Single-issue voters aggravate me but this is no ordinary issue

To The Daily Sun,

Summer has been lovely here in New Hampshire. But now, voters need to do a quick pivot to political primary to focus attention on the Tuesday, Sept. 9 Primary Election.

Why? New Hampshire's undeclared or independent voters have an unusual opportunity at the polls. Ordinarily, the primary contests are drab and dull, not much is at stake until the general election. So ordinarily, many of us take a snooze. But this is one of the rare opportunities when our vote can really make a difference.

Scott Brown's campaign for the New Hampshire Senate brings out the cynicism in me. Defeated in Massachusetts, he seems to think it's okay to just switch states and try again ... as if constituents are exchangeable, or expendable and it doesn't really matter who you represent as long as you have the big money behind you backing your campaign.

New Hampshire voters are an independent breed. We take our political responsibilities seriously. We don't fall for slick, surface stuff. We know how to vet candidates and hold them to a high standard of integrity and accountability.

In fact, over 40 percent of New Hampshire voters are undeclared or independent. Whether we lean Democrat or Republican, left or right, many of us reserve the right to cast our votes in whatever manner is most effective. We put certain principles above party politics: Integrity, fairness, character, sound judgment.

At the polls on Tuesday, this Independent will take a Republican ballot and vote for Jim Rubens to become the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate. The reason is as profound as it is simple. Jim Rubens has agreed to make campaign finance reform a centerpiece of his campaign platform. Scott Brown has not. Period. End of story.

Ordinarily single-issue voters aggravate me. But this is no ordinary issue, and this is no ordinary time. Our political system is broken and and we need to fix it.

Even if we feel cynical about our political system, we cannot succumb to feeling cynical about the power New Hampshire voters. We are not mere pawns of the big name, big money political players. Most of us hate political games. But all of us have to recognize that we are inside of one big strategic contest and to sit on the sidelines means checkmate for the people. It's our move.

It's time we let our politicians know that there is no more important issue to their constituents, to the voters, to the citizens of this country. There are some issues which are fundamental. Getting the corrupting influence of big money out of politics in one of these fundamentals. Nothing else matters until we get this accomplished. Nothing.

Vote smart. Send big money and Scott Brown back to Massachusetts.

Marcia Morris

Hebron