“I am sorry, sir, but you cannot buy a drink here. This is a private club. You must be a member to buy a drink.”

That statement is sensible. I have heard it being spoken to people at the Brookville Firemen’s Club.”

Ah, but what if the reply is, “I am a member!”

Upon verifying that, the bartender will serve the drink, all other things (age, sobriety, etc.) being equal.

But what happened at voting precincts last Tuesday?

“I am sorry, sir, but you cannot vote here. This is a closed primary election. Only those who have registered as Democrats or Republicans can vote in this primary election.”

That rankles me.

I pay taxes to my township, school district, county and state. The county (Jefferson County, in my case) oversees staffing and other expenses related to the election we just had on June 2, delayed as it was by the COVID virus lockdown.

So why can’t I vote?

In 21 other states that have advanced further beyond the 19th Century than Pennsylvania has, open primary elections are available in one form or another.

Closed primaries disenfranchise some of the voters whose taxes pay for the costs of those elections.

That is taxation without representation.

Why can’t I vote in whichever taxpayer-funded primary election I choose?

Fear, that’s why.

The political hacks who enjoy cushy jobs, outrageously generous pensions and free meals nearly every day, bought by someone seeking to influence them, are afraid of open primaries.

Libertarians like me might vote in Democratic Party primary elections! We might vote for candidates who are not endorsed by those political hacks! We might even write in the names of (Shudder!) Republicans, Libertarians or independents in that Democratic Party voting!

Note the exclamation points. Can’t you just hear the rising shrillness in their voices? They are terrified that ordinary people will actually use their votes to run things differently.

As it happens, I did vote in the June 2 election, as a Democrat.

I “played the game.” The political hacks decree that to vote Democrat or Republican, I must have registered as same, usually a month or more ahead of the primary election.

So, each January, I look at what is likely to be the primary election ballot. I pay particular attention to the races and candidates in non-presidential years. The folks who run my township, school district and county have a lot more to say about my quality of life locally than do the political hacks in Harrisburg or Washington. In my area, Republicans usually win general elections, so I often re-register as a Republican.

Early this year, however, I thought the Democrats offered a more interesting choice of presidential candidates, with Donald Trump assured of Republican nomination. Politically, I detest Trump; in personal terms, I wish him a long life and a happy death, far away from politics. So I voted on June 2 with an eye toward which Democrat would be best positioned to defeat him. Other people voted for Trump, to keep him in office for four more years. That is fine for them, but not for me.

As soon as I finish writing this, I will switch back to registering as a Libertarian. They look great by comparison. Libertarians have never had a chance to control either Pennsylvania government or the federal government.

Naturally, never having run anything, they have no record to criticize. They just have their political philosophy, generally conservative on money matters and “do your own thing” laissez-faire attitudes toward everything from marijuana to religion.

I like that.

If the political parties want to continue to hold closed primary elections, let’s abolish government-run elections. Let all the Republicans vote in one big picnic tent in Jefferson County. Let the Democrats do the same. Let the parties pay the costs; rent the fairgrounds for the day, or the week of party voting.

Otherwise, let’s open it up. I should be able to choose whichever party I prefer on primary election day, as long as my taxes go toward paying the bill. At the Brookville Firemen’s Club, I can choose whether to drink wine, beer, whiskey, gin, cola, ginger ale, water … whatever, because my membership dues help to pay the costs of running the club.

Political hacks hold on to power by keeping the system as it is, going back decades, even centuries. To political hacks, change endangers their incomes, or their influence or even their false feeling of moral superiority over people in another political party.

So I voted last Tuesday as a Democrat. By the time this is published, I will have changed back to Libertarian.

What about 2021? Ask me in February or March, after I see who is running.

¯ ¯ ¯

Denny Bonavita is a former editor at newspapers in DuBois and Warren. He lives near Brookville. Email: denny2319@windstream.net.