I’ve decided how I’m going to vote this Tuesday. This will actually be my first time ever voting as this is the first time I’ve felt like my vote will count in elections that I care about. Here are my choices and my reasons:
George Allen vs Jim Webb vs Gail Parker for US Senate
I’m going for Jim Webb on this one. I feel like this country needs a change of course and helping to give Democrats a majority in congress is a part of that. Also I’ve been sickened by Allen’s attack ads against Webb. He made the choice easy.
Bobby Scott vs Nobody for US House of Representives District 3
Um… I know very little about Bobby, but everyone seems to like him and since no one is running against him he’ll get my vote.
Delores McQuinn vs Reggie Malone for Richmond City Council District 7
I didn’t decide on this one until a couple days ago, but I’m going with Malone. That was confirmed today as I spent a couple hours hanging out with him and a couple of his campaign staff at Jumpin’ J’s today and really enjoyed the conversation. He really wants to make things better over here and wants to be open and get community involvement.
Ronald Bond vs Don Coleman vs Delores Murray vs Keith West for Richmond City School Board District 7
I was down to Coleman or West here until today actually. I think I’m gonna go with West as he seems to have a broader appeal and support base.
Amendment #1 - The Marriage Thing
This is a big deal in Virginia. If the amendment wasn’t so broad it would probably have passed without a problem. But as it’s written it has the potential to cause all kinds of ridiculous side effects. So apparently it’s about 50/50 at the moment on it. I’m voting no as I think putting this kind of stuff in a constitution is retarded.
Amendment #2 - Church Incorporation
A pure housekeeping change to remove something that has already been deemed unconstitutional. I’ll be voting yes.
Amendment #3 - Real Estate Taxes Stuff
Seems to give localities more options in offering partial real estate tax exemptions. More options to encourage development is good. I’ll be voting yes. I guess I didn’t understand this one entirely. According to CHPN, local preservation group ACORN suggests voting no because it will “discourage renovation/preservation and place an increased tax burden on existing homeowners”. I change my mind… this will be a no. Update: I flipped and flopped on this and ended up voting yes.
I actually care more about the local stuff than the Senate race… I wish I had been better informed early and could have helped with a campaign. Maybe in two years.
As a freshman at the University of Richmond (that was in 1959) I campaigned to have the voting age changed from 21 to 18. It has been discouraging to see how little participation there is in voting and in politics by young people. And how little they understand about how the policies of the government affect their life now and in the future.
I commend you for taking an interest in this election and encourage you to continue your responsible civic involvement.
Well… I guess I appreciate being considered in the young and political crowd, but it’s not really accurate. I turn 30 two weeks from today and this will be the first time I’ve ever voted. I have more fit the crowd of young people who didn’t care about politics.
And I will defend the politically inactive young people some. Things like the electoral college(esp in states like Maryland where I was until a year ago) make us feel like our votes don’t count in Presidential elections. And then it’s hard to know anything about most of the other candidates except their party affiliation without doing a lot of research. Not to mention that most candidates are old and boring and it ends up being a choose between two people who you have nothing in common with. That is why I never voted before. Alright… rant over.
I actually care more about the local stuff than the Senate race
I know *exactly* what you mean. I keep getting caught up in that they’ve been campaigning in a civilized manner on issues relevant to the community — how shocking!
Well, my first voting experience is over with. I think the process here is shady. There were no instructions or signs on where you were supposed to go, and it would be very easy to vote fraudulently. I think I just became an advocate of verified voting.