Our View

Pennsylvania’s Primary Election Day is today.

It would be hard indeed for anyone to be unaware of that fact, given the blanket coverage across the state by the media and the presidential candidates for the past six weeks.

Most years, Pennsylvania’s presidential primary falls far too late to make any real difference in who wins each party’s nomination. That’s still true this year for the Republicans, but the closeness of the Democratic contest means that the Pennsylvania results may determine who represents the party in the general election.

If Sen. Barack Obama wins the Democratic primary, that will probably mean an end for Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign. If she wins by a large margin, that will strengthen her argument that, although behind in the delegate count, she is better at winning the big states necessary for a general election victory.

Republicans who are not fully behind Sen. John McCain, the GOP nominee, can still cast protest votes for social conservative Gov. Mike Huckabee or small-government, anti-war Ron Paul.

In addition to voting directly for the nominees, citizens will also be electing delegates to send to the party conventions. That may be especially important for Democrats, who may see a brokered convention with multiple votes if the nomination race continues that long.

State offices

Although most of the attention this year has focused on the presidential race, other contests are going on that should not be forgotten.

None of the U.S. or state legislative seats in the Phoenixville area are contested in the primary election, but the Pennsylvania Treasurer’s office is up for grabs among four Democrats: Dennis Morrison-Wesley, John F. Cordisco, Jennifer L. Mann and Robert McCord.

Local decision

Finally, Charlestown Township is asking residents whether they favor using a 0.5 percent earned-income tax hike (raising the total to one percent) to preserve, conserve and acquire open-space property interests, open-space uses and farmland. The tax hike is already planned, but a “yes” vote will dedicate it to open space, rather than allowing it to be used in other ways.

So there are some very important reasons to vote today. Important choices are being made on national, state and local levels.

The first and most important choice to be made is whether you will participate in the process. Polls open at 7 p.m.; you have until 8 p.m. tonight to make your voice heard.