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| Author |
Message |
polygon
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Election: state and local races
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Oct 5 01:17 UTC 2000 |
As you might guess from reading the ballot items I just posted,
there's a lot more to vote on this November 7 than presidential
candidates.
Post questions, answers, advocacy, etc., about elections below
the presidential level here.
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| 19 responses total. |
johnnie
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response 1 of 19:
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Oct 5 02:03 UTC 2000 |
The claims I've heard in favor of (and, come to think of it, in
opposition to) Proposal 1 (school vouchers) center on how vouchers would
be permitted in school districts that have poor graduation rates. But
the ballot language itself talks about the 98-99 school year (only) and
goes on to say: "A school district may approve the educational choice
program by a vote of the elected school board or of the electors in the
school district, who shall have the right of initiative. To invoke the
initiative, petitions signed by a number of registered electors, not
less than ten percent of the total number of electors casting ballots
for school board at the last preceding election at which members of the
school board were elected, shall be required." So am I to understand
that the vouchers would be immediately available to those in the
currently-crappy districts (I believe I've heard that there are seven),
and to any other district that votes for same in the future (which is a
far cry from the claimed "helping kids in failing districts")?
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jep
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response 2 of 19:
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Oct 5 16:29 UTC 2000 |
I'm against the voucher proposal on the ballot this year. It's too much
like "targeted tax cuts"; intended to buy votes from small groups, not
to help everyone who needs help. I like the idea of vouchers, but think
they should be available to everyone.
The issue shouldn't be the school district. The issue should be the
individual kids. A kid in a great school district who isn't learning
has just as much of a problem as a kid from a terrible school district
who isn't learning.
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rcurl
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response 3 of 19:
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Oct 5 16:44 UTC 2000 |
The public solution to that is to improve the support for such students
within the public school system. I oppose vouchers as it is a "slippery"
way to not solve the problems of the public schools but rather to
abandon them (a few). Vouchers appear to be like junking a car when it
has a flat tire - resources are wasted and the new car may be no better
or even worse than the first.
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mooncat
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response 4 of 19:
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Oct 5 18:27 UTC 2000 |
Here's just a general question about voting... This will be the first
time I vote from my current apartment, and while that address is
registered- I have no idea where I'm supposed to actually vote, and I'm
not sure where my voter registration card is. Is there a way I can
find out voting locations?
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brighn
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response 5 of 19:
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Oct 5 18:38 UTC 2000 |
No. You have to wander around the elementary schools in your neighborhood
until you see a sign, and then wait in line and hope you're in the right
school.
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polygon
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response 6 of 19:
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Oct 5 19:18 UTC 2000 |
Re 4. Call the city clerk's office, or, if you're not in a city, call
the township or county clerk's office. They should be able to (1) look
you up to verify that you're registered, and (2) tell you where the
polling place is. Oh, and (3) what districts you're in.
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brighn
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response 7 of 19:
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Oct 5 19:27 UTC 2000 |
#6 is more effective, but #5 is more fun. =}
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keesan
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response 8 of 19:
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Oct 5 20:51 UTC 2000 |
The library reference desk can probably also tell you where to vote.
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tpryan
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response 9 of 19:
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Oct 5 22:21 UTC 2000 |
Do it by Monday, as the cut off for votor registration is
next Tuesday.
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mooncat
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response 10 of 19:
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Oct 9 21:06 UTC 2000 |
I'm already registered, I got my voter registration changed when I
changed my address for my drivers license. Just happen to misplace my
voter registration card, and since I moved back in January I've never
voted in this exact area. Okay?
Thanks Larry, I'll have to do that.
Brighn- and thanks to you too, you're always sooo helpful. ;)
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rcurl
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response 11 of 19:
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Oct 9 22:14 UTC 2000 |
I just discovered http://www.voter.com/, where you can get an absentee
ballot application form, which you can fill out on-line and print out.
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mooncat
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response 12 of 19:
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Oct 10 15:28 UTC 2000 |
Rather convenient... don't you have to put your name on those? Kinda
confused on how they work.
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rcurl
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response 13 of 19:
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Oct 10 16:17 UTC 2000 |
Yes, you have to provide name and address, and of course have to have
registered. The form is printed out with all your information included,
and you sign and mail it (to the address also printed on the form).
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polygon
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response 14 of 19:
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Oct 10 21:41 UTC 2000 |
Right, they mail the ballot to you, and you mail it back.
Caveat: if you didn't register to vote in person, you can't vote by mail
in your first election. You have to go to the precinct.
The absentee ballots are processed on election day, using the information
on the envelopes, and the ballots themselves are dumped into the ballot
box or device. Some jurisdictions (though not Ann Arbor) count and report
the absentee ballots in a separate "precinct".
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rcurl
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response 15 of 19:
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Oct 10 22:31 UTC 2000 |
Correction to #14: I have been describing the *application* for the
absentee ballot. After doing what I describe in #13, they then send
you and ballot and you mail it back.
(My daughter, who is in Springfield OH, is going through this. She
had to register in person for this, her first election, so drove
up from Springfield to Temperance MI and back - it took 10 hours
because of very bad driving conditions in pouring rain and high
winds all day.)
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senna
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response 16 of 19:
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Oct 10 23:41 UTC 2000 |
I just visited the Secretary of State today, to renew my driver's license.
It was fairly crowded, but about half the people were their for license
issues. Apparently, almost all of those registered to vote as well.
Apparently, there's quite a turnover... It took some explaining to tell the
person working with me that I didn't need to register, since I was already
registered at my current address.
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jp2
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response 17 of 19:
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Oct 10 23:47 UTC 2000 |
This response has been erased.
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tod
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response 18 of 19:
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Oct 11 00:50 UTC 2000 |
In Polk County, Texas, you can register to vote from your RV.
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jerryr
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response 19 of 19:
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Oct 11 12:53 UTC 2000 |
yeeeeeehaw!
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