Well, deciding who and what to vote for was easier than usual, despite eleven state and two local measures. Only problem was the community college trustee; only one candidate submitted a ballot statement, and it was incoherent. The local newspaper tells us to get informed, but has no information on the candidates. Neither does the League of Women Voters. Guess I'll sit that one out. Two other offices (US Senator and State Assembly Member) have no candidates I am willing to vote for this time.
BTW, I see in the back of the voters pamphlet that all US voters (civilians and service members) can now vote online!
For a second I misinterpreted your last paragraph. I thought you were saying that everybody in the US could vote on-line. What you mean is that every California voter who is currently in the US can vote on-line.
I don't trust voting in Ohio. Live at the polls we have the Republican-company owned voting machines. Diebolt, I think it is. And after Bush got "re-elected" an upper Ohio county "found" 14 boxes of absentee and provisional ballots that had never been counted. While they may throw my Absentee Ballot in the trash it's the only option I see at the moment. Except for the four years we had Ted Strickland the Republicans have Republicanized the heck out of Ohio, gerrymandering like crazy, making all these arcane "you must" laws for voters. It seems to me that they do everything possible to see that Democrats and left-leaning Independents have to jump through hoops to vote (and then *hope* that they count it). And if all that is not bad enough they send suited thugs in to challenge voters are are at the polls.
With on-line voting I'm less worried about hacking than about vote-buying, which was once so routine. On-line voting means the buyer can stand behind the voter and watch the vote actually being cast. No worries about someone taking your money and then voting as they please.
Although mail ballots have the same flaw. The only way to cast a truly private absentee ballot is the way they do it in Canada: An election official actually brings a voting machine to you.
Well, we got our freeze last night, but it's been warmer today than in the past week!
I LIKE voting in person. On paper. And knowing the people who are counting the votes. (Though non-paper voting is a choice.) And I like to vote late, so I get a whole day of anticipation, lol! Yeah, I'm a sucker for Christmas, too.
OOPS--Oughta say that in the back of the voters' pamphlet it says all US voters RESIDING OVERSEAS can vote by Internet. Have to submit a paper form in time, though.
I always did my best to be the first to vote in my precinct on election day; I remember when a long ballot really WAS long--sometimes more than six feet, marked with a rubber stamp and tallied by hand. But my precinct is small and inefficient to staff, so it has been all absentee since before we moved in here. It is complicated by crisscrossing school district, city/county, irrigation district and other boundaries.
I live in the only place in Illinois where the municipal (village) and township boundaries are identical. Next door in River Forest the township includes some uninhabited forest preserve land that's not part of the village. And in both places the boundaries of the elementary school district, the park district, and the library board are identical to the village boundaries, while the high school district boundaries precisely encompass the two elementary school distracts. So even though there are a lot of offices, it's not complicated.
What makes it time-consuming is all the judicial offices you're supposed to vote on.
Reaction to the Vice Presidential Debate The vice presidential debate between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan was one of the best debates I can remember. It was a great service to all Americans.
Biden had the primary goal of firing up Democrats after President Obama's lackluster performance last week. He did that and more. He literally responded to every single assertion of Ryan's and didn't let a single thing go unchallenged. Democrats have to be very happy.
Biden was especially strong on foreign policy but one of his best moments was taking Ryan to task for criticizing the Obama administration's economic stimulus package while at the same time asking for stimulus funds for his own congressional district.
Ryan's goal was to build on Romney's strong performance last week and continue to reassure undecided voters. In the end, however, he found his toughest opponent wasn't Biden, it was his own record and the Romney campaign platform. He had trouble playing defense under Biden's withering attacks. Ryan was exceptionally weak on the proposed Romney tax plan -- "not mathematically possible", according to Biden -- while once again refusing to give specifics.
In terms of style, Ryan didn't take kindly to being interrupted. It was almost as if Biden was coached to interrupt him.
Biden was more prepared, more experienced and the clear winner.
Finally, Martha Raddatz was a wonderfully effective moderator. She continuously pushed for specifics and forced followups to nonsense. She should be commended by both campaigns.
The part about the moderator was well said. I wanted to commend her performance in my comment, but couldn't think of what I wanted to say. But I think this debate was much more effectively moderated than the presidential debate was.
Glad to hear it! Bill and I both had very long days at work and decided we didn't have the stamina to watch the debate. I'm not sorry I missed it, but I'm very happy it went better than last week's!
Semper Howard Dean!
ReplyDeleteWell, deciding who and what to vote for was easier than usual, despite eleven state and two local measures. Only problem was the community college trustee; only one candidate submitted a ballot statement, and it was incoherent. The local newspaper tells us to get informed, but has no information on the candidates. Neither does the League of Women Voters. Guess I'll sit that one out. Two other offices (US Senator and State Assembly Member) have no candidates I am willing to vote for this time.
BTW, I see in the back of the voters pamphlet that all US voters (civilians and service members) can now vote online!
TTFN
---Alan
For a second I misinterpreted your last paragraph. I thought you were saying that everybody in the US could vote on-line. What you mean is that every California voter who is currently in the US can vote on-line.
DeleteOops--just realized the official state booklet on the various propositions has not yet arrived! Well, the issues are clear enough.
ReplyDelete--Alan
Official booklet online... easy to find via links on Green Party web site.
ReplyDelete--Alan
Thanks, Alan!
ReplyDeleteI think early voting is great (must make watching the debates a real hoot!)
And online voting is ... maybe too hackable.
But I love the feeling of going to the polls and casting a paper ballot that I later get to count! :-)
I don't trust voting in Ohio. Live at the polls we have the Republican-company owned voting machines. Diebolt, I think it is. And after Bush got "re-elected" an upper Ohio county "found" 14 boxes of absentee and provisional ballots that had never been counted. While they may throw my Absentee Ballot in the trash it's the only option I see at the moment. Except for the four years we had Ted Strickland the Republicans have Republicanized the heck out of Ohio, gerrymandering like crazy, making all these arcane "you must" laws for voters. It seems to me that they do everything possible to see that Democrats and left-leaning Independents have to jump through hoops to vote (and then *hope* that they count it). And if all that is not bad enough they send suited thugs in to challenge voters are are at the polls.
DeleteWith on-line voting I'm less worried about hacking than about vote-buying, which was once so routine. On-line voting means the buyer can stand behind the voter and watch the vote actually being cast. No worries about someone taking your money and then voting as they please.
DeleteAlthough mail ballots have the same flaw. The only way to cast a truly private absentee ballot is the way they do it in Canada: An election official actually brings a voting machine to you.
Well, I learn something new every day. First time I ever heard of vote-buying.
DeleteOh my, Susan. You've obviously never, ever lived in Chicago!
DeleteWell, we got our freeze last night, but it's been warmer today than in the past week!
ReplyDeleteI LIKE voting in person. On paper. And knowing the people who are counting the votes. (Though non-paper voting is a choice.) And I like to vote late, so I get a whole day of anticipation, lol! Yeah, I'm a sucker for Christmas, too.
"We be of one blood, thou and I!" :-)
DeletePaul Ryan has a very punchable face, I think.
ReplyDeleteA thing of glorious, shining beauty. Now I can sleep again.
ReplyDeleteOOPS--Oughta say that in the back of the voters' pamphlet it says all US voters RESIDING OVERSEAS can vote by Internet. Have to submit a paper form in time, though.
ReplyDeleteMea culpa.
--Alan
I always did my best to be the first to vote in my precinct on election day; I remember when a long ballot really WAS long--sometimes more than six feet, marked with a rubber stamp and tallied by hand. But my precinct is small and inefficient to staff, so it has been all absentee since before we moved in here. It is complicated by crisscrossing school district, city/county, irrigation district and other boundaries.
ReplyDelete--Alan
I live in the only place in Illinois where the municipal (village) and township boundaries are identical. Next door in River Forest the township includes some uninhabited forest preserve land that's not part of the village. And in both places the boundaries of the elementary school district, the park district, and the library board are identical to the village boundaries, while the high school district boundaries precisely encompass the two elementary school distracts. So even though there are a lot of offices, it's not complicated.
DeleteWhat makes it time-consuming is all the judicial offices you're supposed to vote on.
Ryan remains slippery when it comes to divulging any details. The numbers work--you just have to trust him on that. No can do, Pablo.
ReplyDeleteCourtesy of politicalwire.com; sounds good:
ReplyDeleteReaction to the Vice Presidential Debate
The vice presidential debate between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan was one of the best debates I can remember. It was a great service to all Americans.
Biden had the primary goal of firing up Democrats after President Obama's lackluster performance last week. He did that and more. He literally responded to every single assertion of Ryan's and didn't let a single thing go unchallenged. Democrats have to be very happy.
Biden was especially strong on foreign policy but one of his best moments was taking Ryan to task for criticizing the Obama administration's economic stimulus package while at the same time asking for stimulus funds for his own congressional district.
Ryan's goal was to build on Romney's strong performance last week and continue to reassure undecided voters. In the end, however, he found his toughest opponent wasn't Biden, it was his own record and the Romney campaign platform. He had trouble playing defense under Biden's withering attacks. Ryan was exceptionally weak on the proposed Romney tax plan -- "not mathematically possible", according to Biden -- while once again refusing to give specifics.
In terms of style, Ryan didn't take kindly to being interrupted. It was almost as if Biden was coached to interrupt him.
Biden was more prepared, more experienced and the clear winner.
Finally, Martha Raddatz was a wonderfully effective moderator. She continuously pushed for specifics and forced followups to nonsense. She should be commended by both campaigns.
--Alan
The part about the moderator was well said. I wanted to commend her performance in my comment, but couldn't think of what I wanted to say. But I think this debate was much more effectively moderated than the presidential debate was.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear it! Bill and I both had very long days at work and decided we didn't have the stamina to watch the debate. I'm not sorry I missed it, but I'm very happy it went better than last week's!
Delete