On August 10 Connecticut Republicans will once again have the opportunity to express their choices for state and federal elected office. It is not a coincidence that at a time when the stakes are so high with increasing public debt, out of control public spending and a dangerous international landscape, that we have such an impressive selection of candidates with experience and talents honed in the private and public sectors. If you have not yet had a chance to examine the candidates and their positions as closely as you would like, you can go to www.ctgop.org/candidates to better familiarize yourself. While the Party Convention has identified the endorsed candidates, other candidates that qualify can continue to vie for your vote. Competition is good and it is alive and well in the Connecticut Republican Party.

One person, one vote is a core concept of our political system. Regardless of the size of your house or your savings account, you have an equal opportunity to influence the outcome of the upcoming primary election. But with that opportunity, comes the responsibility to vote. With mid-August being a popular vacation time, if you find that you will not be in town don’t forget to vote by absentee ballot.  An absentee ballot must be received by the Town Clerk at the last mail delivery (usually 6pm) the evening of August 10th to be included in the end of night ballot count. You can go to the town website www.ridgefieldct.org and click on the Registrar’s Office to download an application for an absentee ballot at any time, send it to the Clerk’s Office, and the Clerk will send you the ballot. Or you can pick up an application at the Clerk’s Office. Although we may go on vacation, the domestic and international issues confronting us will not take such a break.

The Republican Party’s core principles of limited government, lower taxes and government spending and celebrating individual initiative and success are a proven recipe for a thriving economy and society. Both our country and Connecticut are in dire need of recommitting to these principles as they have defined “American exceptionalism” since its inception. The candidates running for office must demonstrate their commitment to these principles to ensure a future of opportunity for our children and beyond. This is not about ideology, this is about what works. And, it is about what has made the United States of America a country to which people from all over the world come to for opportunity. We can preserve that or we can slip into mediocrity and dependency.

So please make you voices heard. We have witnessed how powerful our voices can be when we stand up to policies that seek to erode our freedoms, our personal property and our choices. We have come to a crossroads in our country’s and our state’s future. We can seize this moment or let it slip away by being silent. Calling all Republicans, please vote August 10 in our party’s primary election.

James Carroll

Chairman Ridgefield Republican Town Committee