Friday, March 05, 2010

County Needs To Change Election Method
Change Needed In County Elections




The current system for the elections of county officials is flawed. Currently we have a partisan primary election with the winners facing off in a November election.
In the recent primary election many ran unopposed in their primary and some offices had primary races for one party but none in any other. Therefore if a candidate wins his primary and there was no primary in other parties then that person has won the seat.
This is basically unfair. This means that all voters who are independents or belong to opposing parties get no say in the election for that position.
Partisan politics should have no place in the election of County Commissioners or in judicial races.
Just as the City Council elections do not indulge in party politics, the County should follow suit.
In the past primary the Commissioner for Precinct 4 had a primary opponent and he lost. Since there was no Democrat running the winner of the Republican primary will be the next commissioner for that seat.
It is a certainty that there are many people in Nueces County who are not Republicans would vote for the incumbent but will not get that chance, they will have no one to cast their vote for.
This is wrong and should be changed.
Ideally a number of candidates for an office should be able to file and have themselves presented to the voters. If none of that group obtains 50% or more of the vote then the two top vote getters would have a runoff.
This way all of the voters would get their say, that’s the fair way to do it.
To change this would require an amemmndement to the State Constitution. That is a tall order but every general election in Texas finds amendments on the ballot. This is one that should be proposed.

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