How to Vote

[viscousmemories]

I recently learned that we have an election coming up here, and I'm interested in voting against a proposed amendment to the state constitution. In the interest of keeping this thread more practical than political (ha! we'll see how that works out...) I won't dwell on what that amendment is or why in my 37 years as a living American I have never voted. Instead, I just want to talk about the physical act of voting.

Lisarea tells me I should be able to just take my ID to a polling place and do it. So, I took to the web to try to find a polling place and a summary of the issues on the ballot. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find the information I was looking for using Google or any of a number of government web sites, but when I went to the website of my local PBS station (kera.org) to find the showtimes for this, I found all the information I needed - including briefs of the issues, a list of polling places and even a sample ballot.

Okay, so I have an ID and the closest polling place is about 100 yards from my house, so that shouldn't be a problem. The next thing I need to know is do I have to vote on everything on the ballot, or can I just vote on one or two propositions? Because as far as I can tell I don't really give enough of a shit about the vast majority of the issues in question to spend a lot of time researching them, but I don't want to just cast random, uninformed votes if I don't have to.

[alphamale]

You don't have to vote on all the issues. But why vote at all?

[ms_ann_thrope]

You don't have to vote on everything --- you can just vote for the one or two things you care about.

However, if you are not registered to vote, you can't vote. I just looked online, and the last date to register in Texas to be able to vote in the November 8 election was October 11. http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections...ets/faqs.shtml

[viscousmemories]

I've got that covered, I registered for the last presidential election.*


*Albeit too late since I had just moved here.

[Godless Dave]

First of all, voting laws vary by state. So if you want advice for yourself, you should really be asking other residents of Texas. Ideally, the Texas Secretary of State would have a web page with all this information on it. I clicked through it briefly but I don't know how helpful it is. If not, try one of the two political parties' websites. It's in their interest to get their own supporters to get out and vote so they usually have pretty detailed instructions on there.

They will also tell you which candidates they are endorsing, in case party affilitaion is not listed on the ballot. This is also the place to find out what seats are being contested. The more local the position, the fewer people eligible to vote for it and the more your vote counts. Personally I pay the most attention to school board candidates in case any creationists, ultranationalists, or other wingnuts try to slip in.

I can't imagine you would have to vote for everything on the ballot. In Minnesota, you have to mark at least one vote for the machine to accept it.

In Minnesota, you need your ID to register but not to vote. I always bring mine anyway because no one can spell my name. You can register on election day (with ID) and you never have to declare a party affilition, even to vote in primaries (but you can still only vote in one party's primary). Most states require you to register in advance.

You have a constitutional right to make a write-in vote (a vote for someone not one the ballot), but the state doesn't have much responsibility to make it easy for you, and they no longer have to count them. I like to write in joke names for races I don't know anything about or when there is only one candidate running.

In my state incumbent candidates (people already in office running for re-election) have "incumbent" typed next to them on the ballot, so if you want to throw all the bums out it's easy to vote against them all.

Our Secretary of State wants to require us to show ID when voting but so far the state Senate is blocking it. I agree with her; I think the current system is vulnerable to fraud. You can already register to vote automatically when you get a state ID card. On the other hand a state ID or driver's license costs money, amounting to a poll tax if your require ID.

In short, it is super easy to vote in Minnesota but most of you pussies (excluding some Canadians) won't move here because it gets a little chilly for 8 to 10 weeks a year.

[Godless Dave]

Damn, that took so long to type three people crossposted me.

[ms_ann_thrope]

Originally Posted by viscousmemories

I've got that covered, I registered for the last presidential election.*


*Albeit too late since I had just moved here.

Then you are ready to ruuuummmmmmmmmble! Get thee to your polling place, cast your ballot, and collect your nice little "I voted!" sticker.

Call me corny, but I always find voting to be a moving event. I mean, it takes almost no effort to participate -- I walk around the corner to my polling place and do my business. But as I wait in line for my turn, I always think about the fact that so many people in the world do not have this sort of right to participate in their government, which makes me feel rather humbled and lucky. And kind of like an asshole because I take it for granted almost every other day of the year.

[lisarea]

Originally Posted by ms_ann_thrope

Call me corny, but I always find voting to be a moving event. I mean, it takes almost no effort to participate -- I walk around the corner to my polling place and do my business. But as I wait in line for my turn, I always think about the fact that so many people in the world do not have this sort of right to participate in their government, which makes me feel rather humbled and lucky. And kind of like an asshole because I take it for granted almost every other day of the year.

Corny McCornball.

I like it, too. It feels like a little holiday to me almost. Ever since the Little Muffin was actually a little muffin, we've kind of made a biggish deal out of it. We'd walk down together, he'd come in the booth with me when he was little and help me work the bigassed lever machines, and we'd go home, get pizza or something, and watch the returns.

Now my little baby gets his own booth (not as cool as the big curtained booths that you get with the lever machines, but still) and his own sticker.

[viscousmemories]

Man, if my mom had hooked me up with pizza afterward I would've been all about the voting. As it is I don't remember the subject ever coming up in my house, but maybe I just wasn't paying attention.

[viscousmemories]

Voting is stupid. Okay, the question of whether the state constitution should be amended to explicitly discriminate against people on the basis of their sexual preference was an easy one for me because I'm a civil libertarian. But what about Proposition 3?

"The constitutional amendment clarifying that certain economic development programs do not constitute a debt."

or Proposition 8?

"The constitutional amendment providing for the clearing of land titles by relinquishing and releasing any state claim to sovereign ownership or title to interest in certain land in Upshur County and in Smith County."

or Proposition 9?

"The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for a six-year term for a board member of a regional mobility authority."

How about the Irving special election questions, like Amendment 1:

"In regard to the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau, shall Article VIII of the Charter of the City of Irving be amended to add a section to allow as an alternative to the City Manager, that the City Council shall have the power to provide methods of appointment, removal and supervision of the executive director and employees of the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau?"

or the exact same question applying to the Irving Arts Center, Irving Housing and Human Services Department, and any future preservation department?

Well?

How about Amendment 9?

"Shall Section 1 of Article VI of the Charter of the City of Irving be amended to provide that if the mayor or a councilmember should resign after a recall petition is filed, such vacancy shall be filled by a special election of the voters as required by law?"

Well I don't know, dammit! It seems to me if it's required by law, then you might as well add it to the constitution! Why are you asking me? Who knows these things? Moreover, who gives a shit?

Not to mention that it seems a bit silly to give me a say in the wording of the state constitution when I just moved here last year and probably won't live here next year. So yeah, I just went ahead and said "yes" to all of 'em (except Prop 3, which sounded fishy to me). And for the multiple choice question of who to put in the important role of Board of Trustees, Place 2, I decided to stick it to the men and went with Kim. (Before livius ruined my evil jubilation by pointing out that Kim is sometimes a man's name.)

Worst of all, when it was all said and done I didn't even get a sticker. Someone help me out here. Do I not have a constitutional right to a sticker?

[lisarea]

Originally Posted by viscousmemories

And for the multiple choice question of who to put in the important role of Board of Trustees, Place 2, I decided to stick it to the men and went with Kim. (Before livius ruined my evil jubilation by pointing out that Kim is sometimes a man's name.)

He probably had a girly avatar, too, just to fuck with you.

Worst of all, when it was all said and done I didn't even get a sticker. Someone help me out here. Do I not have a constitutional right to a sticker?

Yeah, it's out there in the "Back Five" of the Bill of Rights.

Amendment VIII.V

The right of the people to wearable stickers upon completion of the task of voting shall not be denied.

[ChuckF]

No sticker means your vote was not counted. Congratulations on your recent disenfranchisement.

[Sock Puppet]

"The constitutional amendment clarifying that certain economic development programs do not constitute a debt."

Dunno what it means on your ballot, but this sounds like something that would be proposed in California as a way to pretend our brazillion bond measure propositions wouldn't really result in debt.

[freemonkey]

Originally Posted by viscousmemories

Voting is stupid.

I get all confused about half the shit on our ballots, too. The "heplful" voter guides they send out aren't much help either. The best thing about voting in Washington is that we vote by mail, so we can take our time and study the ballot.

Worst of all, when it was all said and done I didn't even get a sticker. Someone help me out here. Do I not have a constitutional right to a sticker?

When I say "vote by mail" I mean that we receive our ballots a couple weeks before election day and can either mail them or drop them off at a designated (the library) place on election day. I dropped ours off and grapped two (2) stickers. One for me, one for Mr. I'm pretty sure he couldn't care less about his sticker, vm. You want it?

[viscousmemories]

Originally Posted by Sock Puppet

Dunno what it means on your ballot, but this sounds like something that would be proposed in California as a way to pretend our brazillion bond measure propositions wouldn't really result in debt.

Here's the analysis from the Texas Legislative Council - part of a 64 page pdf I tried to read before the election, but which put me to sleep before I got to page two. Just FYI, I still haven't read what I'm pasting here but I'll look at it tomorrow.

Amendment No. 3 (H.J.R. No. 80)

Wording of Ballot Proposition:

The constitutional amendment clarifying that certain economic
development programs do not constitute a debt.

Analysis of Proposed Amendment:

The proposed amendment amends Section 52-a, Article III, Texas
Constitution, to provide that a program created or a loan or grant made as
provided by that section, other than a program, loan, or grant secured by a
pledge of ad valorem taxes or fi nanced by the issuance of bonds or other
obligations payable from ad valorem taxes, does not constitute or create
a debt for the purpose of any provision of the Texas Constitution.

Background

Section 52-a, Article III, Texas Constitution, authorizes the legislature
to provide for the use of public money for economic development
purposes. This provision is an exception to the general rule provided by
Section 52, Article III, Texas Constitution, which prohibits the legislature
from authorizing a political subdivision of the state to lend credit or grant
public money to an individual, association, or corporation.

As authorized by Section 52-a, Article III, Texas Constitution, the
legislature enacted Chapter 380, Local Government Code, to allow the
governing body of a municipality to establish and administer a program
“to promote state or local economic development and to stimulate business
and commercial activity in the municipality,” including a program for
making loans and grants of public money.

Recently, a state district court held that an agreement under Chapter
380, Local Government Code, in which a municipality agreed to rebate
certain taxes to a developer over a period exceeding one year, created an
unconstitutional debt. This holding could be interpreted as prohibiting
municipalities from granting or promising public funds for economic
development under a long-term agreement. House Joint Resolution No.
80 proposes a constitutional amendment that addresses this decision by
clarifying that an economic development program created or a loan or
grant made under Section 52-a, Article III, Texas Constitution, is not an
unconstitutional debt if the program, grant, or loan is not secured by a
pledge of ad valorem taxes or fi nanced by the issuance of bonds or other
obligations payable from ad valorem taxes.

Arguments For:

1. Expressly affi rming the legality of long-term economic development
programs will have a positive effect on the economy of this state.
Agreements between municipalities and private persons under Chapter
380, Local Government Code, provide a variety of economic development
programs that attract new business, resulting in increased employment and
tax revenue for the municipality and the state. Any uncertainty regarding
the legality of these agreements is a disincentive for a business to enter into
such an agreement in this state because the business cannot predict whether
the municipality will be able to perform the municipality’s obligations
under the agreement. This uncertainty may result in a business locating
in a state in which such agreements are more clearly authorized by law.

2. Economic development agreements between municipalities and
private persons providing for the rebate of certain taxes are legal under
current law; the proposed amendment merely clarifi es the original intent of
the legislature and the voters of this state in adding Section 52-a, Article
III, to the constitution.

Arguments Against:

1. Adopting this amendment undermines the constitutional protections
for taxpayers regarding the creation of public debt. If the constitution is
amended to provide that any long-term economic development agreement
that is not secured by a pledge of ad valorem taxes or fi nanced by the
issuance of bonds does not create debt, future governing bodies may
be bound by agreements that they consider bad public policy, such as
agreements that encourage the creation of low-paying jobs or agreements
that reward development that would have taken place without the
incentives, that were entered into without the constitutional requirements
regarding the issuance of debt.

2. It is unnecessary to take the extreme step of amending the state
constitution to address concerns raised by a single lower-court case. The
recent district court ruling that an agreement under Chapter 380, Local
Government Code, created an “unconstitutional debt,” applies only to the
narrow circumstances of that case. This one-page ruling does not explain
why the agreement created an unconstitutional debt, so it is unclear
whether this proposed amendment would solve the problems created by the
specifi c agreement at issue in the case. Furthermore, the district court’s
ruling is subject to appeal.

Thanks for the sticker offer, freemonkey, but I'll pass. There's nothing to celebrate. Prop 2 passed with an overwhelming majority... 77% last I checked. Marriage is now constitutionally guaranteed to involve only one each male and female Texan. Odd as that might be in a state full of steers and queers.