To the Editor:

Are you concerned about taxes? Health care? Guns? Immigration? I am. I want to make sure there are candidates on the ballot in November who agree with my views. That's why I'm voting in the August 14 primary.

Historically, turnout for the primaries has been very low. This is in part because you can't vote in the primaries unless you are registered with a political party, and 42 percent of Connecticut voters are unaffiliated. As an unaffiliated voter, you have no say in which candidates are on the ballot in November. However, if you register for one of the political parties, which you can do right up to the day of the primary, you are still free to vote for any candidate on the ballot in November, so you can still be an independent thinker and voter. You can even switch parties up to three months before the primary.

Make sure our representative government represents you. If you're registered with a political party, vote in the primaries. And if you're not, go ahead and register with a political party, and then vote on August 14.

Edward Randall

86 Great Hill Road, Newtown June 19, 2018