Voting early, Voting absentee, Voting by mail

MoonHowler

vote-by-mail

Richmondtimesdispatch.com

First lady Dorothy McAuliffe cast an absentee ballot on Tuesday morning at the voter registrar’s office in Richmond, highlighting the opportunity to cast a vote in Virginia ahead of Election Day.

But her vote also demonstrated that Virginia is in the minority of states when it comes to early voting because it requires voters to offer an acceptable excuse as to why they can’t vote in person on Election Day.

In 37 states and the District of Columbia, some period of early voting is allowed and “no excuse or justification is required,” according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

As of January, Virginia was one of 13 states that required an excuse for absentee voting before Election Day, along with Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi.

In order to cast an early ballot in Virginia, a voter must cite one of 19 excuses deemed acceptable under state law, such as military service, illness, being away from home, pregnancy, and a long commute tacked on to a long workday.

The first lady of Virginia’s excuse was that she would be out of town on personal business.  Why is it necessary for any of us to provide an excuse?  Is this our paternalistic General Assembly once again deciding what is best for us or is this law more nefarious?  Is our Republican-controlled General Assembly attempting to suppress our votes?

If you vote early, vote absentee or vote by mail, Virginians must provide a reason.  There are 19.  Technically, Virginia does not have early voting which is sort of “no fault” voting.  In Virginia a citizen must always provide a reason if they don’t go to the official polling place on the official day.

I want a window of opportunity where I can vote early, vote by mail, or walk into a satellite office and cast my ballot.  I don’t want to stretch the truth or out and out lie in order to exercise my right to vote.

Virginians need to demand that the General Assembly change the laws to making voting easier.  Do not accept no for an answer.  There really is no acceptable reason not to open up this window of opportunity.

Rolling Stone and reporter found guilty of defamation

MoonHowler

 

Washingtonpost.com:

CHARLOTTESVILLE — A federal court jury decided Friday that a Rolling Stone journalist defamed a former University of Virginia associate dean in a 2014 magazine article about sexual assault on campus that included a debunked account of a fraternity gang rape.

The 10-member jury concluded that the Rolling Stone reporter, Sabrina Rubin Erdely, was responsible for defamation, with actual malice, in the case brought by Nicole Eramo, a U-Va. administrator who oversaw sexual violence cases at the time of the article’s publication. The jury also found the magazine and its parent company, Wenner Media, responsible for defaming Eramo, who has said her life’s work helping sexual assault victims was devastated as a result of Rolling Stone’s article and its aftermath.

The lawsuit centered on Erdely’s 9,000-word article titled “A Rape on Campus,” which appeared online in late November 2014 and on newsstands in the magazine’s December 2014 issue. Opening with a graphic depiction of a fraternity gang rape, the story caused an immediate sensation at a time of heightened awareness of campus sexual assault, going viral online and reverberating through the U-Va. community.

But within days of the article’s publication, key elements of the account fell apart under scrutiny, including the narrative’s shocking allegation of a fraternity gang rape. The magazine eventually retracted the story in April 2015, and Eramo’s lawsuit came a month later, alleging that the magazine’s portrayal of her as callous and dismissive of rape reports on campus was untrue and unfair.

 

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Open Thread……………………November, 2016

MoonHowler

supermoon-nov_1024

Sciencealert.com:

If you only see one astronomical event this year, make it the November supermoon, when the Moon will be the closest to Earth it’s been since January 1948.

During the event, which will happen on the eve of November 14, the Moon will appear up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than an average full moon. This is the closest the Moon will get to Earth until 25 November 2034, so you really don’t want to miss this one.

There are also several meteor showers–in particular, the Leonids present themselves  on November 18.  November should be a great celestial month!

Lee High School administration: What were they thinking?

MoonHowler

 

lee_high_school__20311478188814

Washingtonpost.com:

Principal Mark Rowicki greeted his students at Robert E. Lee High School in Staunton, Va., on Monday dressed as Donald Trump, a get-up that included a Trump campaign button pinned to his lapel and a “Make America Great Again” hat.

The school secretary also got in the spirit that day, donning a short blond wig, a chain belt and an orange jumpsuit — not unlike one worn by prisoners — with a “Hillary R. Clinton” name tag.

Their Halloween costumes have spurred criticism from some parents and school leaders. Some have accused the pair of pushing a political agenda on impressionable teenagers and bringing the ugliness generated by the presidential campaign into the school building.

Neither Rowicki nor the secretary, Stephanie Corbett, could be reached for comment Wednesday. Pictures of the pair in their costumes had appeared in a photo gallery on the school’s home page but were later taken down at the superintendent’s direction. The News Leader newspaper in Staunton first reported the story.

It is the latest example of the deeply polarizing presidential campaign cycle pushing its way into schools. Some teachers have avoided talking about the election altogether because it rouses too much anxiety and conflict among their students. Across the country, some students have repurposed campaign rhetoric to bully their classmates, targeting minority and immigrant students in particular.

Totally unacceptable.  Schools should be as free as possible from electioneering.  I question the wisdom of even having both candidates represented, given the contentiousness of this election cycle.  However, to have a school official as Hillary in jail garb?  I can’t stress the bad taste and poor judgement enough.  The mistake was Hillary in orange.

Both secretary and principal should be fired.  This lapse in judgement goes beyond the pale.   Unless the secretary was forced under duress to dress as “jail bird Hillary”, she needs to go also.  The principal must assume full responsibility.

I expect the community will call for both heads on a platter.

Apparently, I am not the only one.

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