It’s over.  Thank God!  No more phone calls and there will be room in my mailbox for the mail.

I am appalled over how much money is spent on elections.  I am equally appalled that there is so much talk about abortion, guns, and people’s past histories that have nothing to do with the office they are seeking.  We need to spend far more time talking about potholes, commuter lots, and making sure there is money for every child to have a text book.

 

Guns and abortion really don’t often affect most of our every day lives, yet, many of us, myself included, use these issues as criteria for whom we will vote.  That’s just screwed up and I know we are used by the powers that be to keep politicians in office.

I am disturbed that ballots don’t reflect the part the candidate is a member of.  Apparently party affiliation wasn’t on any of the ballots.  That is just wrong.  That also needs to change.  We have a right to know the party of each candidate.

Another unacceptable voting issue is having to have a picture ID and then having to bellow out your name and address to a poll worker.  That is obnoxious and in some cases, could be dangerous.  I feel it is an invasion of my privacy.  Why should I have to call out my name and address when some poll worker can sit there and read it off my picture ID?

I am disturbed over the lies that are told during election time.  Both candidates lied in the battle for the 29th.  There.  I said it.   Twisting the facts …soon become lies.

I don’t know how to make things better.  I just find myself becoming less and less involved with the election process.  I also try to never vote for all one party.  This year I voted for 3 Republicans and 1 independent.  Confession:  1 of those votes was a write-in.  He was not happy.  (snicker)

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all those men and women who endured all sorts of BS just running for office.  I am totally amazed that people even consider doing it.    Not everyone could win.  A huge thanks to everyone who went out there and gave it their best shot, even if things fell short of their expectations.

14 Thoughts to “Election post-mortem”

  1. Steve Thomas

    I think the requirement to state your name is so the inside “poll watchers” can cross you off the list. I’m not sure which party pushed for this, and I have seen poll watchers from both parties over the years.

    1. I can understand giving your name. That is where it should stop. The bellowing of addresses is simply not needed.

      I also don’t care much for the picture ID mandate. I would have no problem with the election card. For that matter, why even spend the money printing those things. Where can you use them.

    2. It’s those inside poll workers I have the problem with. I don’t think they are entitled to my personal information, especially if you think about who some of my poll watchers have been in the past.

  2. Censored bybvbl

    Steve is correct. I was an election officer for several years here in Prince William. The voter must state their name and address loudly so that poll watchers from various groups (not just the parties) can note that the voter has arrived to vote. Poll watchers are routinely seen at Presidential elections but the requirement for us to state our info for all to hear remains in effect whether poll watchers are there or not.

    I was present when a potential voter refused to state their name out loud. The requirement was politely explained. When he continued to refuse and started name calling, he was required to leave the polling place. He was told he could return later if he wished to vote. He did call later that day and apologized. He then complied with the law, stated his name and address proudly, and voted.

  3. BSinVA

    Dammit: Censored has been on my computer again.. That was me above.

  4. Maximus Meridius

    I’m mostly with Moon on this. I don’t like poll watchers associated with campaigns or parties getting any personal information about me. Not only do they use this information for their Election Day get-out-the-vote efforts, with which I don’t really have a problem, but the data are also bundled and sold to data brokers who resell it to future campaigns and campaign management companies.

    I support the government-issued photo ID requirement strongly as a means maintaining the integrity of the voting process. I have to show an ID to buy wine (amazing at my age) so why aren’t our elections just as important? The ID checking process can be done without stating your name and address out loud for the benefit of the campaigns and data compilers, however.

  5. Maximus Meridius

    Another thought on this matter. Learn to state your address in a language other than English or Spanish. At a national or state election there are typically poll watchers who can understand those two languages. There is no English-only requirement in any of the Prince William County statutes. If you state your address in German, Chinese, Russian, etc. it’s possible but unlikely that a poll watcher will understand and you will have fulfilled the requirement to vote.

    1. About the best I could do is pig-latin.

      I am totally lousy at foreign languages.

  6. Cargosquid

    I didn’t state my information loudly. Only enough for the person holding my ID to hear it, directly in front of me at the table.

    There weren’t any “poll watchers” at mine. Just those working the list of registered voters, to check you off.

    1. There are usually poll watchers here. I think they signal back to command central to call people to come vote.

      I think that political parties have too much access to personal information about a person. I voted absentee. All the campaigns knew and I was bombarded with information about that.

      It really makes me not want to vote.

  7. Lyssa

    We received calls from one candidate incessantly – for one period we we received more than one call a night, we requested several times for them to stop calling, they didn’t stop and he lost. I’m almost glad.

    We also ran the gauntlet of poll watchers – love, love them calling us out by name over to “their side” to be handed paper. Assuming their side is my side….

    Now I have to figure out how to undo my call block feature to add more numbers before next September…

  8. Lyssa

    Guess I misunderstood poll watcher…they are those standing around inside appearing to do nothing?

    1. They sit there and are supposed to do nothing other than watch and write. Each “side” can have one.

  9. Cargosquid

    We don’t have “poll watchers” in our area, apparently. All campaign people must stay away from the polling area by a set distance. They hand out “sample ballots.” None know me by name.

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