Well, we voted

[Northwoods]

Dropped SWMBO's and my ballot off today.  I think we both voted straight Republican.  I did read all  the candidate descriptions and gave the D's a fair look.  But none of them were anyone I was willing to vote for.

Did vote for the MJ legalization, and for charter schools.

[HankB]

Early voting starts today in TX. LOTS of variation on what will be on the ballot depending on what part of the area you live in, since city limits, school districts, health care districts, and political districts don't all have identical boundaries.

And of course, in some races, it's hard to determine which candidate is better or worse - everyone running for school board wants to stick their hands in my pockets, everyone running for sheriff or constable is for law & order, every judge is for judicial ethics, and so on and so forth.

I'll probably cast a straight Republican ballot initially, and then go down the list - there are a few down-ballot races with no GOP candidate, just a democrat and a Libertarian . . . that's where I'll cast an "L" ballot. (And we could use a Libertarian dog catcher.  )

I guess I could vote straight "L" . . . but in what might be a close race, that amounts to half a vote for a D. And I won't do that.

[birdman]

Beingin the nice battleground state of VA, gonna vote RR (and Ryan is my homeboy), R for congressional races, and either R or L (if available and not a wackadoodle) for anything lower.

The D's built their power base UP from local and state elections, libertarians need to do the same!

[MillCreek]

My wife and I will vote for whomever we think is the best candidate, regardless of party affiliation.  In the next day or two, we are going to study up on the voters pamphlet and figure out where we stand on all the various referendums and initiatives.

[Northwoods]

My wife and I will vote for whomever we think is the best candidate, regardless of party affiliation.  

That was what we did.  Just so happened there weren't any D's that looked so much as even with the  R candidate.

[vaskidmark]

My wife and I will vote for whomever we think is the best candidate, regardless of party affiliation.  In the next day or two, we are going to study up on the voters pamphlet and figure out where we stand on all the various referendums and initiatives.

I'm probably misreading this but it reads as if you have not already made up your mind where you stand.  I know that last-minute things can happen to change your opinion but shouldn't you be pretty much decided by now?

stay safe.

[MillCreek]

I'm probably misreading this but it reads as if you have not already made up your mind where you stand.  I know that last-minute things can happen to change your opinion but shouldn't you be pretty much decided by now?

stay safe.

No, not for the referendums and initiatives.  We wait until we receive the votes pamphlet that contain the actual text of the measures as being presented to the voters.  As they taught me in law school, read the actual text in full to know what you are voting on.  So from that perspective, all the commercials, newspaper ads and yard signs are wasted on us.  As an example, after reading the full text, I am voting for the charter schools measure whereas my wife is not.  The measure as written seems to address my concerns with the charter school concept.  I would not have known this without reading the measure.

[Balog]

I had to do a write in on Lt Gov, as both candidates were unsuitable (the R was endorsed by NARAL). Did that with a couple of offices I don't believe should exist (Insurance Commissioner? No.) Still torn on 502 and haven't filled it out yet. I totally support legalization, but the law as written is such a massive clusterf*** I worry it'll actually set the effort back.

[TechMan]

Mailed my ballot last week.  I pretty much voted R down the line, except for a couple of local races.  I had to look up the State of Ohio Supreme Court justices on Buckeye Firearms.

[Ned Hamford]

R across the line here, cept where they are also carrying C or I, in which case I vote for the on that line. 

I really wanted to vote against one R, but beyond all comprehension the D was worse. 

I really wish there were a None of the Above option.  There are a few spots I'd prefer to just leave empty till it isn't a matter of voting for the shiniest turd.  But I expect adding that line to the ballot may depopulate our legislative halls to a level Silent Cal would applaud.  No quorum = No new bad legislation. 

[vaskidmark]

No, not for the referendums and initiatives.  We wait until we receive the votes pamphlet that contain the actual text of the measures as being presented to the voters.  As they taught me in law school, read the actual text in full to know what you are voting on.  So from that perspective, all the commercials, newspaper ads and yard signs are wasted on us.  As an example, after reading the full text, I am voting for the charter schools measure whereas my wife is not.  The measure as written seems to address my concerns with the charter school concept.  I would not have known this without reading the measure.

OK.  Gotcha!

But now I'm curious why you did not access the text earlier than on your way in the door.  Is there something underhandedly nefarious about that?

stay safe.

[erictank]

Early voting starts today in TX. LOTS of variation on what will be on the ballot depending on what part of the area you live in, since city limits, school districts, health care districts, and political districts don't all have identical boundaries.

And of course, in some races, it's hard to determine which candidate is better or worse - everyone running for school board wants to stick their hands in my pockets, everyone running for sheriff or constable is for law & order, every judge is for judicial ethics, and so on and so forth.

I'll probably cast a straight Republican ballot initially, and then go down the list - there are a few down-ballot races with no GOP candidate, just a democrat and a Libertarian . . . that's where I'll cast an "L" ballot. (And we could use a Libertarian dog catcher.  )

I guess I could vote straight "L" . . . but in what might be a close race, that amounts to half a vote no votes for either a D or an R. And I won't do that.

FTFY.  

I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again. A vote for a given candidate is... a vote for that candidate, and no one else. If you truly believe the R is the best candidate, vote for him (or her) with my enthusiastic support. If not, find someone whose platform and/or record suit you. There are more than 2 candidates out there for most races. Don't trot out that tired old BS about how a vote for anyone but your preferred candidate is a vote for the worst one, we all know better.

I'm mildly annoyed that once again, I get to work a 12-hour shift and then wait at the polls for however long in order to cast my vote in a couple of weeks, since VA requires that one work 11 hours DURING the period the polls are open in order to vote absentee. Since my 12-hour shift "only" covers 10 hours of the polling period, it's obviously no possible problem for me to have to wait an hour or even more during the heaviest-activity time at the polls, after having been up more than 14 hours already and needing to get home, get dinner on the table, and get to bed so I can do it all over again at 2:30 the next morning... Wish early/absentee voting here was just a little more reasonable.

I'm still on the fence about our Senate race - AFAI can tell, there's no Libertarian this time out, leaving us with the "choice" of Allen (R) versus Kaine (D). Both statists, though fairly popular as governors. I'm amused by the TV ads I see for each, in which Kaine is extolling his virtues in cutting and balancing the budget (and blasting Allen for failure to do the same) and Allen is touting his record for bringing .gov jobs and money into the state (and blasting Kaine for his promises to cut education and .gov functions).

[Regolith]

I had to do a write in on Lt Gov, as both candidates were unsuitable (the R was endorsed by NARAL). Did that with a couple of offices I don't believe should exist (Insurance Commissioner? No.)

Did that with one of the Supreme Court judge races here. Choices seemed to be Democratic Party Hack #1 and Progressive Party Hack #2. So I wrote in Mentok the Mind-Taker. I also did that with a bunch of local uncontested races, with the exception of the county clerk race*.


*The current county clerk is an absolute incompetent hack, to the point where she failed to file for her own reelection. She claims to have been busy and forgotten. Yeah, the person responsible for overseeing local elections failed to file for her own reelection. She is now mounting a write-in campaign, so I voted for the guy who was running against her just to make sure she doesn't win.

[birdman]

I'm still on the fence about our Senate race - AFAI can tell, there's no Libertarian this time out, leaving us with the "choice" of Allen (R) versus Kaine (D). Both statists, though fairly popular as governors. I'm amused by the TV ads I see for each, in which Kaine is extolling his virtues in cutting and balancing the budget (and blasting Allen for failure to do the same) and Allen is touting his record for bringing .gov jobs and money into the state (and blasting Kaine for his promises to cut education and .gov functions).

Erik, from another Virginian, please vote Allen.  To get anything even approaching good to be done (ie repeal obamacare, implement better taxes, pass a goddamn budget, the senate needs to shift.

[TechMan]

As I said above I mailed my ballot back in last week.  Being in a battleground state (Ohio) we were getting 4-6 robo calls a day.  Amazingly after  I mailed my ballot in the robo calls have stopped.  SWMBO commented that it is scary how much "they" know about you and you don't even realize it.

[HankB]

Went ahead and early voted last night - picked up my Mom after work so she could vote too. Polling place was the local grocery store. Found out that thanks to the overlapping districts I mentioned in my previous post, there were over 500 different potential ballots in Travis County, depending on what precinct you lived in.

It's all electronic, though, so we can be 100% confident it's all going down correctly.

Quite a line at the polls - they tallied 938 votes on the first day, and were well over 800 when I got there, with a couple of hours left. While standing in line I remarked to my mother that in order to cut down on crowds, they should have announced that Republicans could vote in the two weeks before Nov. 6, and Democrats in the two weeks after; a few folks standing in line heard me and thought that was a good idea. 

When leaving, a candidate approached us and thanked us for voting - and said "I'm ----------  ---------, and I hope you voted for me."

I said "Sorry, considering all the damage he's done, I couldn't in good conscience vote for ANYONE from Obama's party."

Wish I could have snapped a picture of his face - the expression was priceless. 

[BobR]

Still torn on 502 and haven't filled it out yet. I totally support legalization, but the law as written is such a massive clusterf*** I worry it'll actually set the effort back.

I actually read the entire text of the initiative that will become law if passed. Too many things to screw over the medical MJ users in it for me, esp the DUID of 5 nanograms/ml limit for THC. Most medical MJ users are probably at that level or higer all the time. I am hoping it fails so it can go back to the drawing board and get done right.

Plus the small fact it is still a Class 1 drug at the federal level. For real reform, that has to change.

bob

[MillCreek]

^^^ I see 502 as little more than symbolism, given the overarching Federal prohibition that will continue.  As such, I am not sure what the point is.

[Regolith]

^^^ I see 502 as little more than symbolism, given the overarching Federal prohibition that will continue.  As such, I am not sure what the point is.

The more states that refuse to enforce federal drug prohibitions, the more tenuous the federal WOD becomes. It also makes the DEA's job harder, since they would no longer have state assets to help them run drug busts.

[Cliffh]

We voted at noon today.  Asked the lady running the desk how the turn-out was going, almost 2,400 had voted since Monday morning - in a town with a population of ~3,100, not sure of the precinct population.

Noticed a couple things about the ballot:

For each office, the repub's were first on the list.

There were something like 6 offices were the incumbent was running unopposed, all were repub's.

[seeker_two]

Also early-voted.....voted Republican for the Federal posts, Democrat for the State posts (to break up the Repub "good ole boy" cabal that screwed up school funding), and Libertarian for all the judge positions....

[Scout26]

I early voted on Tuesday.

Only one initiative/proposition* on the ballot and no judges.  


I too, took a hard look at all the candidates,  At state level I voted for for all R's simply to help break up Chicago's death grip on this state.  

And I did the same at the Federal level.  Obamacare has to go and maybe, just maybe, if Romney/Ryan win and get control of Congress, they can put the brakes on and start to turn the battleship around.  (They being nothing more then trimtabs for now.)


So I ended up voting straight "R".


And there were lines of people to vote.  Mostly middle class older folks.  I'm taking that as a positive sign.^


* A person is only allowed to hold one .gov at a time.  (a couple of "D" mayors are running for the County board, but are not willing to quit their Mayoral post if elected to County Board, creating a potential conflict of interest.

^Speaking of which, I've only seen 6 Obama signs in my travels throughout the western suburbs.  Whereas, in 2008 you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting an Obama sign, I've lost track of how many hundreds, if not thousands of Romney signs I've seen.

[lupinus]

*Speaking of which, I've only seen 6 Obama signs in my travels throughout the western suburbs.  Whereas, in 2008 you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting an Obama sign, I've lost track of how many hundreds, if not thousands of Romney signs I've seen.

I noticed very similar in NJ on my trip a couple weeks ago. VERY VERY few Obama stickers and signs, they were far outweighed by anti-Obama. They were even spray painting the trees. And this isn't the boonies, right near New Brunswick less then 45 minutes from NYC or Newark. I'd laugh my ass off is Romney takes it.

[Bob F.]

Early voting started here 10/24. SWMBO & I voted about noon on the 26th. Poll worlers said over 1000 the two previous days and well on the way the 26th. This was for our whole county, and a very large early vote. Chatter among those waiting didn't sound good for fed incumb, but who knows.

I voted most Repub except Sen & a couple local offices. Joe Machin didn't sling much mud & did stand up to Zero, even as a very Junior Senator. .gov pretty much hates us "dumb hillbillies" anyway. Us Hillbillies (my caps) voted for a convict in the primary & .gov said we didn't know he was a convict. Of course, we did & preferred a convict!

Stay safe,
Bob

[Azrael256]

The Wife and I just voted.  I voted mostly R, except where the only contest was L.  I figure good if the R wins, better if the L wins. 

Only about five of the twenty-ish local elections even had a contest.  Almost all uncontested R.  'Course, Plano isn't exactly Chicago.