Everywhere you look both in the real world and online, people have big opinions about the state of the country right now. And most of the opinions aren’t favorable.

President Donald Trump’s approval rating is  at 37%, as of the end of January, down from 40% in the fall, and many people think the country is heading in the wrong direction as Trump attacks Iran and appears to be trying to bury the Epstein files.

While it’s important to get out frustrations by complaining to friends and family, or even posting about issues you’re passionate about online, there is something else a lot of people can do, but most don’t.

What’s that? Voting in the primary election. And primary election season is now kicking off in the U.S.

Roughly 80% of Americans don’t vote in primary elections, which dictate who shows up on the ballot in the general election ― and that has big implications on the politics in the country. Here’s what to know.

The primary election has a surprising amount of pull.

“Who those choices are in the general election really matter because when we think about the people who are voting in the general election, all they’re going to have are those choices that are on the ballot,” said Laurel Harbridge-Yong, a professor in the department of political science at Northwestern University. “So, if they feel like these are two awful choices, then things could have been different had they had different people come out of the primaries.”

“It’s funny because most races for the House are not competitive ... they’re largely in pretty red or pretty blue districts,” said Ben Sheehan, the author of the Politics Made Easy substack and “What Does the Constitution Actually Say?”

If you know that your congressional district or state is likely going to go red or blue based on history and your area’s voter makeup, then “the real action isn’t the general election, it’s the primary election where you’re picking the person who is most likely going to be the election winner if they make it out of the primary,” Sheehan explained. “I just don’t think people always realize that in most congressional districts and states, the primary election is really where the action is.”

Are you upset about what’s happening in the country? Concerned about the economy, foreign affairs or surveillance here at home? If your answer is yes, that’s your reason to vote in the primary election.

“These are all things that Congress has the ability to halt, put brakes on, check, reverse, etc.,” Sheehan said.

Many people are upset with Congress right now, posting things online like “Can someone who is smarter than me explain to me what the F**K Congress is doing right now?” and “WHERE IS CONGRESS?”

“Because of gridlock and other factors, lobbying and special interests and money, Congress has become stagnant,” Sheehan said.

The path to change could be getting new people elected into Congress, and this year’s primary is the time to do just that.

“This year, all of the House is up for election, as is a third of the Senate, so the vast majority of Congress is on the ballot, and that’s who actually can be a check on the president,” Sheehan said. “I think a lot of people don’t realize that the government was designed with Congress as the most powerful branch.”

While it’s common to hear the phrase “three coequal branches of government,” Sheehan said that isn’t entirely true.

“It’s very clear from the Constitution and our government’s design that Congress was meant to be the driving force and the engine of our government, more so than the president or the Supreme Court,” he said. “It really is Congress that has the ability to put an ultimate check on the President by stopping his legislative agenda.”

“You need both houses of Congress to pass a bill and the president to sign it in order to become law ... right now, the majority is so thin for the Republicans that already they’re having issues. If they lose one house of Congress, that pretty much guarantees a halt on any legislation moving through Congress that the president supports in the next term,” he continued.

“[Another] reason that I think that people should participate in primary elections is that my own research ― and other research in our field of political science ― has shown that legislators have incentives to be responsive to the people who participate in elections, and, more importantly, incentives to respond to the interests of people who participate in primary elections,” Harbridge-Yong said.

In a primary election, voters often vote on issue positions of a candidate, whether that’s their stance on abortion, gun rights, health care or any other issue, according to Harbridge-Yong. “And we know that the large fraction of people who participate in general elections are just going to vote the party line for the candidate, not really about whether a particular candidate was aligned with them or not aligned with them on a given issue.”

“There are a number of different types of primaries that affect both who can participate in them as voters and what choices they will have on the ballot,” Harbridge-Yong said.

For example, in some states, you have to be registered as either a Democrat or Republican to vote in the primary, while other states don’t have this rule.

“The National Conference of State Legislatures, which is ncsl.org, is a resource where you can find out what type of primary your state has and what the most up-to-date state laws and rules are around who can vote in your primary,” Sheehan said.

Once you understand if you can vote, you can make a plan to do so or take steps to gain eligibility.

As the country seemingly implodes around us, it’s easy to feel like there’s nothing you can do. Many folks are frustrated with their elected officials right now — but voting in the primary election could be the way you show them that you won’t allow their actions (or inaction) to continue.

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