Primary elections are more than a way to decide each party's candidates. They present a valuable opportunity for voters to take a good look at candidates, listen to and read their positions on issues, and really get to know who they are and where they stand. Her opponent, now-Judge Vern Preston, had a definite advantage in having a competitor in the primary, she felt. It allowed him to get his name out in public far more effectively than the advertising campaign Mrs. Candler mounted instead. It also gave his campaign workers the extra excitement of feeling that they were backing a winner.
Primaries unquestionably inject vitality into the political process.
Healthy competition is something we've been sorely lacking in Hancock County for a long time. Without that element, it's difficult for voters to get fired up enough about any local candidate to bother to do their job. The incentive is just not there. The local parties, both Republican and Democratic, should use every means at their disposal to encourage and even recruit good people to run for office. If possible, every primary should offer contests in both parties so voters have a choice.