South Carolina’s senior senator Fritz Hollings announced Monday he will not run for re-election to the U.S. Senate. Fed up with partisan politics, he said he’s calling it quits.

Like many believers in democracy, I’ve been frustrated with partisan politics for some time. Politicians and political-minded people seem to think advancement of the party’s agenda is a higher cause than what’s good for the people. Common sense is thrown out with the bath water (stealing one of mom’s clichés). And it’s not just one party. Republicans and democrats alike are guilty.

Since the advance of e-mail, I get lambasted with the extreme views of every political entity with a computer, Internet access and a cause.

I get e-mails from the South Carolina Democratic Leadership Council, the Republican National Convention, the Columbia Christian Coalition, the Black Commentator, the Muslim American Coalition, etc., and then there are the politicians. Each entity is advancing their own narrow views, usually by putting down other’s agendas.

It’s amazing to me how an action will take place in a particular government body (House or Senate, state or U.S.) and I’ll get e-mails from various political entities, each taking full credit for the same action.

It’s amazing to me how, in all of these communications, the other side never has a good idea. I’d say chances are good that occasionally the democrats will have a good idea that is good for the country. I’m pretty sure the republicans have a good idea every now and again that would be good for America. Neither side would ever admit the other side has a valid point.

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The primaries are rapidly approaching. Scheduled for June 8, 2004, talk is already circulating about real and potential candidates for the upcoming election. The South Carolina election process is a perfect example of partisan politics at its worst.

I can already see it coming. I’m going to be faced with the same dilemma I faced in 2002. Because I am forced to declare a party affiliation to vote in the primary, I will not be allowed to vote for certain races or candidates.

For example, in April 2002, I wanted to vote for a particular local candidate in the Democratic Party and another in a completely different office in the republican race. The local candidate in the democratic primary was unopposed by a republican candidate. In this particular race, this was the final election.

Regardless of the party affiliation choice I made, I was robbed of the opportunity to support my candidate. Because of how the process is structured, I was not able to fully participate in the democratic process.

The choice I made was to vote Democratic in the local office primary and let John McCain fend for himself. I felt like my vote for a local candidate would count more than the vote for the national office. I shouldn’t have had to make that choice.

There is a simple solution to this problem. Although not perfect, it is certainly better than the non-democratic, partisan politics approach we have now.

A better way would be for voters to declare an affiliation and get the appropriate ballot to vote in either the democrat or republican primary. In cases where all candidates in the primary are of the same party (county council, mayor, city council, school board, auditor, treasurer, etc.) everybody gets to vote for that office, regardless of party affiliation.

For example, if you have three candidates running as democrats for a county council seat and no republican running, then the contest is put on both the democrat and republican ballots.

I’m with Fritz. I want to move away from partisan politics. I want the opportunity to vote for the person, not the party. Although my plan is not perfect, this would be a step in the right direction.

But it will never happen. Too much partisan politics going on.