I've noted several people on Clay Sun state their happiness that independent/write-in candidates are running for several Clay.  My impression is they feel this gives the voters greater choice of candidates and that having the election take place in November is a greater exercise in democracy.

     I have a few problems with this.  Let me know if I am wrong on any of these points.

1)     If all of the candidates are Republicans, then it becomes an open election for all registered voters and in most cases there will be two or more Republican candidates to choose from.  The dynamics change when a Democrat, independent, or write in announce their candidacy.  In this case the Republican primary becomes closed to all except Republicans, and in November one Republican will go up against (this year) one independent.

     In most cases this causes the voters to ultimately have fewer choices

Office                   Rep       others          #of candidate choices          # of choices if all ran as

                                                             at election                        Republicans

School super          2               1                      2                                  3

Chair                     1               1                      2                                  2

District 1                 3              1                      2                                  4

District 3                 3              1                      2                                  4

District 5                 4              1                      2                                  5

2)     Clay county is about 60% Republican, 25% Democrat, 15% independent.  Considering the Republican domination of the government and the absense of a viable Democratic party, I'm guessing that Clay votes very heavily along party lines.  For an independent to win they would have take all of the Democrat and independent vote, and at least 10% of the Republican vote.  That's a pretty tall order; unless the independent has a very strong campaign they are going to lose. 

     The result of this is that all democrats and independents are closed out from voting from the pool of Republican candidates which more than likely contains the eventual winner. 

3)     A side-effect  of a closed Republican primary is that the candidates only have to appeal to Republican voters rather than all voters.  This will tend to result in a nominee that appeals to a more ideologically Republican electorate.  I speculate this will result in nominees that appeal to an older electorate, and in November the single Republican will probably walk to victory past an independent competitor.

Conclusion: Rather than providing voters of all parties with more choices, the inclusion of independents probably limits the viable candidates to just those who appeal to the most Republicans in a closed primary. 

     I understand that all qualifying candidates have a right to run with whatever affiliation they choose.  What I have failed to see is how independents offer "more" choices or how they vary significantly from the Republicans, and neither do I see the Republican candidates as being identical with each other.

     If anyone can explain to me how any independent candidate is a  alternative to their Republican competitors, I would be glad to hear it. 

We hear a lot about prosperity these days but I say, why can't we have a prosperity built on peace rather than prosperity  built on war?  Why can't we have prosperity and an honest government in Washington, D.C., at the same time.  Believe me, we can.

Richard Nixon