Voting is perhaps the only real form of power that we have, yet it is disappointing to see how few Americans come out to vote. I think the rate is something like 20% of the people eligible to vote actually do so.

I know that members of Vintage are smarter, more experienced and wiser than most, and I have a suspicion that we have a much higher voting rate than the population in general. So, my question is, "Did you vote, yes or no." If you did, feel free to say why, if you didn't feel free to say why. I am curious.

 

Yes. It's a responsibility. I'm sad to see that the turnout in my area ranged from 20 to 34 per cent. Disgraceful!
I'm a believer in the "didn't vote? / don't bitch" rule.

 

yep - my wife and i vote without fail. this is the first time i have voted absentee. i travel so much with the new job that i can't count on being in town on election day.

i do miss seeing my neighbors at the polling place. i enjoyed the sense of community it gave me.

 

My main reason for voting was to choose who fills the three openings on our local school board. It's one of the things that really does matter locally. We only have about 10,000 residents here and the top vote getter will probably get in the neighborhood of 500 to 600 votes. I think I'll look for the results online, come to think of it.

*edit* I underestimated the community. We had 10 people running for 3 seats. The highest vote getter received 1,352 votes, second had 1,170 votes and third had 998 votes. Fourth place was beat by third place by only 2 votes! The lowest amount was 351 votes. Two of the three I voted for won, with my third choice losing by two votes. I'm happy with the results.

 

We voted 'absentee', Rob. Due to our departure from the ol US on 10/17, we were almost disenfranchised Kathy made daily calls and then had to drive about 20 miles to our county courthouse to pick up ballotts that literally had just been printed on the Friday before our flight downunder.

I would say that it was worth it....as our borough government elected a council and mayor totally from the correct party....FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ITS HISTORY

Take note that this turnabout has occurred over the past 10 years....as younger progressives have moved into a previously blue collar town.

Watch your back, W

 

I voted. I spent 26 years defending our citizens' right to vote and won't miss doing so myself.

 

+1 and I did not vote during this latest off-year election. Last time around, the vast number of candidates were unopposed and those candidates who were appeared so secure they barely even campaigned. It's a lousy excuse, but then I am an avid proponent of term limitations across the board. All this "old blood" just entrenches the status quo, rather than making meaningful changes and keeping up with the times.

 

Another interesting 'voter trivia' from Peeay:

On Tuesday, for the first time in HISTORY, the Pennsylvania voters rejected (~52/48%) retention of a State (Superior?) Court Judge. Justice Nigro was caught taking some sort of unauthorized expense money.....got the full treatment from enough talk radio and newprint sources to reject a new term for him. Normally, the re-election is a foregone conclusion b/c no one knows how these appointed cats perform on da job.

This unfortunate Legal Beagle also may have fallen due to the wrath of taxpayers (including me) who were very ticked at the Peeay legislature granting themselves a substantial raise in a Midnight Raid (legislature passed on short notice w/o ANY public debate). The sitting legislature is not allowed to receive raises approved during their session, so they gave themselves 'unvouchered expenses' that just happen to equal the pro rata raise for the current year. How's that for stirring your civic pride...something to share with your kids in Peeay?

The state judiciary also received similar raises (15%-25% or even more in some cases), so the two judges up for Retention vote received all of the poison darts. The second judge hung on by a thread (~52/48%) whereby the usual vote would have been 90% for retention!

Sadly, Peeay is right up there with New Jersey in the battle for the sleaziest politicians in the US of A. Now, if we just had more of their mafioso...