So here's the plan for the day: Get up at 5:45, throw on some clothes, walk the 5 blocks to my new polling place - my old one was less than 2 blocks away, but that library's being renovated.
Vote. This undercuts the need for anyone (this means YOU, Working Families Party) to have to CALL me to REMIND me to vote. I ALWAYS VOTE. (Can we get early voting someday, New York? Oh, you're arcane and backwards? I take that as a "no".) Also, I'll beat the crowds AND I'll have a fallback position to come after work, should the machines not be working.
Since my wife has the day off, she'll take the child to day care, so I can just go to play racquetball, then go to work. Try to ignore all polling news; I just don't care anymore.
Go home, eat dinner, do the evening routine with the child. Turn on TV at 9 pm EST and watch the voting results until shortly after the California polls close, then go to bed for a few hours, getting up early to see what was unresolved tonight.
I must say that Charlie Gibson of ABC News seemed a bit apoplectic last week about the early voting that's taking place, saying in essence, shouldn't all the voters have exactly the same opportunity to get as much information before pulling the lever, or whatever it is one does on an electronic machine? I think Evanier said it as well as anyone: "Seriously, a lot of us just want it over. How long has it been since you heard anything from either candidate that might have changed your mind?" Everything I hear now is preaching to the converted. Here's MY contribution to that effort:
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Local (Albany County) advice.
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My Personal 'Faith Priorities' for this Election by Jim Wallis of Sojourner Magazine
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"The other day, a guy who played a game of basketball against Barack Obama said that Obama spent the whole game ‘trash talking.' He also said Obama's trash-talking is
eloquent, high-minded and inspirational."
— Conan O'Brien
ROG
On the calendar: Ask Roger Anything
5 hours ago
6 comments:
Mail-in voting is awesome. I voted last night in my living room while watching Balls of Fury. There's nothing more American!
If somebody would get their head out of their butt and change Election Day to a Monday and make it a federal holiday, we wouldn't have this problem. I doubt if the horse-and-buggy farmer set has that powerful a lobby, so someone needs to get on this and change it. The way most American vote now (i.e. not in their living room while watching Balls of Fury) is moronic.
There was quite a bit of pandemonium at my neighborhood's polling site, all us commuters met there at 6:15 to cast our votes so we could also get coffee and catch the train. I was growing weary of the news myself, but once I got into the booth and started flipping switches I got motivated once again. And when my 5 year old called me to say that she helped her daddy vote (he has the luxury of working close to home, so he voted at 8am, more kid-friendly time) I became enthusiastic and hopeful. Sort of glad we couldn't do it through the mail for that reason. :)
Early voting is the way to go to increase turnout. When I lived in Oregon it was the only state with all mail ballots -- and also had one of the highest turnouts in the country.
As a side note, election day in New Zealand is ALWAYS held on a Saturday. Something to ponder....
I understand in most European countries elections are held on the weekends... but early, mail-ins also strike me as a no brainer. Prolly why it'll never change, at least at the Federal level...
YES WE DID!!!!
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