FAIRMONT —
What are you doing on Saturday?
It’s the last weekend in August. Next weekend is set aside for Labor Day. That’s the last weekend of the summer. But what are you doing this weekend?
Maybe going swimming? Perhaps going shopping? Or maybe going out of town this weekend and staying home for the Mountaineer football game next weekend? You could have a picnic planned.
Regardless of what you might be doing, we hope you’re planning to vote on Saturday. That’s right. Vote.
In case you haven’t been keeping up with political things, Saturday is the primary election to select the Democrat and Republican candidates who will be on the ballot Nov. 2 — seeking a seat in the U.S. Senate.
And this will be a rare election in West Virginia — at least for the past 52 years. For the first time since 1958, the name of Robert C. Byrd is missing from the ballot. Byrd had held political office in West Virginia since 1958 and was first elected to the state House of Delegates in 1946.
Gov. Joe Manchin and two other Democrats and 10 Republicans, along with a Mountain Party candidate, will be seeking to be on the general election ballot in November to fill the vacancy created when Sen. Byrd passed away near the end of June. West Virginians, in recent years, knew this election would be coming up one of these days, and one of these days will finally be here tomorrow.
Many people have already voted. When asked how early voting had gone on Wednesday, one of the election officials at the courthouse precinct said “you don’t want to know!” It had gone very well. But many of these people, perhaps most of them, would probably have been at the polls had there not been early voting.
It’s sad that for an election in which candidates to succeed Sen. Byrd and appear on the general election ballot in November will be held, such a small turnout of voters is predicted. The final figure might be in the 20-25 percent range.
It is also unfortunate that this unusual election day could not have come on a weekday — when more people are out and about anyway.
We hope your plans for Saturday include a trip to the polls. That’s the way Sen. Byrd would have liked it, we feel certain.
Opinion
Let your voice be heard at polls during primary for Senate seat
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