Poll: Voting

[Raphael]

I'm on the internet and I'm not completely accurate.  :
Just close enough for government work.  :D

Only major election I've missed was '96 when we broke down in Scranton PA.  Which was just as well as the slate of candidates didn't really represent where I was heading, I moved from NY to CT in early '97.

I pretty much vote for individuals, not parties.  Unfortunately I don't have a good choice for representative, we've got one of those "hotly contested" races going on and I'm so sick of the negative feces both sides have been flinging around I'm tempted to leave that line blank, but I'll probably go for the mediocre candidate.  We do have an interesting Senate race, and I still don't know how I'm voting on that one.

[Norwiscutter]

Here is the link that I promised...

http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/tyler.asp

[JimBuis]

Since the Mrs. and I have moved very frequently and have been living in Japan for  about 10 of the last 15 years, it has been very difficult for us to vote in anything but the major elections.  However, that will change shortly.

I do consider voting to be my civic duty.

Jim

[Bro. Noble]

I've always taken pride in voting and voting for the candidate rather than a party.  We have a very close race in Mo.  that can affect our national politics.  The campaign has been so negative that I detest both candidates.   I had about decided to just stay home tomorrow.  I discussed it with my wife and we decided we shoul just go ahead and hold our noses and vote.  This time for the party :(

[pigman]

Bro_Noble, I agree.  I vote we have a party when this mud slinging election is over. ;D Only two more days. 8)

Bob

[Jeff]

Well, I just got back from voting. Its the first time I ever had to wait in line to vote here in our township. Something sure has people stirred up enough to get out and exercise their freedom to choose

[Max sawdust]

Something sure has people stirred up enough to get out and exercise their freedom to choose

Ya,
I am curious to see what the outcome is..
max

[treenail]

Just came in from the polls and doing the deed. Haven't missed voting any year since 1971. Was wondering though, as I was driving home, with all those campaign signs littering the New Hampshire highways, how many trees got cut into pulp to produce them? Probably could have done a lot for global warming , if there were fewer politicians looking for the pot of gold.

[Corley5]

I cast my ballot at 6PM and was #337.  The election officials said they'd been busy all day and 337 was over 50% turnout and there was still two hours left 8).  I figured at least ten voters came in after me 8)  I also did something I've never done before.  I voted a "Straight Ticket" ;) ;D

[Ron Wenrich]

How can you vote a "straight" ticket?  Are you telling me that all your politicians are straight?  We usually have at least one that's crooked, and most times more.   :D

[Corley5]

Should have said I voted for the less crooked ??? ;)

[OneWithWood]

Well the people have spoken

It's a brand new day in America 8)

This is truly one of the things that makes this such a great country.  As a population if one road appears to be going in a less than disirable direction we can take another road and see where that leads.  In some countries that is not on option.

and the pendulum swings . . .

[sawguy21]

Sounds like a lot of you were pretty grouchy at the polls  :D We are waiting to see if there will be a shift in foreign policy although I suspect it will not be major. According to a Canadian columnist, some of the Dems are to the right of Atilla the Hun and some Reps are pretty liberal. Just wish customs would quit treating me like a furrin terrorist. >:(

[Modat22]

I always vote, I feel that if you don't vote you don't have the right to complain on how it turns out.

But then again, I love politics. It has everything a good thriller/drama/comedy/b-rated sci-fi movie has plus other things.

[bitternut]

I voted early and often. Did not do any good for most of the people that I voted for. They lost. I am so PO at the repubs in my county I voted for Hillary just to get even with them. They pushed and granted a pilot for our local greedy power plant and now our local taxes are going to go through the roof. I think I might even be still mad enough at them to vote for her when she runs for president.

[DanG]

 
1. From bondage to spiritual faith;
2. From spiritual faith to great courage;
3. From courage to liberty;
4. From liberty to abundance;
5. From abundance to complacency;



 

That email may or may not be an "Urban Legend", but I know that professor didn't originate the list quoted above.  My 9th grade Civics teacher read that to us nearly 50 years ago.  I believe it to be true.  My hope is that we are smarter and better informed than those failed democracies of yore.

Yep, it's a new day.  It will be interesting to see how things play out now.  The News pundits on TV are now saying that things aren't all that bad for Bush, as he is more Centrist than most of the Republicans in Congress, so some of his domestic agenda stands a better chance of passage.  An interesting year and a half lies before us, indeed, followed by another 6 months of mudslinging. :-\

[Norwiscutter]

I think you have it the backwords-6 months of nothing happening followed by 1 1/2 years of mudslinging. I really dislike the two party system our government has evolved into.  Leaves little room for any alternative opinion outside of that of the Red and the Blue. People are foolish to think that many of those we elect represent anyone other than themselves. They mostly are all rich folks who are tired of hanging around the country club and figure they will do us a favor by running for office. I can't believe that anyone expects anything to change when really all you have is a different aristocrat in office than you did a few months earlier.  People speak in such generalizations nowadays that they really have no opinion on anything anyways. "I don't like the way our country is headed" is one I hear alot. What exactly does this mean? I haven't heard one single worthwhile arguement for a candidate yet this year.  Furthermore, I really think that us common people get more worked up than any of the politicians do over this that or the other while they have lunch together or go for a ride on each others yacht. Yet I know people that think today is a great day and the world is better now and I know others who think it is the end of the world. It is nice to know that people have regressed to the point where in order to show up to vote in Arizona they need to add a lottery to the mix. Did this pass or not? Boy i bet our founding fathers would be proud to know that it takes a lottery payout to get people to show up and vote. :(  That right there is the kinda person I want determining the direction of our country, the guy who shows up looking to win the lottery.  Sorry for the rant, it all just makes my head hurt. 

[sawguy21]

I am a little puzzled by the American system. Somebody, it might have been bitternut,  mentioned earlier he could not vote in the primaries because he was not registered with either of the parties. Why do you need to do that, is that telling everyone who you are going to vote for in advance  ???
Our system, which follows the British one, allows any party who can field candidates and put up the deposit. The one with the most seats picks the head kahuna to run the circus (House of Commons) and make laws. He or she picks loyal followers to fill the Senate which is supposed to keep a rein on the seething masses but is virtually powerless. It is just an old boy's club.
The end result is left wing loonies, right wing loonies, and every colour in between. Heck, we even had the Rhinoceros Party. Like all who have posted here, I vote in every election yet at times have to wonder what we have accomplished. Just means another four years of scandals and mudslinging with a few bright spots. At least we do get to vote and complain. :

[estiers]

The requirements to vote in primaries differ between states.  For example, I grew up in Michigan and I could vote in either the democratic primary or the republican primary, but not both, irregardless of my registration.  I now live in Kansas, where in order to vote in the primary you have to be affiliated with a party.  Because the primary is for the people to decide who the best candidate to represent that party is, I suppose the state assumes that the people who should do that are the one pledging their allegiance to that particular party.  Clear as mud, I am sure.

Oh, yeah, I did vote yesterday for the first time here in KS.  The line was non existant and I voted on the electronic machine.  I had no problems.

[Bro. Noble]

It's a brand new day in America 8)

You are right ,Robert and I can see things going down hill already >:( >:(

You remember my old black dog that used to nip at democrats,  and pee on ultra right wing radicals?  Well after he died,  an old brown dog took up residence here.  NOw this brown dog doesn't do a DanG thing but lay around the yard and beg for food.  He's always limping up to me when I get out of the pickup,  looking pitiful and begging for food.  I always wondered how he could always hurt his paw when all he ever does is lay around and eat.  I never could find any thorns or cuts or anything wrong with it.  Now this morning just as I came in from milking,  and learning that them other guys have got the power now,  here comes that old brown dog carrying his right front paw and whining for a handout and I'm sure he had a devilish grin on his face.  I went to put some wood in the furnace before going into the garage.  The old dog hightailed it to the door where I keep the dogfood (on all four legs without a limp).  After I fuled the furnace,  I headed toward the dog.  When he saw me coming he started carring his right REAR paw and whining for something to eat.  The DanG fraud of a freeloading dog has now got the nerve to come out of the dloset :(  I been feeding a DanG Democrat dog >:(  Yep it's a new day in America and I'm figgering my old dog ain't gonna be the only change :

[Ron Wenrich]

I was the one that mentioned the primaries.  Ours is a closed system like the one discribed in Kansas. 

The worst part is the way the 2 party system has kept all others from running.  In our state, there is some sort of formula that states how many signatures of registered voters a candidate must field before their name is on the ballot.  For governor this year, it had to be 62,500.

However, that doesn't apply to the Republicans or the Democrats.  They can field a candidate with something like 2,000 signatures.  They make the rules and its been upheld by our state Supreme Court. 

This year, we had a big dump the incumbent drive in the state.  We got rid of the Senate and House majority leaders as well as the House minority leader.  25% of all incumbents were shown the door.  They also got rid of the incumbent US Senator and several House members.

Maybe these guys will help level the playing field.   

[sawguy21]

Bro, that is priceless, that mutt would make a career politician.  :D :D :D :D

[Gary_C]

I voted last evening at about 7:30 PM in our brand new town hall where I believe 6 town board members were getting fat on donuts and playing 500. One handed out ballots and watched  to make sure the machine accepted it. I was number 221. I'd bet that new town hall cost at least $100,000 so the county paid just over $452 for that fancy new building for each vote cast that far. Not counting donuts.  ;D

The sad part of these elections is they are not at all about electing people to serve and run the governments business. They are all about the parties and who has the POWER. I always feel those stickers they hand out that say "I Voted" should be ammended to say "I Voted for the Loser." That way they would always be accurate.  ;D

I agree this country needed a change in direction on some issues. Now that the Dem's have the power we can expect to go in the direction of their plan. Oh, that's right. they did not have one. They were just running on the basis of opposition to the present administration.

One thing to remember. Even if the Dem's win control of the senate, they are totally dependent on the two independents in the senate, Joe Lieberman  and one other guy. It has happened before that a senator has switched allegiances for some personal issue. I believe the last was Jeffords of Vermont who switched parties to get his Northeast Dairy Compact passed.

[Max sawdust]

I am happy to see that our democracy still works.  The majority of people felt change was needed so we got change.   8)

Here lies the problem.  Change to what? ???  The way it looks on the TV (First time it was turned on in a year.)  The same old Democratic players (Kennedy, Clinton and the like) are standing on stage smiling because "they" won. 

It is my opinion the majority of the American public did not "suddenly" start liking the Democratic leadership, but instead wanted their concerns to be heard by the Republican administration.

I have come to the conclusion "GRID LOCK" is the best thing.  Keep both parties equal so neither can get anything done :D :D

Ah games for the Aristocratic leadership.

Max

[OneWithWood]

Bro, everything is down hill from your place  :D

I think you have your dog mis-identified.  He seems to be taking after so many members of the GOP that were getting fat at the trough no matter what they did.   ;)

I am sure that you will straighten him out though