Tomorrow, voters in this parish and the state will cast their ballots in the primary election to choose a candidate of their respective political party to run for the U.S. Senate in November’s general election.

That doesn’t sound very exciting does it? Historically, voter turnout for primaries has been low. We think that is a sad state of affairs, and we urge you to go vote tomorrow. If not to exercise your legal right to pick a representative, at least cast your ballot in a primary that will be historic for two reasons.

First, this will be the last closed primary election for Congressional candidates. The Legislature passed, and the governor signed into law that after the general election in November, all primaries will be open. Currently under the closed primary system, a Republican voter has to vote for a Republican candidate, Democrats for Democrats and so forth.

Under an open primary system, any voter can vote for any candidate in a primary regardless of their political affiliation. So, if you vote tomorrow, you can tell your kids you voted in the last closed primary.

If that doesn’t excite you, think of this fact. For the first time in Louisiana history, the Libertarian Party will be eligible for a primary, and there are two Libertarian candidates running, one of which will meet the Democratic and Republican candidates in November. If you would like to see a local Libertarian in the Senate, well, one of the two candidates is from Mandeville. That’s pretty local.

If you are not registered with any political party, you are eligible to vote for any of the candidates, except for the Republicans. So, all you independent voters out there will finally have a chance to vote for either a Democrat, Libertarian or Reform Party candidate. You won’t have to wait for the November election to make your voice heard.

OK, if none of those reasons convinces you to vote, then just remember, it is your right and duty to vote. Soldiers from the Revolutionary War to the war in Afghanistan have died to protect that right. It is your vote that will decide what laws are passed and how your tax money is spent. Go and vote.

It’s the right thing to do.