why absentee voting is ever so much better

[kareina]

1) I've just voted. Done. My friends in the US have to wait till November, and I've already stated my opinion as to which individual should lead the country. (ok, so this was just the "special advance ballot"--this one arrives with the names on the voting card left blank, and a separate typewritten list of people running for office, and I have to write down the name of the candidate of my choice for each office on the ballot and post it back. Later, they will send me the actual official ballot, with the candidate's names typed onto the form so that all I need to do is colour in the circle next to the names of my choice. If *that* one makes it back on time, they count it, but if not, they count the one I did today. A good system for those of us who are out of the country, I think--that way we don't have to worry about how long it will take the paperwork to wend its way back across the ocean.

2) the ability to do research *as* I vote. I am registered in the State of Alaska, yet, other than the one candidate who went to the same high school as I did (his younger sister was in my grade level), I haven't met any of them. It was nice to be able to sit down with the list and look them up on line and see who they are, and what their philosophies are on subjects which matter to me. Yes, one *can* do this in advance of any election and then bring a list to the booth, but it was even nicer to just do it the once, and make my list the actual ballot!

3) further to the research thing: Judges. I did not expect to be asked if a bunch of judges should be permitted to keep their jobs. I know nothing of these people, I've never met them, and haven't spoken with anyone who has had to deal with the Alaska court system. If I'd have voted in person I'd have looked at the list and had *no idea*. But, since I did my voting from the comfort of my recliner sitting at my computer, I was able to look these people up, and read their own words on their "2008 Retention Evaluations" and see how they were rated by the attorneys, peace officers, jurors, court employees, and social workers with whom they must interact while performing their jobs. It was amazingly easy to find this information on-line, but I wouldn't have known to look it up before going to the voting booths, and voting booths do not come with an internet connection and google, so I'd have been forced to just guess without information.

Nothing left for me to do but take the envelope to the post office in the morning...

Comments

[corvideye.livejournal.com]

I can't imagine voting without reading up on the candidates first...but I forget not all states have a voter's pamphlet with the statements of the candidates, the language of the measures, and arguments pro and con. It is great that the internet is making all that more available (saves paper too!).

These days, Oregon only does mail-in ballots, so that too allows for more reading up.

[kareina.livejournal.com]

They do mail in ballots for the Presidential election?

[corvideye.livejournal.com]

Yup.

[sacred-harlot.livejournal.com]

Wow, well done you - now if only all or at least more members of the electorate did this, the government in power, (regardless of the country) would be a bit more representative. Instead we have Governments elected on popularist opinion, or based on family tradition, whether or not the candidate is good looking, blah blah, regardless of the policies that will be enforced should they get elected - go figure!

In Solidarity,
Sacred Harlot