I have completed my civic duty for this election cycle. Today was the first day of early voting here in Texas. Went down to the polling place, waited in line for 30 minutes, placed my vote, and can now sit back contented that I have fulfilled my responsibility as a citizen. For those of you who can't wait, no I did not vote a straight gop ticket.
At the polling place there were no arguments, people in line were respectful of each other, no one was wearing any inappropriate clothing, it was all kind of dull. I would urge all of those that live where there is early voting to get out and do what's right and vote. It is our right as well as our responsibility to do so.
Moderators: richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR
RE: I Voted
I wish more people followed your example. In Canada, the turnout for the federal election last week was a paltry and pathetic 59%... I guarantee a far greater number of eligible voters will feel free to voice their opinions on the results though.
RE: I Voted
Why doesn't Texas mail you a ballot for early voting? So much easier from the filling out these long ballots (especially if your state has more than a few ballot measures) from the comfort of your favorite chair.
RE: I Voted
We don't have such an early vote system in Germany as in Texas. If you decide to vote early, you can choose to vote via an absentee ballot (or Briefwahl in German) prior to election day, and they send you the ballot for your electoral district by mail, and you send it back by mail.
RE: I Voted
| Quoting A332 (Reply 1): I wish more people followed your example. In Canada, the turnout for the federal election last week was a paltry and pathetic 59%... I guarantee a far greater number of eligible voters will feel free to voice their opinions on the results though. |
I chose to spoil my ballot, any idea if that falls in the 59% or the 41%?
YOWza
RE: I Voted
| Quoting AirCop (Reply 2): Why doesn't Texas mail you a ballot for early voting? |
I think I prefer to go to the polling place. It gives a sense of really doing something. On top of that I would be suspicious of voting by mail. How do you know your ballot actually made it to the box? Do they send you a receipt? Some one has to enter that information. How do you know they got it right? Just me but I prefer doing it myself at the voting booth.
| Quoting AirCop (Reply 2): So much easier from the filling out these long ballots (especially if your state has more than a few ballot measures) from the comfort of your favorite chair. |
We live in an unincorporated portion of town. It was all Federal, State, Judges, and school board members. No issues this time around. I had filled out a ballot before I went into the voting booth so I was in and out in under 5 minutes. It was a beautiful day here for a bike ride so all the more reason to go out and stand in line. The only drawback was that I was with the senior crowd so not a single piece of eye candy to be seen.
RE: I Voted
| Quoting A332 (Reply 1): In Canada, the turnout for the federal election last week was a paltry and pathetic 59% |
Don't expect more in the US though. For decades the turnover has not been above 55%.
It's the result of a plurality voting system. I can't say I blame the people not voting. If you don't live in a swing state, the net effect of you going to the poll is a wasted 30 minutes and a fuzzy warm feeling. Considering that the vast majority of Americans live in non-swing states, it's a miracle that even 55% turn up at the ballots.
Some Canadians I know, though politically interested, explicitely don't go to elections. They feel that only a "voters' strike" can get the system changed to a fairer proportional representation system.
RE: I Voted
| Quoting Rara (Reply 7): Don't expect more in the US though. For decades the turnover has not been above 55%. |
I would disagree in this election cycle. Given the two people running, and especially since since one of them will be setting a "first" if elected, I think the turnout will be much higher. One of the things I heard in line today was a woman who said she lived right down the street for years and had never come down here (that polling place) to vote. I have a sneaking suspicion given all the questions that were being asked by different people both outside the voting booths and from those at the their booth she was not the only one.
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- FlyDeltaJets87
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RE: I Voted
I voted last week by absentee in Florida (I go to school in Volusia County in Daytona, and vote in Indian River County about 110 miles south of here). I only voted for the Presidential race, our Congressional district, and a few of the state amendments. I figured it was a wiser decision to not vote for positions where I have no clue who the people are than to vote straight ticket for people I know nothing about.
RE: I Voted
Good deal RJ! Registering was one of the first things I did upon moving to DC about a month ago. I may no longer be able to vote for members of Congress but at least I'll make sure my vote for President counts (even if I end up just writing on the ballot none of the above!).
I hope you are right, this is not a time for folks to relinquish this duty and leave it to others to decide for themselves. If anything, I don't want to hear people complain afterward if they don't even vote!
| Quoting RJdxer (Reply 8): I would disagree in this election cycle. Given the two people running, and especially since since one of them will be setting a "first" if elected, I think the turnout will be much higher |
I hope you are right, this is not a time for folks to relinquish this duty and leave it to others to decide for themselves. If anything, I don't want to hear people complain afterward if they don't even vote!
RE: I Voted
| Quoting RJdxer (Reply 5): I think I prefer to go to the polling place. It gives a sense of really doing something. On top of that I would be suspicious of voting by mail. How do you know your ballot actually made it to the box? Do they send you a receipt? Some one has to enter that information. How do you know they got it right? Just me but I prefer doing it myself at the voting booth. |
I agree. There's nothing like participating in the process on the actual day of voting and sharing the experience with one's fellow citizens.
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- DocLightning
- Posts: 22350
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RE: I Voted
I voted last week via mail-in. I'll be in Australia on 4 November.
RE: I Voted
| Quoting RJdxer (Thread starter): I have completed my civic duty for this election cycle. Today was the first day of early voting here in Texas. Went down to the polling place, waited in line for 30 minutes, placed my vote, and can now sit back contented that I have fulfilled my responsibility as a citizen. For those of you who can't wait, no I did not vote a straight gop ticket. |
Congrats.
Do the rest of us each get to start our own thread when we vote? Could be a busy day on the forum on Nov. 4th
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- fraspotter
- Posts: 2309
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RE: I Voted
| Quoting RJdxer (Thread starter): I would urge all of those that live where there is early voting to get out and do what's right and vote. It is our right as well as our responsibility to do so. |
I was talking with a few of my college friends the other day and was asking them if they were going to vote. Out of the 5 other people besides me, only myself and 1 other guy was going to vote in the election. I asked the others why they weren't going to vote and they simply said "I don't care about politics" or "Doesn't matter who is elected, this country is screwed anyway". I couldn't help but get pissed off when they said that. Also, they said it like it wasn't a big deal...
It's people like this that are the reason why we may end up electing a person who isn't up for the job (hint hint!!!) and then they just end up complaining later about how this person shouldn't have gotten elected in the first place!
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- pilotdude09
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RE: I Voted
Im suprised that the USA doesnt have compulsory voting!
NZ and Aussie do, and im sure many other country's do, especially since you guys take elections so seriously and it's such a long drawn out process.
NZ and Aussie do, and im sure many other country's do, especially since you guys take elections so seriously and it's such a long drawn out process.
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- kc135topboom
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RE: I Voted
| Quoting Rara (Reply 7): Quoting A332 (Reply 1): In Canada, the turnout for the federal election last week was a paltry and pathetic 59% Don't expect more in the US though. For decades the turnover has not been above 55%. |
Sadly, that is true.
I'm voting in the morning, here in Fort Worth, TX. I'll vote for McCain.
| Quoting Pilotdude09 (Reply 16): Im suprised that the USA doesnt have compulsory voting! |
In the US, you have the right to drop out and complain about the results.
RE: I Voted
I just finished filling out my absentee ballot and will mail it out tomorrow morning.
Hawaii tends to be at the bottom when it comes to voting. Hell, for our primary, we had heated mayoral races in three of our four counties and only 35% of registered voters bothered to vote. Our county elections are non-partisian, so any candidate that gets 50%+1 wins outright. No one won and now the top two have to go through a run off in the general. I believe in the last general election, less than 50% voted.
Hawaii tends to be at the bottom when it comes to voting. Hell, for our primary, we had heated mayoral races in three of our four counties and only 35% of registered voters bothered to vote. Our county elections are non-partisian, so any candidate that gets 50%+1 wins outright. No one won and now the top two have to go through a run off in the general. I believe in the last general election, less than 50% voted.
RE: I Voted
| Quoting Ha763 (Reply 18): I just finished filling out my absentee ballot and will mail it out tomorrow morning. |
I sent in mine from the Nagoya US Consulate last week as well. I proudly voted for neither Obama or McCain - just a washed-up libertarian with no chance of winning who stands for more of the things I do than either of these jack-offs in the current race.
I wish I got a sticker though - any way you slice it, this has been a historic campaign.
RE: I Voted
In a Democracy,one has the right to choose your candidate that would serve the community.....Its an important right to Vote.
regds
MEL
regds
MEL
RE: I Voted
| Quoting LTU932 (Reply 3): We don't have such an early vote system in Germany as in Texas. If you decide to vote early, you can choose to vote via an absentee ballot (or Briefwahl in German) prior to election day, and they send you the ballot for your electoral district by mail, and you send it back by mail |
Well, it depends, for mayor and state elections (Bürgermeister and Landtag) our local town hall government offered "vote as you come along" system ... just show up, present your ID, get your papers, go to the typical vote booth in a corner of the office and vote ... and that 3 weeks prior to the official vote without any excuses... another sunday saved
Mario
LH526
RE: I Voted
| Quoting Pilotdude09 (Reply 16): Im suprised that the USA doesnt have compulsory voting! NZ and Aussie do, and im sure many other country's do, especially since you guys take elections so seriously and it's such a long drawn out process. |
No, in NZ you only have to be registered to vote, you don't actually have to vote.
RE: I Voted
| Quoting Aaron747 (Reply 19): I proudly voted for neither Obama or McCain - just a washed-up libertarian with no chance of winning who stands for more of the things I do than either of these jack-offs in the current race. |
Hey good for you for sticking to your guns. I guess I have 14 days to figure out which way to vote...
It's interesting how in Los Angeles I barely saw a political ad on TV (guess they all know it's going democrat regardless) but then I move to DC and there's a bombardment of ads on TV, newspaper, radio, buses, etc (apparently VA has become quite the battleground swing state). Within DC, though, you hardly see any McCain stickers; in fact a good 90% of my neighbors have an Obama sticker on the windows (though good luck trying to get a decent response as to why they are voting for him).
RE: I Voted
Congratulations, you put an X beside the name of the one of two candidates you dislike the least. Your vote will almost certainly not come close to making a difference to the outcome of the election, and in the rare case that it does, the two candidates generally agree on most issues anyways. I'm not sure why so many people think this is such a noble thing to do.
Even though I voted in our election last week, I am of the opinion that not voting sends a much stronger message than voting for a party you dislike, just to satisfy other people's notion of your "duty".
Even though I voted in our election last week, I am of the opinion that not voting sends a much stronger message than voting for a party you dislike, just to satisfy other people's notion of your "duty".
RE: I Voted
| Quoting Aaron747 (Reply 19): I sent in mine from the Nagoya US Consulate last week as well. I proudly voted for neither Obama or McCain - just a washed-up libertarian with no chance of winning who stands for more of the things I do than either of these jack-offs in the current race. I wish I got a sticker though - any way you slice it, this has been a historic campaign. |
I hear you..I started this campaign off as a rabid McCain supporter...After watching these two clowns during the economic crisis I have serious doubts about where this country is headed...
The debates only just served to reinforce that. I was sick and tired of hearing the same talking points. It just shows me neither guy really wants to talk off their script.
I remarked to a friend the other day that this is just scripted like the WWE. This campaign has been max drama and little else...
In one sense I am glad this is almost over. But I suspect the next President, whether it be McCain or Obama, is not prepared to steer the US through these hard economic times let alone what Putin, Iran, or Bin Laden might want to throw at us...
I'll likely vote for McCain because I can't stand Obama, but...What kind of reason is that to vote for someone? I wish Perot had succeeded in 1992, we might have had a viable third party by now..
I agree the Electoral College needs to be revisited. What's the incentive to vote if you are not in a swing state?
RE: I Voted
| Quoting Sv7887 (Reply 26): I wish Perot had succeeded in 1992, we might have had a viable third party by now.. |
Because of Ross Perot I'm a registered Independent, although I missed the '92 election because I was only 17 I registered in '93 as an Independent because I liked the idea of a third party.
RE: I Voted
| Quoting Vikkyvik (Reply 14): Do the rest of us each get to start our own thread when we vote |
Nope, dupe thread!
| Quoting FRAspotter (Reply 15): I was talking with a few of my college friends the other day and was asking them if they were going to vote. Out of the 5 other people besides me, only myself and 1 other guy was going to vote in the election. |
And this is one reason I think all the hoopla over the Obama campaign registering so many college age voters may backfire. It's easy to get them registered since you go to them in most cases to get it done. Quite another prospect, as you describe, to get them to show up at a polling place and vote.
| Quoting Aaron747 (Reply 19): I wish I got a sticker though |
Don't feel bad, I didn't get one either.
Evidently somebody forgot the box they were in.| Quoting A346Dude (Reply 24): Your vote will almost certainly not come close to making a difference to the outcome of the election, and in the rare case that it does, the two candidates generally agree on most issues anyways. |
Disagree. Look at Florida in 2000. Ohio in 2004. Not many votes would have made a tremendous difference in how the country was run. Look at the Carter administration versus the Reagan administration. Totally different ideologies. It does matter that you vote and who you vote for.
| Quoting A346Dude (Reply 24): I'm not sure why so many people think this is such a noble thing to do. |
Ask that of someone who has lived in a totalitarian regime and see what answer you get.
RE: I Voted
Quoting RJdxer Reply 28: Evidently somebody forgot the box they were in.
What a lame excuse! I'd demand they go back and bring me one anyway. I'm a sucker for those stickers - they're great mementos.
[Edited 2008-10-21 07:42:21]
What a lame excuse! I'd demand they go back and bring me one anyway. I'm a sucker for those stickers - they're great mementos.
[Edited 2008-10-21 07:42:21]
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- L410Turbolet
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RE: I Voted
| Quoting Oa260 (Reply 31): Hopefully this year the election will not be stolen. |
There are so many ways to go on that statement. But if you would provide proof that any Presidential election has been "stolen" in our nations history please do. Please skip the links to sources that use extreme amounts of tinfoil.
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- ConcordeBoy
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RE: I Voted
| Quoting Pilotdude09 (Reply 16): Im suprised that the USA doesnt have compulsory voting! |
....screw that.
If Generation-X(box) can't be bothered to get off their duff and head to the polls; they surely can't be bothered to actually educate themselves on the issues and make wise decisions.
Granted, it has its benefits--- can't tell ya how many people 'round here are desperate to go out and vote (many for the first time) because they think that Bush will remain in office so long as someone else doesn't "win". Amusing. And useful too.
RE: I Voted
| Quoting RJdxer (Reply 32): But if you would provide proof that any Presidential election has been "stolen" in our nations history please do. Please skip the links to sources that use extreme amounts of tinfoil. |
Im sure you can find lots of links, You dont need me to tell you . Just hope it does not happen again this year ::
U.S.A Elections 2008 It's Already Stolen
MONDAY, 20 OCTOBER 2008
Don’t worry about Mickey Mouse or ACORN stealing the election. According to an investigative report out today in Rolling Stone magazine, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Greg Palast, after a year-long investigation, reveal a systematic program of "GOP vote tampering" on a massive scale.
- Republican Secretaries of State of swing-state Colorado have quietly purged one in six names from their voter rolls.
Over several months, the GOP politicos in Colorado stonewalled every attempt by Rolling Stone to get an answer to the massive purge - ten times the average state's rate of removal.
- While Obama dreams of riding to the White House on a wave of new voters, more then 2.7 million have had their registrations REJECTED under new procedures signed into law by George Bush.
Kennedy, a voting rights lawyer, charges this is a resurgence of 'Jim Crow' tactics to wrongly block Black and Hispanic voters.
http://www.daily.pk/world/americas/7...ions-2008-its-already-stolen-.html
RE: I Voted
| Quoting Oa260 (Reply 34): Republican Secretaries of State of swing-state Colorado have quietly purged one in six names from their voter rolls. |
Considering that Ohio has more electoral votes, anything being done in Colorado is completely outdone by the Ohio Secretary of State refusing to do her job of verifying the names of questionable registrations of which we know there are at least 73 in Cuyahoga County alone with just one person. Again, if you have no proof, all you are doing is blowing smoke.
RE: I Voted
| Quoting FRAspotter (Reply 15): "Doesn't matter who is elected, this country is screwed anyway". |
| Quoting A346Dude (Reply 24): I am of the opinion that not voting sends a much stronger message than voting for a party you dislike, just to satisfy other people's notion of your "duty". |
I respectfully disagree. I think voting for a third party candidate or voting None of The Above, if properly mobilized by the apathetic masses, would be a tremendously clear signal. This whole election cycle has been the longest, most expensive in American HISTORY, yet we’re stuck with two bad choices. Our times need a first rater and there isn’t one. We need a reluctant patriot and statesman, we have nothing. We have rampant government, runaway spending, unchecked corruption and the sheeple sit and banter between Obama and McCain whilst both parties laugh and jab each other in the ribs collegially.
I would never NOT vote…there is ALWAYS a candidate who most closely mirrors my position on issues and values. These candidates are not beholden to come from the Republican or Democrat party. THAT is truly what I wish Americans would realize and act upon.
RE: I Voted
| Quoting FRAspotter (Reply 15): It's people like this that are the reason why we may end up electing a person who isn't up for the job (hint hint!!!) and then they just end up complaining later about how this person shouldn't have gotten elected in the first place! |
Decisions are made by those who show up.
RE: I Voted
| Quoting Oa260 (Reply 31): Hopefully this year the election will not be stolen. |
I think RJ already answered this one. I was sorry to see Bush win but no files were ever charged upon anyone. You'd think someone would have been in prison by now had they actually stole it. That Bush won again in 04 has more to do with the democrats fielding a mediocre candidate than anyone stealing the thing.
| Quoting Slider (Reply 37): I would never NOT vote…there is ALWAYS a candidate who most closely mirrors my position on issues and values. |
That's what I may end up doing, voting on principles and not for a candidate. I'd go further and say that we could even have 4 parties--2 strong ones and 2 smaller ones. The smaller ones would ensure that any government would have to be a coalition instead of the idiotic system we have now where either you have one party controlling both Congress and the WH (might as well give them a blank check) or a divided Congress/WH which is stalled and can't agree on anything.
| Quoting ConcordeBoy (Reply 33): If Generation-X(box) can't be bothered to get off their duff and head to the polls; they surely can't be bothered to actually educate themselves on the issues and make wise decisions. |
I always said that what we should have here is automatic registration--if you are a citizen who is eligible to vote then I don't see the point in having to "register". Better yet, have an automatic registration where you don't have to disclose your party affiliation. As for voting, keeping it voluntary--in fact, in some parts of the country make voters pass a simple IQ test!
RE: I Voted
| Quoting RJdxer (Reply 28): Ask that of someone who has lived in a totalitarian regime and see what answer you get. |
I agree, I lived in a dictatorship when I was young (Surinam) and I always vote.
| Quoting David L (Reply 40): I suspect it would fall into the 59% - it certainly would in the UK. |
Just terrible. In the Netherlands, turnout for the general election is 75-80%. Turnout for other elections can vary between 30% (EU parliament) to 50% (municipal elections). We don't elect mayors in the Netherlands.
| Quoting Charles79 (Reply 41): I always said that what we should have here is automatic registration--if you are a citizen who is eligible to vote then I don't see the point in having to "register". |
That's what we have. Anybody registered at the municipality who is eligible to vote (older than 18 and dutch citizen or legal immigrant) will automatically receive a notice to vote before the election. There is no party affiliation.
RE: I Voted
| Quoting LH526 (Reply 21): Well, it depends, for mayor and state elections (Bürgermeister and Landtag) our local town hall government offered "vote as you come along" system ... just show up, present your ID, get your papers, go to the typical vote booth in a corner of the office and vote ... and that 3 weeks prior to the official vote without any excuses... another sunday saved |
Since I live abroad and outside of the EU, mailing in the absentee ballot is the only way, but at least we can have the ballot sent through the Embassy, which then sends it to Germany via the diplomatic correspondence. Especially here in Costa Rica, using the Embassy for such correspondence is important, otherwise the ballot will get lost in the mail system.
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- DocLightning
- Posts: 22350
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RE: I Voted
| Quoting DocLightning (Reply 44): Really? Who appoints them? That's an interesting idea... |
Even in the US, a number of towns, cities, whatever, appoints their mayors from a member of the city council, usually on a one-year rotation.
RE: I Voted
| Quoting RJdxer (Thread starter): I have completed my civic duty for this election cycle. Today was the first day of early voting here in Texas. Went down to the polling place, waited in line for 30 minutes, |
Was easier for me...filled out my absentee ballot, drove over to the drop box across the street from my office and plopped her in. Done and done! Now I just have to survive two more weeks of incessant TV ads for the candidates!
RE: I Voted
| Quoting DocLightning (Reply 44): Really? Who appoints them? That's an interesting idea... |
The city council makes a recommendation to the secretary of state and he appoints the mayor. Well, technically the Queen appoints the mayor but the secretary of state makes the decision. The mayor serves one 6 year term. Than it's time for the next mayor. It is possible however to become mayor of more than one town/city, so one person can have more than one term of mayor, but not in one city.
RE: I Voted
| Quoting AirCop (Reply 2): Why doesn't Texas mail you a ballot for early voting? So much easier from the filling out these long ballots (especially if your state has more than a few ballot measures) from the comfort of your favorite chair. |
Oregon has done vote by mail for a few years now. I like it! We recieved our ballots last week. We have 11 ballot measures in Oregon plus senate races, house races (both federal and state) and county races. Sometimes of the ballot measures are worded wierd so that a no vote actually passes it. That is the only part that scares me. One of our ballot measures is for open primaries. I do not want open primaries, so I have to figure out how to vote so I vote against it.
| Quoting RJdxer (Reply 5): How do you know your ballot actually made it to the box? Do they send you a receipt? |
In Oregon, there are ballot drop boxes. In Multnomah County (where I live) the main one is at election headquarters. Closer to election day, they set them up in libraries and, sometimes, city halls. In other counties, they have drop boxes at the county building. Or, a person can simply mail it in. I have never mailed in my ballot. Always, I drive it to the drop site.
RE: I Voted
| Quoting RJdxer (Reply 5): How do you know your ballot actually made it to the box? Do they send you a receipt? Some one has to enter that information. How do you know they got it right? |
Just a few additional points about Oregon mail-in voting. I guess the answer to your first question is, you don't know. If you mail the ballot, you're assuming the USPS delivers your ballot correctly and on-time. According to the Oregon Secretary of State's office there have been fewer than a thousand such cases in more than ten years. That's pretty good odds, although I continue to hand deliver my ballot to one of the drop-box locations mentioned by Seb146. As a matter of fact I'll be doing that this afternoon.
Furthermore, it's not really that your vote gets to the box that counts anyway, it's that your vote is included in the final total. Regardless of what system is used, there is some small chance your vote won't be counted because of error. There are examples of ballots or ballot boxes being lost or destroyed. There are examples of computer systems "loosing" votes because of system failures.
Oregon uses an optical scan system. Unless you have write-ins or a damaged ballot, your vote is read by a machine just like it is at thousands of "manual" polling stations nation-wide. The error rates for that process are no different, no one is entering your vote, except in those same cases where it would be done in a non mail-in situation.
There are other well documented advantages to Mail-in voting, most noticeably cost and voter turn-out.
It is less expensive and less complex in a fairly significant way. This is a list from an FEC document on All-Mail-Ballot Elections regarding poll-workers and polling places:
| Quote: No pollworkers includes: no recruitment; no notices to be sent; no classes to conduct; no distribution and retrieval of election day supplies; no last-minute cancellations from workers who had agreed to serve; no paychecks to cut and mail; no W-2's to send; no pre-dawn election-day hours to line up replacement workers. No polling places includes no polling place leases, telephones, utilities; no searching for or preparation of accessible locations; no frantic phone calls about locked doors; no preparation, set-up, tear-down, or emergency repairs of voting machines or devices; no confusion about where people must go to vote. |
In Oregon, mail-in voting has also resulted in voter turn-out rates that are much higher than those seen before the mail-in system was adopted state-wide.
| Quoting RJdxer (Reply 5): Just me but I prefer doing it myself at the voting booth. |
I agree. There are some real advantages to mail-in voting, but I miss the experience and satisfaction of heading down to the local school or church to fulfill my civic duty.
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