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Spicoli
11-07-06, 11:52 AM
Did Ya'll do your civic duty and punch the card today?

Spicoli
11-07-06, 11:54 AM
And I'm just interested in how many people voted, not WHO or WHAT you voted for. My precints have been really busy today...but we've got some pretty hotly contested races, etc.....


America thanks you. :thumbup: :p

KLang
11-07-06, 12:04 PM
Voted last week. I don't know why more people around here don't use Early Voting. No wait at all for me last Tuesday evening.

New fangled electronic machine worked just fine. ;)

ferrarigod
11-07-06, 12:07 PM
Don’t blame me, I voted for Kodos.

Ankf00
11-07-06, 12:10 PM
absentee ballot over a month ago :gomer:

Wheel-Nut
11-07-06, 12:13 PM
I'll join all the other last minute voters before the polls close at 7 tonight. :irked:

Lizzerd
11-07-06, 12:33 PM
I just did.

chop456
11-07-06, 12:36 PM
Yep. And now I smell like old people.

grungex
11-07-06, 12:37 PM
Gonna walk down to the polls right after I finish this cup of coffee...

Gnam
11-07-06, 12:43 PM
I did voted.

datachicane
11-07-06, 12:56 PM
In Oregon, we vote by mail. My ballot went in almost two weeks ago.

Despite all of the handwringing and doomsday predictions when we adopted vote-by-mail, the system has worked flawlessly for years. The rest of the country must be addicted to drama and shenanigans...

SAdair
11-07-06, 12:58 PM
7:30 am before I left town and headed to work.

TKGAngel
11-07-06, 12:59 PM
I voted on my way into work, and was #7 at my precinct.

Racing Truth
11-07-06, 01:20 PM
Absentee ballots rule.

Sidenote: Apparently, there are problems in some OH precincts. O'Gorman and Stu can back me up, but I'd bet Tony George's inheritance that Cuyahoga County is involved.:shakehead

Ankf00
11-07-06, 01:25 PM
but I'd bet Tony George's inheritance

what's that at these days? $1000 $2000?

Cam
11-07-06, 01:25 PM
In Oregon, we vote by mail. My ballot went in almost two weeks ago.

Despite all of the handwringing and doomsday predictions when we adopted vote-by-mail, the system has worked flawlessly for years. The rest of the country must be addicted to drama and shenanigans...

Does that mean you avoid getting bombarded by all the damn ads right up to the last minute? :irked:

Tifosi24
11-07-06, 01:26 PM
Voted at about 9:30 this morning before I left for school, I was number 380 which is pretty impressive if you ask me, and I had to wait in line. Since I am a graduate student I don't live by any set time tables so the waiting aspect wasn't a problem. The level of old people was surprisingly sparse at my polling station, then again I probably live in a district with the lowest average age in Milwaukee. The other big thing I got out of my time at the polling station today is the number of walk up voters. Wisconsin has day of registration and of the 30 people who voted while I was there at least half were same day registers, maybe that is something 47 other states should look into.

racermike
11-07-06, 01:28 PM
I brought my mail in ballot with me to Florida, and sent it back to Oregon via FedEx last thursday.

extramundane
11-07-06, 01:45 PM
I was #244 at 7:20 this morning. They're saying statewide turnout for VA is "moderate" so my precinct is either an anomaly or everyone just went before work. I'd have thought the Slugfest for Senate and the Marriage Amendment would have resulted in pretty high midterm turnout, but I guess I was wrong.

datachicane
11-07-06, 01:50 PM
Does that mean you avoid getting bombarded by all the damn ads right up to the last minute? :irked:

Nope, that's what Tivo's for.
Haven't seen an ad in years.
:cool:

cameraman
11-07-06, 01:50 PM
I voted at about 10:15. There was nobody there:saywhat:

And the fancy touch screen machines work just fine.:thumbup:

G.
11-07-06, 02:00 PM
Yep. I voted then wifey followed, cancelling my vote.

What the hell am I s'posed to do? Beat her?

What's so difficult about the concept of "common household goals"?!?

And her reasoning.:shakehead

Just like her damn mother.:shakehead






;)

G.
11-07-06, 02:03 PM
One person polled as a "no". Because you are not going to vote, or that you haven't yet?

Too young?
Felons can't vote in your state?
Goons outside your door with a sack of doornbos?

spinner26
11-07-06, 02:07 PM
Absentee BAYBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!:thumbup:

No lines, no fuss just me, the ballot, the old blue hair doing her job and life is good.

Even though you don't wanna know, I voted against EVERY incumbent and voted for the person I saw the fewest or no adds from.;)

And instead of voting for prosecutor I wrote in Spicoli.:saywhat: :laugh:


Change is good.

Ed_Severson
11-07-06, 02:10 PM
a sack of doornbos?

Robert Doornbos?

I voted on my way to campus a little while ago. Literally no other voters in sight ... things were tense there for a few minutes. I thought I was going to get roped into calling a few bingo games.

#134 in my precinct. Yeehaw.

Sean O'Gorman
11-07-06, 02:31 PM
On my way home since the polling place is right across the street. My first election was 2004 and there were no problems when I went after school, other than that my name was spelled wrong. :gomer:

Elmo T
11-07-06, 02:35 PM
I was #515 - at about 25% as of 11AM. They said they may go as high as a 50% turnout - a very good turnout as they recall. There are some hotly contested races here: Santorum vs. Casey for Senate.

Ankf00
11-07-06, 03:02 PM
I was #244 at 7:20 this morning. They're saying statewide turnout for VA is "moderate" so my precinct is either an anomaly or everyone just went before work. I'd have thought the Slugfest for Senate and the Marriage Amendment would have resulted in pretty high midterm turnout, but I guess I was wrong.

you're just one of the macaquess :gomer:

oddlycalm
11-07-06, 03:29 PM
The rest of the country must be addicted to drama and shenanigans... That's my take as well. Vote by mail has been a huge success. With a lot of local elections and initiative that are written deceptively it's nice to be able to sit down and take some time with the process as well. Beats standing in line in 47 degrees and rain also.

oc

TKGAngel
11-07-06, 03:30 PM
Even though you don't wanna know, I voted against EVERY incumbent and voted for the person I saw the fewest or no adds from.;)

.

I'm a fan of the "I like his name better" method, especially in races where I have never heard of any of the candidates. Only had to use that method once this year. And the guy only got the vote since he has the same surname as a hockey player.

Cam
11-07-06, 03:33 PM
I'm a fan of the "I like his name better" method, especially in races where I have never heard of any of the candidates. Only had to use that method once this year. And the guy only got the vote since he has the same surname as a hockey player.

I have found that method to be much more successful when bettin' on the ponies. :p

Andrew Longman
11-07-06, 03:45 PM
I was #515 - at about 25% as of 11AM. They said they may go as high as a 50% turnout - a very good turnout as they recall. There are some hotly contested races here: Santorum vs. Casey for Senate.

Can't see Santorum keeping his seat. Not even close. Menendez/Kean on my side of the river is a lot closer.

Not a lot of lines here, but I live in a town with only about 400 registered voters. I'm about to go down and see Ginny at the polling place. She about 100 years old, knows everybody on sight and finds their name in the register in a second.

A lot of absentee ballots cast here. What are you? A bunch of introvert shut ins stuck to your internet forums?:gomer:

extramundane
11-07-06, 03:48 PM
you're just one of the macaquess :gomer:

My Pakistani officemate would like to point out that I'm far too translucent to achieve Optimum Macacatude.

Ankf00
11-07-06, 04:06 PM
:rofl: He can still bestow you with Honorary Macaca Status though. We're an inclusive primate species...

dando
11-07-06, 05:12 PM
Absentee voting for all is a good thing. :thumbup:

-Kevin

Elmo T
11-07-06, 06:06 PM
Can't see Santorum keeping his seat. Not even close. Menendez/Kean on my side of the river is a lot closer.

Kean is getting the same treatment as Casey: hammering the Junior part of their name. :rolleyes:

I don't see Santorum pulling ahead. Did you catch his ad where he even aligns himself with Hillary Clinton. :rofl:

We had to take my daugher back to the polls for the "kids" vote after 3:30PM. We have to get them involved early!

nrc
11-07-06, 06:15 PM
Keep politics out of the voting thread please.

And yes, I did. First time in the new District, new electro-gizmo-votatronics. All very smooth.

RHR_Fan
11-07-06, 06:40 PM
I voted absentee about 1 1/2 ago too. I talked to my mom and she said there are 1800 voters in our "area" and at 12:30 over 25% had voted. And that doesn't include the absentee ballots. I think here in Wisconsin they are estimating 50%+ voter turn-out, which I guess is "good." But only 50%? That just seems wrong.

~Nicole

Sean O'Gorman
11-07-06, 06:44 PM
I voted pro-evil all the way around, as usual. :)

Tifosi24
11-07-06, 07:05 PM
I voted absentee about 1 1/2 ago too. I talked to my mom and she said there are 1800 voters in our "area" and at 12:30 over 25% had voted. And that doesn't include the absentee ballots. I think here in Wisconsin they are estimating 50%+ voter turn-out, which I guess is "good." But only 50%? That just seems wrong.

~Nicole

50% voter turnout in a mid-term election is fan-freaking-tastic. It is wrong on many levels, but the fact that 50% of registered voters decided to come out when the prez isn't at stake is encouraging, especially if youth turnout is high.

I am surprised by the amount of absentee voters on the forum, but if no-reason absentee voting increases participation I am all for it.

Andrew Longman
11-07-06, 07:28 PM
I take it back. The wife just got back from voting. #376. As I said we only have 400 or so registered voters. Seems people are pissed and acting on their pissiness.

Ankf00
11-07-06, 07:28 PM
but if no-reason absentee voting increases participation I am all for it.

f that, I'm not wasting my vote in Dallas. These tools can sink to the bottom by themselves. The most corrupt, ineffectual municipal govt in the state.

Ankf00
11-07-06, 07:35 PM
saw this on a football board:


from huffington:

[generic bs about random races, yada yada yada] ...KY Poll Worker Charged For Allegedly “Choking” Voter


:rofl:

Spicoli
11-07-06, 07:58 PM
btw - i wrote in Chuck Barris for US Senate. :gomer:

My party had no candidate....

:lol:

TKGAngel
11-07-06, 09:11 PM
The governor of SC got turned away at the polls since he didn't have his voter registration card with him. Not exactly the image you want seen on your photo op. :D

theunions
11-07-06, 09:21 PM
They never want to even look at my voter registration card, just my photo ID.

#492 as of noontime.

Lizzerd
11-07-06, 09:28 PM
In Indianapolis, there were 20 judges on the ballot in a "vote for 20" election. How stupid is that? They all win. I didn't waste my time voting for any of 'em.

RTKar
11-07-06, 09:43 PM
3 or 4 times

WickerBill
11-07-06, 10:14 PM
In Indianapolis, there were 20 judges on the ballot in a "vote for 20" election. How stupid is that? They all win. I didn't waste my time voting for any of 'em.

Lizzerd, doesn't that make you want to run next year? I mean... your chance of becoming a judge would be phenomenally high! Judge Lizzerd, presiding...

Sean O'Gorman
11-07-06, 10:15 PM
What is a voter registration card? My name wasn't even spelled right in their record book, and they didn't even question it.

coolhand
11-07-06, 10:59 PM
the one time i voted in person not absentee I was surprised they did not even ask for ID

RHR_Fan
11-07-06, 11:17 PM
50% voter turnout in a mid-term election is fan-freaking-tastic. It is wrong on many levels, but the fact that 50% of registered voters decided to come out when the prez isn't at stake is encouraging, especially if youth turnout is high.

I am surprised by the amount of absentee voters on the forum, but if no-reason absentee voting increases participation I am all for it.

I only voted absentee because I have a night class from 5:30-8:20 and I didn't know how long lab would go. Figure better be safe than sorry and vote absentee. Turns out I was done by 7:00 so I could have voted non-absentee, but I had no way of knowing. I think I heard on the news that in Madison around 10,000 people voted absentee.

~Nicole

TRDfan
11-07-06, 11:52 PM
Voted absentee.....voted for a fine candidate to replace me on City Council....

wrote myself in for Mayor......planting seeds for the future ;)

Spicoli
11-08-06, 12:24 AM
Marion County Superior Court Judge


Precincts Reporting: 845 of 914
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Candidate Total
Linda Brown D 102,271 5%
Heather Welch D 102,203 5%
Mark Stoner D 101,513 5%
Becky Pierson-Treacy D 101,496 5%
Barbara Collins D 101,331 5%
Grant Hawkins D 100,566 5%
Tom Carroll D 100,134 5%
Steven Eichholtz D 100,030 5%
John Hanley D 99,847 5%
Jose Salinas D 99,623 5%
Sheila Carlisle R 86,685 5%
Robert Altice, Jr R 86,638 5%
Carol Orbison R 85,997 5%
Lisa F. Borges R 85,760 5%
Reuben Hill R 85,353 5%
William Young R 84,506 5%
Michael Keele R 84,482 5%
William Nelson R 84,389 5%
Clark Rogers R 84,013 5%
Scherry Reid R 83,712 4%
Last Updated at: 11/7/2006 11:18:19 PM



We win! :D

Lizzerd
11-08-06, 01:18 AM
Marion County Superior Court Judge




We win! :D

The all won, dumbazz. That's what's so stupid about the whole thing. Did you miss my earlier post? :rofl:

Ankf00
11-08-06, 02:46 AM
Results are in:

http://www.theonion.com/content/files/images/Politicians-Win-Chart-C.jpg

coolhand
11-08-06, 04:39 AM
Results are in:

http://www.theonion.com/content/files/images/Politicians-Win-Chart-C.jpg

It's a landslide

Spicoli
11-08-06, 07:51 AM
The all won, dumbazz. That's what's so stupid about the whole thing. Did you miss my earlier post? :rofl:

Congrats to your wife too Bruce.:p Try to be happy you know at least one person with a job. :rofl:


Point being, she was/is the 2nd highest vote getter out of 20 candidates. Some of these people have been on the bench for nearly 20 years. She is also the 2nd youngest of all candidates.

Yep, I think she did fantastic. Yep, I'm in brag mode.

http://www.freewebdesign.be/smileys/images/party/party-smiley-029.gif

extramundane
11-08-06, 09:01 AM
Followup question: did you actually vote for a candidate you truly believe in? Or, like me, did you grit your teeth, accept the fact that you're going to get screwed however you go, and try to determine the lesser of 2 evils?

spinner26
11-08-06, 09:15 AM
Congrats to your wife too Bruce.:p Try to be happy you know at least one person with a job. :rofl:


Point being, she was/is the 2nd highest vote getter out of 20 candidates. Some of these people have been on the bench for nearly 20 years. She is also the 2nd youngest of all candidates.

Yep, I think she did fantastic. Yep, I'm in brag mode.

http://www.freewebdesign.be/smileys/images/party/party-smiley-029.gif

CONGRATS!!!!!!!:thumbup:

grungex
11-08-06, 09:22 AM
We win! :D

:thumbup: :cool:

KLang
11-08-06, 10:36 AM
f that, I'm not wasting my vote in Dallas. These tools can sink to the bottom by themselves. The most corrupt, ineffectual municipal govt in the state.

So are you voting as if you still lived in Houston? :confused:

If so, that's not legal is it?

Ankf00
11-08-06, 10:44 AM
it's where I maintain my permanent address.

TKGAngel
11-08-06, 10:50 AM
We win! :D

Congrats! :)

Does your wife need to get re-elected every year to stay on the bench?

Spicoli
11-08-06, 10:57 AM
Congrats! :)

Does your wife need to get re-elected every year to stay on the bench?


6 year term.

and thanks everyone. :)

Andrew Longman
11-08-06, 11:32 AM
The governor of SC got turned away at the polls since he didn't have his voter registration card with him. Not exactly the image you want seen on your photo op. :D


What is a voter registration card? My name wasn't even spelled right in their record book, and they didn't even question it.

In Jersey you just need to sign your name and it must match the signature they have in the register. I didn't realize it was different elsewhere. In fact, there was a court case in the news in the last few weeks challanging a move in some state to require a photo ID.

I'm all for fighting voting fraud, but I also appreciate concerns about the state requiring universal identification and anything that can be seen as throwing up a barrier to exercising a basic citizen right.

Not trying to start a political fight, I just thought requiring ID was still a little controversial.

eiregosod
11-08-06, 11:42 AM
btw - i wrote in Chuck Barris for US Senate. :gomer:

My party had no candidate....

:lol:

I think that :tony: should have ran as an independent. if the earl thing falls through, he might have more free time to consider running for elected office.

Ankf00
11-08-06, 11:51 AM
In the past whenever I've gone to a polling station I've just given them the voter registration card they mailed to me a couple of months prior to the election. Which is good since in '04 I had lost my wallet (license) at the time & only had a very old, expired, passport, a birth cert, and my work badge :gomer:

I suppose if you ran around the neighborhood stealing ppl's cards out of their mailboxes you could vote in their stead :tony:

Lizzerd
11-08-06, 12:01 PM
Congrats to your wife too Bruce.:p Try to be happy you know at least one person with a job. :rofl:


Point being, she was/is the 2nd highest vote getter out of 20 candidates. Some of these people have been on the bench for nearly 20 years. She is also the 2nd youngest of all candidates.

Yep, I think she did fantastic. Yep, I'm in brag mode.

http://www.freewebdesign.be/smileys/images/party/party-smiley-029.gif


Geez, Spic, have a sense of humor, would ya? My point is that it just seems to be a silly system. Congrats, to the wife.

And, FYI, I have a job. (Low blow).

G.
11-08-06, 12:47 PM
This is worth reading, but you have to register.

The registration is not bad! I get about 1 spam email per month from them. That's it.

I'd post it all, but the bosses :( on that.


(edit: The language filter doesn't like the word "c h i t". TFF!)



We vote, and how!
On democracy: Confessions of a poll watcher

By Ron Grossman
Tribune staff reporter
Published November 7, 2006


Long ago, in the era of the first Mayor Daley, my ward committeeman called in a **** for a favor he'd done me by tapping me to run a polling place. Normally, it would have been the precinct captain's responsibility, but he was being run for elective office. Actually, he was being set up as a fall guy, to be deserted by the ward organization on Election Day. This was Chicago, after all, and a complicated system of choosing state legislators then provided opportunities for truly creative political double-crosses.

Neither of us realized what was up. Both the precinct captain and I just were doing what the committeeman asked us to. How was I to know any better? At the time, I was a youngish professor. What I knew of life and politics came from books. That Election Day taught me more about our political system than could have been learned in a lifetime in the library.


That education began the evening before, when a runner from the Board of Elections came to my home to drop off a big box of election supplies, voters' affidavits and the like. Upon handing it over, he reached behind himself to produce a little American flag. He must have had the pole to which it was attached stuffed into his back pocket.

He thrust it toward me with a motion reminiscent of a medieval baron laying a sword upon his vassal.

He was dubbing me lord high protector of democracy in the 24th precinct of the 44th Ward.

Of course, he didn't put it that way, handing me a receipt and saying something more prosaic, like "Sign here, buddy."

But the effect was there nonetheless. My knees buckled.

more (http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-0611070219nov07,1,2801842.story)

G.
11-08-06, 01:05 PM
6 year term.

and thanks everyone. :)Didn't she just get elected last year?? Was it an interim election? Now she's fo' real an' shizzle?

Congrats, and yes, low blow to Lizzerd.

nrc
11-08-06, 01:29 PM
This is worth reading, but you have to register.

The registration is not bad! I get about 1 spam email per month from them. That's it.

I'd post it all, but the bosses :( on that.


(edit: The language filter doesn't like the word "c h i t". TFF!)

Must have gotten aggrevated with someone dodging the language filter. Thanks for the consideration. For some reason it didn't make me register.

Ankf00
11-08-06, 01:32 PM
For some reason it didn't make me register.

same

Ziggy
11-08-06, 01:34 PM
Yeah, the "vote for twenty" was pretty stupid. I guess that's how you distort things. Much like making the Indy 500.............

Spicoli, when did you start representing the United States>State of Indiana?

Are you even a veteran?

Thanks for nothing

Dirty Sanchez
11-08-06, 01:36 PM
I guess this means you get to bogart other people's weed for the next 6 years then? :thumbup:

Tony George
11-08-06, 01:52 PM
Is that a Fringe benefit??? :tony:

TrueBrit
11-08-06, 03:08 PM
Congratulations to all of you civic minded peeps for exercising a truly wonderful right....


So how did things turn out?...i haven't heard....;) :rofl:

nrc
11-08-06, 03:20 PM
Congratulations to all of you civic minded peeps for exercising a truly wonderful right....


So how did things turn out?...i haven't heard....;) :rofl:

Poll results are at the top of the page.

Spicoli
11-08-06, 03:38 PM
Geez, Spic, have a sense of humor, would ya? My point is that it just seems to be a silly system. Congrats, to the wife.

And, FYI, I have a job. (Low blow).

I know Bruce, just F'in wit ya. ;)


so are you moving to TH?:saywhat: (Congrats either way):thumbup:

oddlycalm
11-08-06, 03:58 PM
Congratulations to all of you civic minded peeps for exercising a truly wonderful right... You mean the 40% of us that actually managed to tear ourselves away from Britney's divorce and self-absorbed nose picking long enough to actually get out the door and vote? :gomer: :shakehead

Congrats to Minnesota for once again leading the way with 67% voting. That's down from 77% two years ago, but I don't want to lump them in with the rest of the schlubs.

oc

Spicoli
11-08-06, 04:05 PM
Didn't she just get elected last year?? Was it an interim election? Now she's fo' real an' shizzle?


In this election - it was a strange twist. Normally there are 18 candidates running for 17 spots in the general elction (Nov). Most of which the "electioning" sorted out in the Primary (where you declare a party affiliation and vote for candidates w/in that party) where you may have 3-4 candidates within that party running for specific spots. Well for 07 terms, the legislature approved 3 new/additional judgeships to handle the increasing demands of the Court System here in Indy. So - each party had 9 candidates that made it through the primary, and each party got to add 1 new candidate to the ballott for the General Election yesterday. 10 from each party, all 20 win. The only way they could NOT have won would be by an indepedandt candidate beating those 20 candidates. An unlikely event and one that did not occur.

The 3 stages we had to go thru were - Party Slating convention - February. Primary - May. General - November. So, she really had to run 3 times, if you look at it that way. she has served as an appointed Magistrate/Master Commissioner for the last 6 years, doing most of what an elected judge does (running a court room, hearing trials, moptions, hearings, etc) but now gets her own courtroom (name in lights) hires her own staff, has NO BOSS, and gets a nice fat raise. :D She's worked very hard and sacrificed alot to get where she is.

On the subject of voting for Judges, its certainly very debatable...In smaller counties, towns, cities, you have sometimes only a Circuit Court Judge and maybe a couple of Superior Court Judges at most. you can figure that one out fairly easily. But in large metro areas, like Indy, its alot different when you have 38 Judges, 20 Magistrates, and thousands of lawyers as candidates for the jobs up for election. On one hand, how can you expect any normal average citizen to discern between dozens of candidates for 20 jobs from an increasingly complex and burgeoning legal system? You really can't. Most folks have vewry little interaction with the legal system. So you are left with some sort of appointment system based on politics, merit or "insiders", and that has alot of drawbacks too. I kind of like the Hybrid idea of having the judges voted in from a group of their peers - such as the County Bar Association....but the lay people won't buy that.

In the end, our systems are only as good as the people that run them, and what we have seems to work better than any alternatives. I like the absentee voting option, and vote by mail has merits too. No matter what your party affiliation or political beliefs, I increasingly believe that one of the coolest things you can do is run for office, participate in a campaign, or volunteer your time to help a cause or write a check if you can.

Tip O'Neill (love him or hate him) said "All politics is local." And I beleive that more and more after every campaign I participate in. Your local Assesor, councilman, state rep, county clerk or whatever has alot more bearing on your life than you might think; and they are generally more accessible to talk to and can help you with inquiries you might have.

its all just people trying to make things work out. :thumbup:

cameraman
11-08-06, 04:44 PM
Sheesh. I'll take Utah's nonpartisan retention system. Every couple of years (I forget the exact number) every district, juvenile & supreme court judge comes up for retention. You get to vote on each judge within your district, individually, keep or don't keep. The powers that be have a poll in place where they have attorneys of every stripe rate the judges on a set list of questions and the results get sent to everyone in the state prior to the election. This year two judges had very low numbers, one of them was one of the better legal minds but has started to emulate Judge Judy :irked:. The two with the low numbers were voted out, all the others were retained.

Lizzerd
11-08-06, 04:59 PM
On one hand, how can you expect any normal average citizen to discern between dozens of candidates for 20 jobs from an increasingly complex and burgeoning legal system? You really can't. Most folks have vewry little interaction with the legal system. So you are left with some sort of appointment system based on politics, merit or "insiders", and that has alot of drawbacks too. I kind of like the Hybrid idea of having the judges voted in from a group of their peers - such as the County Bar Association....but the lay people won't buy that.


I guess you could call me a lay person, but I'm all for peers selecting/electing judges. Taking it out of my hands wouldn't bother me a bit. Heather was the only name I recognized on the ballot, and I'd wager that well over 90% of other voters didn't know ANY of them at all. I too trust the people in the know to make these kinds of appointments provided there is an equal or weighted (based on constituency) number of judges regarding political party leanings. I was indeed familiar with the process before yesterday (peers making the ultimate decisions) and for that, I repeat my congrats to her and you. And thank God, I have the good sense never to have the opportunity to get to know any of these judges personally (except Heather), if you know what I mean (i.e., I will never rob a bank, shoot someone, or rape a juvenile).

And repeating something else I said, vote for 20 with 20 candidates is a waste of ballot space and ink. That's why I saved the ink in the pen I was handed to fill in the little ovals on my ballot. It just seemed like a useless formality (probably because that's what it was intended to be).

Andrew Longman
11-08-06, 05:02 PM
The whole idea of electing judges and prosecutors spooks me. If I'm standing in front of a judge or DA I'd rather he/she be concerned about the law and not about getting re-elected.

Isn't that how we got that mess in NC with the Duke lacross players?

And how a judge rules that Santa Claus exist in NY (Oh, that was just a movie)

I'm happy to elect the sheriff, but if he starts arresting with vote pandering in mind, at least I know I have an appointed, confirmed and supposedly unbiased professional looking out for my interests.

G.
11-08-06, 05:03 PM
Nice blog Spicoli. Seriously.:thumbup:

I am getting more and more involved as the g.'s start growing up.


"Anybody got a better idea?"
(from the link that I posted that doesn't need a resistration after all)

race chica
11-09-06, 07:26 PM
absentee ballot over a month ago :gomer:

same here

Spicoli
11-09-06, 08:25 PM
I guess you could call me a lay person, but I'm all for peers selecting/electing judges. Taking it out of my hands wouldn't bother me a bit. Heather was the only name I recognized on the ballot, and I'd wager that well over 90% of other voters didn't know ANY of them at all. I too trust the people in the know to make these kinds of appointments provided there is an equal or weighted (based on constituency) number of judges regarding political party leanings. I was indeed familiar with the process before yesterday (peers making the ultimate decisions) and for that, I repeat my congrats to her and you. And thank God, I have the good sense never to have the opportunity to get to know any of these judges personally (except Heather), if you know what I mean (i.e., I will never rob a bank, shoot someone, or rape a juvenile).

And repeating something else I said, vote for 20 with 20 candidates is a waste of ballot space and ink. That's why I saved the ink in the pen I was handed to fill in the little ovals on my ballot. It just seemed like a useless formality (probably because that's what it was intended to be).


For reference, the slating for 9 candidates to move to primary election had 14 candidates, so 5 lost there. Slating is the process of having several hundred precint committeepersons and ward chairs vote for who moves to the official party "Slate" or suggested-by-the-party candidates in the Primary. It takes place in feb. Then in May, there were 3 other candidates who ran "against the slate" and they all lost. So, its a wierd process for sure, and it even goes back farther than that - In December the Indianapolis Bar Assoc. had a semi-scientific poll (you had only one vote, and it was on line, register by submitting your Bar Assoc. #) and it ranked everyone who was up for re-election and anyone else who submitted their name for candidacy. It's being judged by your peers in the legal community so to speak. Well the interesting part of all this is that for the most part, those who got ranked highest are the same who finished well in the General Election this fall. So there is some attrition, and some sorting prior to this general election. You just weren't invited to participate unless you were a lawyer, precinct person, or primary voter. ;)


Bank to your point - there are many, many people who really cherish their right to vote, and they want to vote for as many positions as possible, so I doubt this goes away quietly, if at all.

On the other hand, we certainly have a few folks on the bench from both parties who got there not based on ability, but by political favoritism.

Lizzerd
11-09-06, 09:24 PM
For reference, the slating for 9 candidates to move to primary election had 14 candidates, so 5 lost there. Slating is the process of having several hundred precint committeepersons and ward chairs vote for who moves to the official party "Slate" or suggested-by-the-party candidates in the Primary. It takes place in feb. Then in May, there were 3 other candidates who ran "against the slate" and they all lost. So, its a wierd process for sure, and it even goes back farther than that - In December the Indianapolis Bar Assoc. had a semi-scientific poll (you had only one vote, and it was on line, register by submitting your Bar Assoc. #) and it ranked everyone who was up for re-election and anyone else who submitted their name for candidacy. It's being judged by your peers in the legal community so to speak. Well the interesting part of all this is that for the most part, those who got ranked highest are the same who finished well in the General Election this fall. So there is some attrition, and some sorting prior to this general election. You just weren't invited to participate unless you were a lawyer, precinct person, or primary voter. ;)


Bank to your point - there are many, many people who really cherish their right to vote, and they want to vote for as many positions as possible, so I doubt this goes away quietly, if at all.

On the other hand, we certainly have a few folks on the bench from both parties who got there not based on ability, but by political favoritism.


Thanks for the detailed explanation. It makes sense. And since I don't usually vote in primaries, I'll leave that part to the insiders as well. I think we both made our points.

Spicoli
11-09-06, 10:00 PM
Thanks for the detailed explanation. It makes sense. And since I don't usually vote in primaries, I'll leave that part to the insiders as well. I think we both made our points.

Bruce - if you wanna see the innards of the Democrat Party in action, I'll take you to the next Slating Convention, its a real trip.

I always say - "The Democrt Party; give us the sad, mad, bad, and those that can't add."

:D

Lizzerd
11-09-06, 10:22 PM
"The Democrt Party; give us the sad, mad, bad, and those that can't add."

:D

Providing the combined IQ of but a handful of Republicans. :D

Boss: IT'S A JOKE! :D