Well, this is going to be the first presidential election that I’ve ever voted in. Two years ago I documented who I was voting for right before my first ever time voting. I figured I’d do the same thing this time around. Here we go:
President
Obama(D) vs McCain(R) vs McKinney(G) vs Nader(I) vs Barr(L) vs Baldwin(IG)
I’ll be voting for Obama. I probably line up more with Nader or McKinney but being in a swing state and definitely lining up more with Obama than McCain I can’t do third party. Not that I think poorly of John McCain. I have a lot of respect for him and his service for this country, just have philosophical differences. FYI, any personal attacks against any candidate will be deleted from the comments so don’t waste your time.
US Senate
Warner(D) vs Gilmore(R) vs Parker(IG) vs Redpath(L)
This one is easy, Warner was a good Governor who worked across the aisle and seems to be a solid guy. He will represent the Commonwealth well in the Senate.
US House
Bobby Scott is running unopposed and people seem to like him.
Richmond Mayor
Grey vs Jones vs Pantele vs Williams
This is the one that has interested me the most so far. I’ve been down to Grey and Jones for a while now and keep going back and forth between them. I said before that Grey lost my vote in the second Style Weekly debate… but I think I’ll still end up voting for him anyways. I don’t trust Pantele AT ALL so he’s not even been an option. I’ve liked some of what I have heard from Williams but he didn’t run a serious campaign.
City Council District 7
McQuinn vs Kenney
Last election I opposed McQuinn but she had a quality opponent last time in Reggie Malone. This time Kenney only seems to be running because he has issues with Delores. She’s got my vote this time as she has done a reasonable job over the past 2 years.
School Board District 7
Coleman vs Edmonds vs Bond
It’s amazing to have such a small election with 2 high quality candidates. Either Don or Torey will serve us well. I’ll be voting for Don since I know him better and wish I would have voted for him 2 years ago. Part of me wishes Torey had run for City Council. I probably would have supported her there over McQuinn. Maybe in 4 years.
Update: I voted. The only change is that I wrote in Torey Edmonds for City Council. I guess that is my way of showing her support while still voting for Don for School Board.
I think, as Christians, that not voting might be preferable. We have voted and supported political conidates for decades, received little in return, and really hurt our image.
Yeah, I felt that way(not voting) until 2 years ago. But I had never lived in a place that local elections mattered before. I find that I care a lot about local elections.
As a non Christian whose image of Christians was much tarnished by the political Christianity of the 1980s/1990s, I would urge not that you stop voting but that any of the involved religious groups refrain from tying themselves to one party or especially one issue. I also urge you to look at local politics as a way of getting out from under the negativity and conflict of national party politics.
If you are supporting candidates that are working towards positive, attainable local changes, then your vote and support can make a huge difference. Look at Daniel’s interest and enthusiasm for a school board election! This is beyond politics and will have a real impact on his neighborhood and community.
Voted pretty much the same way, except my district for school board i voted fo my nextdoor neighbor, Adria Scoot, who won. Also, My Rep was b/w Hartke & Cantor, and i voted for Hartke because i could not vote for Cantor. i did not follow the mayorial race at all but asked Rock his opinion.