprise, Surprise, Surprise.

    P.S
    I’ll bet you get at least two or three people a week posting there now

    So let me be the first to say, Good Riddens, And so long.

    Try a job more suited to your personality like mail room jockey

  • 8. Jared B.  |  January 6th, 2009 at 7:26 pm

    I admit that I decided to interpret your first paragraph as implying that you consider yourself to be a Democrat.

    If you identify yourself as neither Republican nor Democrat, then why should the primaries matter to you at all? Those primaries are for the parties, not the independents.

    I realize that many States have moved to an Open Primary format… But that just seems to me as a bloated sense of entitlement. “There’s an election (primary) going on, and I want a right to vote in it!” But I don’t understand why somebody believes it to be his/her right without declaring a Party Membership.

  • 9. Jared B.  |  January 6th, 2009 at 7:31 pm

    “What you [Linda Grist Cunningham] would like is more akin to an Australian system with lots of candidates on the ballot with instant run-offs via 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices.”

    I DO love the idea of instant run-offs…

  • 10. Milton Waddams  |  January 7th, 2009 at 9:08 am

    I read the definitions from the link you posted. Based on those definitions, Illinois has an Open Primary now. I am a Registered Democrat. Each Primary season, I get a sample ballot for each party and decide which ballot I am going to ask for.
    As I said before, what you would prefer is an Australian system. However, that system doesn’t work with the 2 party system like we have. It requires multiple parties that aren’t so utterly dominant. As a result, I don’t foresee anything changing anytime soon.

  • 11. Jared B.  |  January 7th, 2009 at 5:57 pm

    How does it not work with the 2 party system? Why does it require multiple parties that aren’t so utterly dominant?

    I imagine that voters would be not as afraid to vote for “3rd-party” candidates if they knew that (should their candidate be eliminated by run-off) their vote would still be counted for/against the top two choices. No?

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