I have my official election ballot in my hand.

[sweetheart]

(This is Exciting!) It is an absentee ballot, and there is the
little oval i must colour in. The top line says:

Electors for President and Vice Prsident of the United States (vote once)
Electores para Presidente de los Estados Unidos (Vota solamente Una Vez)

A - republican (Geogre W. Bsuh and-y Dcik Cehney)
B - democratic (John F. Kerry and-y John Edwards)
C - Independence (Ralph Nader and-y Peter Miguel Camejo)
D - conservative (Goerge W. Buhs and-y Dikc Cheeny)
E - Working Families (John F. Kerry and-y John Edwards)
F - Peace and Justice (Ralph Nader and-y Peter Miguel Camejo)
G - Socialist Workers (Roger Calero and-y Arrin Hawkins)
H - Libertarian (Michael Badnarik and-y Richard V Compagna)
WRITE-IN

So this is the real thing, and i'm just about to 'find a pen'

Following is the senate ballot, and the representative in congress.
Frankly, i don't know anybody's names at all on these things, its like
voting for micky mouse or gumby.

If I vote democratic across the board, it gives kerry a strong
mandate, but if i can mix in a libertarian vote, maybe he'll be
warned to be wise, that my vote is not a clinton democrat wanting
more of the same... I want cannabis decriminalized and women's rights
left alone, if not extended... and i'm distrustful of status quo
democrats so, how to send that ballot message?

Then perhaps i should just vote democratic across the board and be
trustful that Mr. Kerry will use his kingly power's wisely.

So this is it, the great social contract, and for the priviledge of
making that little mark on the little paper, Mr. Kerry gets my offer
of fealty, of consensus in their corrupt system of power... and
in this i feel wholly cheated, and subverted, to sign over my total
dissent with the entire basis of military-industrial war government.

Then i look at the unwritten oath of calling forth the warrior kerry
as my champion, as what is a vote but not that romantic chivalry.
I have every confidence that President Kerry will take care of things.

[leftchick]

1. aren't you supposed to use a No. 2 pencil?

that is what my absentee ballot says. Also we have been advised not to vote a strait Democratic ticket here in NC.

[Pirate Smile]

2. In Iowa, we could use pen or pencil and after reading about NC,

I didn't vote straight party either. I filled in my little circles.

[sweetheart]

4. "Mark in blue or black, pen or pencil."

I dunno, it says:

Senator:
1. republican "howard mills"
2. Democratic "charles e shumer"
3. Independence "charles E. Schumer"
4. Conservative "Marilyn F. O'Grady"
5. Working familes "Charles E. Schumer"
6. Socialist Workers "Martine Koppel"
7. Libertarian "Donald Silberger"
8. Builders "Abraham Hirschfeld"
9. Green "David E Mcreynolds"

Rep. in congress:
Peter Hort - Republican
Jerrold L. Nadler - Democratic
Peter hort - independence
Peter Hort - conservative
Jerrold Nadler - working familes


Firstly, i don't kno anyone, except "martin koppel" sounds like a
newscaster i might have heard of... and "green, socialist workers
and the cannabis - lobby, must be in one of the other ones, and i
don't know... if it is a safe democratic seat, then i could message
an alternative policy.

My vote has been reduced to how best to strategiclaly inference
based on 3 ballot ovals, my entire feelings about how they're
running the country.

Please, forgive me for being stupid. Does anyone know any of
these candidates and whether it is wise to vote tactically?

[nostamj]

5. HUH?

you don't know Chuck Schumer or Jerry Nadler???

:wow: please vote for BOTH of them. PLEASE. they are great advocates for NY. (and, uh, they are the Dems and you don't really want to take any risk at losing seats in either house...

[sweetheart]

7. Straight dem

Ok, the deed is done.

:-) I'm making a copy of this ballot! :-)

[jdj]

6. why?

One thing that scares me is that my envelope has my address and "Dem" on the label on the outside of the envelope.

Do all of them have this?

So some unscrupulous person could just toss it in the trash.

Plus there is a warning that if you don't fill out the envelope right it will be trashed, and there are all these questions on the envelope about primaries and this and that, so I am taking mine down to the Union County dem headquarters to get help...cause it looks like they are trying to use any old excuse to disqualify them.

[leftchick]

8. they do like to make it difficult don't they?

I am going to hand deliver mine.

[sweetheart]

9. This one don't got party affiliation

It just says the name/address on a sticker.
It could always be matched with registration lists, and disqualified
for being dem reg'ed... but i figure the karma for that will be a
total collapse of the government, and the gods are kind hearted.

You're right, as even if i walk the envelope to the embassy, there
is no guarantee that it will result in a tally. Everything beyond
this is a leap of faith that the whole thing is just "pre-recorded tape" and all the ballots burned or bin' bucketed..

However there is an "inner" envelope. That one has a "party
enrollment" section, but it says "fill in for primary election only").

I'm amazed at how complex something so simple can become using
unergometric designs and such. Its like, the whole message of the
ballot system is to be arcane and odd.

I don't knwo what the hell "working familes" is? Why do some
candidates get their name repeated on the ballot, so that a blind
random voter would be most likely to hit them?

If i wuz you, i'd put the whole thing in "another" envelope where
you control what is written on the return address, and registered
mail it. I'll look in to the UK version for this ballot, at least
it'll be hard to deny someone signed for it, somewhere.

[69KV]

13. New York fusion ballot

I'll try to explain the whole Working Families Party thing.

New York is the only state that allows fusion, which means that third parties can co-nominate major party candidates. You'll see the same candidate listed under two or three, sometimes four party lines.

All votes for the candidate are counted together, but the votes cast under party names are counted to determine who keeps their ballot access for the next election. This is one reason third parties in NY nominate major party candidates, so they can be assured of keeping their ballot access.

The parties I know about:

The Working Families Party almost always co-nominates Democrats and they are trying to push the Democratic Party to the left. Closely aligned with organized labor.

The Conservative Party was formed by right wingnuts trying to run moderate and liberal Republicans out of office with spoiler campaigns. If the Repuke is conservative, the Conservative party will nominate the Repuke. If not, they'll run their own candidate against them. They actually got one of the Buckley's into the U.S. Senate for one term in the early 1970s. Haven't been a factor since.

The Independence Party is the former NY chapter of Ross Perot's Reform Party, which has since been taken over by a kooky Marxist psychotherapy cult led by Fred Newman and Lenora Fulani. They'll try to align with anyone no matter what their politics, which is why you see them nominating Nader for Pres., Schumer for Senate, but the Repuke in the House race. All they are about is getting access in the halls of power for Newman and Fulani and their co-nominations are little more than brownnosing the politician they think they have the best chance to get a foot in the door with.

Other third parties are the same as in the rest of the country, Libertarian Party and so on.

If you don't want to be a straight-ticket Dem voter you can still vote for all the Democrats, but cast those votes on the Working Families Party ballot line. Your votes will still count toward the Democratic candidates' totals. I would *not* recommend casting votes on the Independence Party ballot line or any other third party even if they did nominate the Dem in a race.

[HootieMcBoob]

15. I always vote for Dems under the Working Families Party

They elected one of their own to a seat in Brooklyn recently.:beer:

[noamnety]

16. what's the logic in that?

Why is voting straight democratic bad?

[Kanary]

3. In your hand? Doesn't that make it hard to type on your keyboard?

:hi: :) :hi:

Happy Voting!

Kanary

[Warpy]

10. Do you or do you not want four more years of GW Bush?

That's the only question you need to answer.

If yes, vote for anyone but Kerry.

If no, vote for Kerry. You can hold your nose if you feel you need to.

See? It's really a very simple ballot.

[sweetheart]

11. Yes, that part was

I feel a post-coital emptiness. That was IT. It is my direct-line
to power, this little oval, and i banish the demon bush, be gone you
beggars back to the swamps of east texas. Put down your neocon biting war dog, and be gone you foul evil men. That part was easiest.

It is also, recognizing how totally insigificant i am in a democracy
of 300,000,000 people, just another number on a list of forgotten
numbers, with various lifetimes, driving cars, tossing something in
to the garbage bin, being kissed. And voting, is just another which
has come to embody winning the civil war, for the good guys, for
equality, and justice for all. It is an easy choice to break ranks
with corporate criminals who've been up to corporate crime.

And in to the huge vacuum of november 4th, 5th, 6th and on and on,
"Ok, now what?" The kerry team must be now prepared to take over
stabilize a seriously destabilizing debt and trade balance problem,
as well as 2 foreign wars. My prayers are for kerry and his family.

[TrogL]

12. There's spelling mistakes on the ballot??

Geogre W. Bsuh and-y Dcik Cehney

[sweetheart]

14. Yes, probably not

:-) I just couldn't get the fingers to type in the nasty words, as
profanity really bugs me. ;-)