Vote!

[mckitterick]

If you're like me, you often show up to vote and discover a bevy of unfamiliar names on the ballot. Who are these people? Where do they stand on the issues? Should I simply vote along party lines (or against parties and vote only for third parties)? And what the heck is "Comptroller Third Class, Forward Launch Tubes"?

Much better is to research all your candidates for office so the Bad Guys can't sneak their minions in under the radar at the local level. The local paper should have all the platforms. Here's the Kansas voter's guide via the LJWorld. However, I do miss Seattle's The Stranger with its Voter's Cheatsheet.



Vote, dammit, or you don't get to bitch about how things turn out!

Best,
Chris

Comments

[renegade500.livejournal.com]

I early voted! Tomorrow, after work I'm going to a local restaurant/bar with friends and close the place down.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Hooray!

I'm thinking of doing the same. I don't get cable and live at the bottom of a hill. Ergo, I get no Election-Watch coverage. I'm thinking a bar, just in case.

[orin2.livejournal.com]

No vote= No bitching! (I'd wear a t-shirt with that on it:D )

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

If such a shirt had been around during the past eight years, I bet we'd have seen a lot of them on the backs of citizens.

[orin2.livejournal.com]

This is so true.

[queenmomcat.livejournal.com]

I'd buy one!

[holyoutlaw.livejournal.com]

Confusing the right of freedom of speech with the responsibility of voting is, I think, a grave error. The two are not connected or contingent. And they are less and less connected with the greater efforts at voter suppression the republicans engage in.

[fortyozspartan.livejournal.com]

Confusing a discussion of rights with a discussion of lazy, apathetic people is also a grave mistake.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Absolutely. I think instituting citizenship responsibilities to earn the right to vote would result in even greater voter turnout, even if lazy people didn't do public service to earn citizenship. Heinlein took it a bit far with requiring military service to earn the vote; I think any public service commitment should earn you the vote.

That's not in the Constitution, though, so just being theoretical here *g*

[stuology.livejournal.com]

Too late now, of course, but you can always get an advanced ballot and vote from the comfort of your house, where you can research everyone online as you vote.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Today's the last day for early voting. I like the idea of being able to research as I vote. Hm, maybe next year....

But I loves me my voting-place vibe! Feels like I'm really voting, y'know?

[scary-manilow.livejournal.com]

Whoo! Voter's Guide=VERY HELPFUL!

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

I know! I don't get the paper in person, so I'm printing off my own cheatsheet.

[shelly-rae.livejournal.com]

I care enough about voting that I research all that stuff and make a cheat sheet of my own to take with me to the polling place. Of course now here in King County you automatically get a mail in ballot so this year I took all my research materials to Diva Coffee house and voted in public! That almost sounds pornographic, no?

[fortyozspartan.livejournal.com]

exhibitionist even OoooOoooo

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Jinx! You owe me a frozen Coke!

[fortyozspartan.livejournal.com]

zomg, I want to see the seconds on that.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

With jinxes, the first one to call it gets it. Heh.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

That's really cool! And yes, a bit politically exhibitionist ;-)

[roya-spirit.livejournal.com]

I voted alone.
I drank alone.

I bitch openly and publicly, however!

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Rock on!

[bodandra.livejournal.com]

I voted on Thursday.
Getting in and voting was easy! They supplied me with a rolling chair even.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Nice!

[jjschwabach.livejournal.com]

No early voting here.
I will vote tomorrow.
On the way to work.

[siro-gravity.livejournal.com]

in oregon, we vote by mail. i love it because it gives us a chance to sit with all the printed junk and figure out who all the strangers are. and also to think about all the ballot measures. do you guys do ballot measures there? and chris, you know your state is the wrong color, dude. couldn't you do something about that?

I VOTED - YEAH!!! GOBAMA!!
what a funny pumpkin!!!

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

I'd love the vote-by-mail thing for its convenience, but I also love to be part of the whole live experience. Yup, we vote on all kinds of "Questions"; one issue up for debate tomorrow is if we keep our city bus system. Well, duh! Who are these people who want to kill the bus? Geez.

And, hey, my county is bright blue! One of two counties in the entire state *g*

(Yeah, I love that pumpkin!)

[jjschwabach.livejournal.com]

It's true, Chris. Kansas is a depressing shade. Not like Oregon's lovely azure hue.

I like that, the chance to look up all these dudes you've never heard of who are running for comptroller and whatever.

In my corner of Upstate NY we have an, er, interesting Sheriff race going on. Two candidates (both republicans) who have both been found in violation of the Hatch Act. I think I just won't vote for Sheriff...

As long as I can haz Obama.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

I wish one could vote "None of the Above."

[jjschwabach.livejournal.com]

For our Sheriff, that would be nice. If only there had been a candidate from another party -- any other party.

BTW, the jack-o-lantern at the top of your post is full of awesome!