I tried to vote today. I was turned away at the polls because I wasn’t registered. It got me thinking: maybe one factor in low voter turnout for young people is that we move almost every year.
State voter registration laws are incredibly confusing. I wish there were a single website (or a website for each state) where I could confirm whether I’m registered or not. The registration rolls are public knowledge anyway, at least in MA where I live.
(Granted, it’s completely my responsibility to make sure I’m registered–someone at the RMV told me that by changing my address on my driver’s license, my registration would move with it. I trusted them, and was too lazy to double-check.)
So here’s a question that frustrates me – what the hell do we do about judges? There is little to no information online that I’ve been able to find yet. The only way I’ve been able to think about them at all is by looking at their resumes, but there’s no information on their actual judicial philosophy or track record.
Any thoughts?
Dana Boyd
Danah,
It is gall (as in the bitter juice from your gallbladder) not gaul. I spell poorly but this is about meaning.
Here in Massachusetts we have paper ballots, though they are counted electronically. I have a lot more faith in this semi computer system because there is at least some semblance of a (temporarily) permanent record of your vote. Computer voting? Come on, I can think of many ways to subvert that, and I am not a clever programmer. And as I understand it there is no permanent record at all when you touch screen vote.
Today I voted for a Republican, for the first, and hopefully last, time in my life. I despise the Democrat running for the office, and the only way we have to vote against a candidate is to vote for the opponent. There should be some way to register a negative vote besides voting for the opponent.
Dana
Dear Danah,
I hear that san francisco, makes a lot of computer stuff. So where are the little machines that can connect my arrows? I still get all confused.
Thanks.
Anita
It depends on what you want your negative vote to say. There are plenty of issues and offices for which i simply don’t vote even though i vote for everything else on the ballot. I also vote for third parties when i detest both candidates. Personally, there’s no way you could’ve gotten me to vote Republican yesterday under any circumstances. Even in cases where i don’t approve of the Democrat, i’m so horrified by the Republican caucus right now that i couldn’t stand behind anyone who is a part of it.
I tried to vote today. I was turned away at the polls because I wasn’t registered. It got me thinking: maybe one factor in low voter turnout for young people is that we move almost every year.
State voter registration laws are incredibly confusing. I wish there were a single website (or a website for each state) where I could confirm whether I’m registered or not. The registration rolls are public knowledge anyway, at least in MA where I live.
(Granted, it’s completely my responsibility to make sure I’m registered–someone at the RMV told me that by changing my address on my driver’s license, my registration would move with it. I trusted them, and was too lazy to double-check.)
So here’s a question that frustrates me – what the hell do we do about judges? There is little to no information online that I’ve been able to find yet. The only way I’ve been able to think about them at all is by looking at their resumes, but there’s no information on their actual judicial philosophy or track record.
Any thoughts?
Danah,
It is gall (as in the bitter juice from your gallbladder) not gaul. I spell poorly but this is about meaning.
Here in Massachusetts we have paper ballots, though they are counted electronically. I have a lot more faith in this semi computer system because there is at least some semblance of a (temporarily) permanent record of your vote. Computer voting? Come on, I can think of many ways to subvert that, and I am not a clever programmer. And as I understand it there is no permanent record at all when you touch screen vote.
Today I voted for a Republican, for the first, and hopefully last, time in my life. I despise the Democrat running for the office, and the only way we have to vote against a candidate is to vote for the opponent. There should be some way to register a negative vote besides voting for the opponent.
Dana
Dear Danah,
I hear that san francisco, makes a lot of computer stuff. So where are the little machines that can connect my arrows? I still get all confused.
Thanks.
Anita
Dana – good catch!
It depends on what you want your negative vote to say. There are plenty of issues and offices for which i simply don’t vote even though i vote for everything else on the ballot. I also vote for third parties when i detest both candidates. Personally, there’s no way you could’ve gotten me to vote Republican yesterday under any circumstances. Even in cases where i don’t approve of the Democrat, i’m so horrified by the Republican caucus right now that i couldn’t stand behind anyone who is a part of it.