Americans have a twisted relationship with democracy. We’ll torch city blocks and flip cars in the streets over political grievances, yet when primary elections roll around – the very moment we could actually seize control of who represents us – we sit on our asses and scroll TikTok.
The numbers are a national embarrassment. While general elections might see 60% turnout, primary participation often languishes at a pathetic 30%. We wait until November, then act shocked and outraged when we’re forced to choose between two candidates who make us want to vomit. By then, we’re just picking our poison. The real decisions have been made by a small fraction of voters, while corporate vultures and special interests have already carved up the carcass of our democracy.
The solution is so blindingly obvious it hurts: show up when it matters most. Primary elections are our chance to nominate candidates who actually give a damn about regular people, not just those who’ve stuffed their pockets with corporate cash. It’s like screaming about food poisoning at a restaurant after ignoring multiple invitations to help hire the chef.
But we haven’t figured this out yet, have we? Maybe we’re too busy crafting the perfect angry tweet. Or perhaps we think the primary process is just too complicated – though somehow we’ve mastered the byzantine rules of fantasy football and March Madness brackets. Whatever our excuse, our failure to show up for primaries is like watching someone slash our tires and responding by setting our own house on fire.
The irony would be hilarious if it weren’t so tragic. We’ll rage on social media until our fingers bleed, march until our feet are raw, and scream ourselves hoarse about the system’s corruption. Yet when it comes to the single most effective way to break the machine – showing up for primary elections – we’re nowhere to be found.
Here’s the brutal truth: If you’re not voting in primaries, you’re not just part of the problem – you’re actively helping the very people you claim to hate. They’re counting on your apathy. They’re banking on your absence. And every primary election you skip is a gift-wrapped present to the corporate elite you love to rail against. The choice is yours: Keep performing your outrage for social media likes, or show up and actually do something about it. Primary season is coming. What’s it going to be?
#DemocracyInAction #PrimaryMatters #VoterPower #SystemicChange