Reub's journey

19 October 2012

I voted already



Heading back to the Midwest for a week, there have been last minute details to take care of. This includes the usual making-sure-that-the-dogs (plus the foster kittens, still with me) have everything they'll need while I'm gone.




Our ballots came in the mail yesterday, so while I was at it, I voted. Yep, I'm all done with this year's election. Another perk of living in Oregon: vote-by-mail. The voter's pamphlet is informative, fraud is almost non-existent, financial costs of elections are greatly reduced, and there is more time to count the ballots (which must be in by November 6th): why don't more states do this?

I'll be back later, after visiting my elderly mother in Wisconsin and my son & his family in Chicago. Have a wonderful autumn week, y'all.

24 comments:

  1. good for you. enjoy your time with family!

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  2. Hi Kerry
    Congratulations on exercising your voting rights. Good job. Now I have some questions. You can refrain from answering if you do not wish to.
    1.Is the vote by mail facility available only in Oregon State ?
    2.For which party does Oregon traditionally vote for - Democrat or Republican ?
    3. Which candidate did you vote for - Obama or Romney and why ?
    4. What did think about Romney's - "Binder of women" comment during the last presidential debate
    5.In which town of Oregon do you live and how far is it from Boise?

    Have a great vacation Kerry. Best wishes - Ram

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    Replies
    1. Great questions RR! The state of Washington is, I think, mostly a mail-in state, but that's about it. I think Oregon is the most extreme example of mail-in voting, with EVERYTHING done on a ballot that you send in, including ballot measures, levy questions, and all non-partisan races This website talks about the pros and cons:
      http://archive.fairvote.org/turnout/mail.htm
      It has been very successful in Oregon.

      Oregon votes blue in the bigger cities and red in rural areas. Obama won handily last time around & is expected to win again.
      I have voted a split ticket in the past (in 2008 I voted for a Republican senator and a Democratic representative), but I am basically a liberal and strong supporter of President Obama.I support his efforts on healthcare and education. The Democrats are far more supportive of women's health and employment issues, so all of those jokes about Romney's awkward "binders of women" are kind of funny to me.

      We're in Corvallis, south of Portland. It is probably a 10 hour drive to Boise? Not sure.

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  3. Replies
    1. I will, Stephen. I may have to holler it though, not just say it.

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  4. Mine came today, but I got a separate one for the Eugene elections at least a week ago. Do you get one for Corvallis, or at you out in the county--or does Corvallis even have one?

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    1. We're in the city limits & get one ballot that has national, state, county and city all together. It's great.

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    2. Yes, we get the one ballot with everything in it too, but I was wondering about the voting booklet. I see that I didn't make myself clear.

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    3. Ahhh. You know, I don't think anything comes from the city & county...that info all comes out in the newspaper. Either that or I'm a total ditz & have missed something big. (Possible.)

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    4. People don't read newspapers anymore, do they?

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    5. I don't get the newspaper, but then I seldom ever did. I doubt that you would have missed a voting booklet. In fact, I would bet against it, and I'm not a betting man.

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  5. Sounds like a convenient way to vote! Anything to reduce costs, I'm for. Our voting facility is in the baseball field right behind my house, so I will walk there on election day, exercising my rights and my body at the same time. ;) Enjoy your visit!

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    Replies
    1. Gail, voting by mail is one of the best ideas ever. But it does sound like voting is pretty convenient for you!

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  6. I hope that your trip will be filled with engaging moments.

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    Replies
    1. I'm back today, and I had a great time. Chicago, as always was a lot of fun.

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  7. I loved our previous post. I’ve never thought of old people generally as beautiful. I am ashamed. Now that I am getting old myself I hope there is somebody who finds me beautiful.

    You DID vote for the right candidate, did you?

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    Replies
    1. Friko, I for one, find you beautiful.

      I believe I voted for the right candidate; whether he can pull through I'm not at all sure. I hope so! When we were in his hometown of Chicago his helicopter flew overhead on the day he came to vote.

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  8. Kerry, did you vote in the recent Legalisation of Marijuana election? Wondering how big an issue it was to a lot of people, seeing as it was quite a big deal in the two states that voted 'for' and also with it being on the day of the 'other' election. Don't feel obliged to tell me how you voted if you did, i'm just interested in how big a deal it was for the people of Oregon (although you can email me your vote choice if you like, i am interested in your views on it)!

    Saul

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    Replies
    1. Saul, I did. I thought I would vote for it, thinking that like the re-call of Prohibition, it would solve some obvious problems. But the legislation seemed flawed and would cause even more enforcement problems, particularly in terms of who grows this plant and under what circumstances, and should there be age limits on users, etc. As a former teacher I really do not want 13-year olds coming to school legally high...that isn't a pretty picture. So I voted against it. We will have further chances to vote on this in the future & eventually maybe we'll get it right. Oregon already has legalized medical marijuana.

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    2. "As a former teacher I really do not want 13-year olds coming to school legally high.."

      Of course, having half your class stare off into space blankly before quietly drifting off to sleep wouldn't be all bad.

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    3. Well I have to be honest & admit there were days when I would've given a lot for this scenario in my middle school classroom. Yeah.

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