Editorial: Every Pennsylvania vote matters

Elections often are talked about in terms of what makes them consequential.

An election is supposedly important because of a presidential year or the midterms when congressional seats are on the line. It ostensibly matters because it decides the governor or the attorney general or the state legislators.

That message is received by the electorate, as voter turnout is higher for the “important” elections. More people show up for presidential and gubernatorial decisions than the odd-numbered years when township supervisors and county sheriffs and school board members are on the ballot.

And no matter what year it is, more people show up for the general election than the primary.

Across the board, the problem is that every election is important.

For Pennsylvania, the state’s votes are increasingly important, not just inside its borders but to the country as a whole.

Today’s primary election is a perfect example.

Pennsylvanians are picking the Republican and Democratic nominees for governor and U.S. Senate on top of the state lawmaker seats. But listen to pundits and analysts, and the picks that matter are less about what the school teachers and bus drivers and retirees going to the polls think than it is the powerful people doing the endorsing.

Elections matter because they are the opportunity people have to make their own decisions, to exercise their constitutional rights and have their say.

Pennsylvania is more than a swing state. It is a pivot point, and that makes every Pennsylvania vote critically important.

The polls are open until 8 p.m. Make your vote count.