There's something different about this one. It's an election, but it's more than that. Today's primary is also about defining - and perhaps redefining - our two major political parties.
The voters can sense that: Nearly 683,000 North Carolina voters - 10.5 percent of those registered - cast ballots in the early-voting period that ended on Saturday. In 2012, the last presidential primary, there were 492,000 early-voting ballots cast, which was 7.8 percent of registered voters at the time. This year's turnout is a state record for early voting.
Does that predict a big turnout for today's election? Perhaps. Great weather and a ballot loaded with big contests will help.
But the leading candidates for president in both parties are also opening the door to choices about where the Democratic and Republican parties are headed.
For Democrats, the decision is whether to continue the centrist Clinton course that the party has steered for more than two decades, or to take a sharp left turn and embrace a self-described socialist.
For Republicans, the choices are wider-ranging and even more dramatic: from a pragmatic conservative like John Kasich, to harder-line right-wingers like Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, to the raging demagoguery of Donald Trump, whose political philosophy is largely defined by anger.
There are plenty of state and local choices on the ballot today too. That includes two Democrats and three Republicans running for governor, four Democrats and four Republicans seeking a U.S. Senate seat, and a spirited Republican scrum on Rep. Renee Ellmers' right, seeking to kick her out of her District 2 congressional seat.
And yes, that last contest, as well as the one for the congressional seat in District 7, is still on the ballot, even though the courts have forced a redistricting effort. The State Board of Elections recommends that all voters choose their candidates in those races anyway, because litigation continues and there's no way to know if more changes are coming, or if the old district lines will live to see one more election.
And then there are the bond issues. Voters statewide will decide on a $2 billion infrastructure initiative that will fund building on college campuses and state parks. And in Fayetteville, voters will decide on a $35 million parks-and-recreation bond issue.
It's all important stuff, best decided by as much of the electorate as possible. Small turnouts benefit special interests. Big turnouts benefit the rest of us.
Please vote today. It matters.
And don't forget your photo ID.
