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Next week, 20 percent or fewer of registered voters will turn out for Michigan's primary election.

(AP File Photo)

Living in Michigan often means enduring winter for five months (six if you're in the U.P.). So a few glorious, sweltering August days makes it all seem worth it.

The sun's lackadaisical return means hitting the road or the beach and (vainly) attempting to forget the polar vortex.

Unfortunately in Michigan, our primary elections hit during these August doldrums. It's been theorized that's why so few people vote in them.

That's too bad – and it's not just because you make the good government gods cry with every unused ballot.

The truth is if you skip the Aug. 5 election, you probably won't have many real choices when you do get around to voting in November.

OK, your eyes are glazing over. You're glancing longingly at your beach towel, dogeared paperback and sunscreen.

But if you're sick of politics, this is probably one reason why. (Grating nonstop TV ads are likely another, but I sadly can't do anything about that).

Have you ever muttered that your vote doesn't really count? Have you ever shown up at 7:55 p.m. to do your civic duty and wondered why you didn't just head to the latest Marvel movie instead?

That makes some sense in November, when many elections have essentially already been decided.

How's that?

Most of us live in legislative and congressional districts that heavily favor either Democrats or Republicans. This week, I was a panelist at a forum in Flint for the 34th House District, which Inside Michigan Politics pegs as 89.7 percent Democratic.

That means whichever Democrat wins the primary is almost a lock to be elected in November, regardless of how qualified s/he is. There just aren't enough GOP or independent voters to overcome those odds.

And that's true across the state. Four of 14 congressional seats are competitive for Democratic and Republican candidates. But odds are, no seats will flip parties this year (although there will be new faces with several retirements).

On paper, 12 Senate districts of 38 are competitive -- but in reality, only four will truly prove to be in November. There are 28 marginal House districts, but the parties will spend serious money fighting for less than a dozen seats.

How did this happen? Every 10 years, lawmakers set new boundaries in the redistricting process few people pay attention to. Democrats and Republicans alike want as many safe districts as possible, where they're practically guaranteed victory. They have to spend big money to win competitive seats -- a big disincentive.

As I wrote in a Center for Michigan report in 2011, politicians basically get to pick their voters.

But we contribute to the problem by not participating in August primary elections. You may not be a Democrat, but if you skip voting in the Dem primary in an 89-percent district, you've essentially forfeited your say in who your next state rep will be.

This is compounded by the fact that only about 20 percent of registered voters show up to primaries, according to Bridge Magazine.

Sure, voter turnout varies widely by county. But consider that Oscoda led the pack in 2012 – and turnout was still under 40 percent. Kalkaska had the lowest turnout that year with 16.2 percent.

Clearly, some big changes are needed to the redistricting process, which is about protecting incumbents and political parties -- not serving voters' interests.

And as MLive columnist Ken Braun pointed out, our primary system has those same pitfalls. I've argued primaries should result in the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, to advance to the general election.

But those changes probably won't happen any time soon. So voting on Tuesday remains the best chance to have your say this year.

Susan J. Demas is Publisher and Editor of Inside Michigan Politics, a nationally acclaimed, biweekly political newsletter. She can be reached at susan@sjdemas.com. Follow her on Twitter here.