Mid January, we will be hosting a mock primary election right here at Malden High. Last week, we talked about how your vote matters and to prove that it does, each and every student in this school will be voting in this election. We’ve held a mock election here in the school earlier in this year for the councilor at large election and those candidates were very interested in what the turnouts were. They were excited to hear about what the students at Malden High had to say and this is the impact that we have in our community. If you are going to be under 18 before the primary or general elections, you have the power to influence the adults in your life to be informed and vote for the person that you think would be best for our country.
The primary election can arguably be the most important part of the presidential election process. In Massachusetts, we have an open primary, meaning that any registered voter can choose either a Republican or Democratic ballot regardless of what party they are registered to. The reason why the primary election is so important is because we are basically choosing our next president at this election. There are currently 14 Republican and 3 Democratic candidates, making our decision that much more crucial because we need to vet these candidates and pick the absolute best one. By the end of the primaries, we will have two presidential nominees and one of them will be our next president.
The way it works is that first, the common citizens of the United States go to the voting locations that they are registered in and request the ballot of their choosing; either a Republican or a Democratic ballot. On this ballot, voters will either choose one out of the fourteen Republicans or one of the three Democrats who they think will be a good presidential candidate. After the people vote, all of the Republican votes go the Republican delegates while the Democratic votes go to the Democratic delegates. Then, these delegates from each state take into account what the votes from the people were and take them to the National Convention of their respective parties. Here, the delegates from all 50 states come together to choose and present their nominee for the next President of the United States.
The primaries are crucial in the election process. Some of you will be able to vote in the real primaries this year and that can be very exciting! But if you are like me and you’re not 18 by the time the real primaries roll around, you can take part in our mock primaries and influence the adults in your life or your friends who are 18 years old to vote your way. Make your voice known and make these primary votes count because they determine who our next leader will be.
