Lincoln County voters will once again headto the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots in this year’s politicalparty primary elections.

    And once again – at least in some contests – Lincoln County voterswill not be able to truly vote for all the candidates of theirchoice.

    That is because Mississippi continues to use a system that forcesvoters to choose in which party’s primary – either Republican orDemocratic – they will cast a ballot. They may vote in one or theother, but not both.

    For some voters, this will be a particularly difficult choice.

    For instance, some Lincoln Countians may want to support CindyHyde-Smith in her bid to become state commissioner of agriculturein the Republican primary, or vote for a particular candidate inthe three-person GOP primary race for Hyde-Smith’s old seat inSenate District 39.

    Bill Boerner and Sally Doty, both from Lincoln County, are in therace with Dave Nichols from Monticello in that contest on theRepublican side. Lawrence County voters will face the same primarychoice dilemma in whether to back Nichols in the GOP race or toparticipate in county Democratic contests.

    However, because of the state’s party primary system, voting in theRepublican primary could preclude those participants from having asay in such local races as county supervisor or superintendent ofeducation. Because there are no Republican candidates seeking theoffices, some of those races – like the superintendent’s contest -effectively will be decided in the Democratic primary.

    It must be noted that Republicans are fielding more candidates inincreasingly competitive local races, so the November generalelection will take on a little more meaning. Still, far more localraces will be decided in the primary stage on the Democratic sidethan on the Republican side.

    This is not a partisan lament.

    Those who vote in the Democratic primary will have no say indeciding who will be Mississippi’s next lieutenant governor,certainly one of the most powerful offices in statewide government.A Reform Party candidate may appear on the November ballot, but thenext lieutenant governor will in all likelihood be a Republican,either Tate Reeves or Billy Hewes, since there are no Democraticcandidates for the office.

    It also must be noted that voters who participate in one party’sprimary Tuesday will not be able to “switch over” and vote in anyrunoffs in the other party on Aug. 23. Voters must remainRepublican or Democrat throughout the primary process.

     So where does all of thisleave voters? Unfortunately, in the same predicament they’ve beenin for years at primary election time.

    Efforts to modify Mississippi’s primary to a system in which voterscould choose a Republican candidate in one race and a Democraticcandidate in another have failed over the years.

    That failure could be attributed to some politicians’ lack of adesire to change the current system but also is because priorefforts have been unsuccessful in persuading the U.S. JusticeDepartment to allow a change. Under the Voting Rights Act, anychanges in Mississippi election laws must win “pre-clearance” fromthe federal legal agency.

    Unlike some other states, Mississippi does technically have an openprimary system because citizens do not have to declare anallegiance to be able to vote in a particular party’s primary. Inthe strictest sense of a closed primary system, a person must be adeclared member of a particular party to be able to vote in itsprimary.

    Granted, Mississippians are open to choose in whichparty’s primary they will vote. However, under the current system,doing so will close them off to candidate options in theother party’s primary.

    Mississippi’s primary system is in need of change. Voters who showup at the polls Tuesday expecting to be able to vote for aDemocratic candidate in one race and a Republican in another willfind out how just how much of a change is needed.