I Voted!

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I voted!

And you can, too, if you follow these easy steps. (Hint: You’ll need a ballot and a computer!)

Believe me, voting was a herculean effort, but I did it.  It’s early, I know. We’re still weeks away from November 8th, but thank goodness I voted for now I can cross it off my to-do list and focus on what’s really important, like finally getting around to doing my laundry.

Last Friday evening, while you were at the movies or tripping the light fantastic, yours truly carved out some time to sit down with my ballot and visit the online KPBS Voter Guide.

And guess what? I voted!

I grabbed my trusty black-ink pen to have it at the ready in preparation for filling out my mail-in ballot. Then, I googled the voters guide.  I typed in my address and voila!  What appeared before me was all the information I needed to complete my ballot! So far so good.

Well, sort of.  Then the hard part. Actually voting.  Because, if truth be told,  I have not been paying close attention to the local candidates or initiatives.  Full disclosure:  I have been consumed by the presidential election.  Okay, obsessed.

But now the day of reckoning has arrived and in order to vote, I must know my stuff.  Thank goodness for the KPBS Voter Guide. It’s a lifesaver!

Because the election in California has about a gazillion propositions and measures on the ballot.  Enough to drive a gal like me to distraction. Frankly, I don’t know the difference between the two. Why are some called props and others measures?  Beats me.

But thanks to the KPBS Voter Guide, I was able to read the pro’s and con’s of each. Whereupon I furrowed my brow and gave each some careful consideration.

Do I want marijuana legalized, more funding for schools, a football stadium for the San Diego Chargers?  How about better roads, elimination of the death penalty, multilingual education, a $2 cigarette tax?  Decisions, decisions.

I even had to vote on whether porn stars should use condoms!  What the??

Yikes!  Too much to consider.

Thank goodness for the voter guide.  It really set me straight. Of course, it would’ve helped if it could reach out and slap me and tell me to calm down because reviewing all those measures and what-nots was driving me into a tizzy.

I mean, after I furrowed my brow, I rubbed my chin and went bonkers pacing the floor. So a slap would’ve brought me back from the brink of my voting madness. I think.

I mean, after reading up on all the measures, etc, they all started blurring together.  Did I want to vote for or against plastic bags? Firearms in the classroom or a tourism tax to subsidize cigarettes?  Improve the community colleges or the elementary schools? And what about the ordinance amending the county general plan and zoning map?

I still don’t know what that last one means!

Well, I took a deep breath and mustered up all the strength I could to read the different perspectives and the list of organizations that supported each.  I studied and studied and then I studied some more.

I crammed all night–and by all night I mean four hours.  And then, lo and behold, I completed four legal sized pages of measures and props, carefully filling in the boxes to select my preferred candidates for president, senate, city council, school district board and city attorney. Whew!

And so I voted!!

So now it’s your turn. Vote and be counted.  And if you need help making sense of your ballot, don’t come to me. Check out your local voter guide!  Because if your ballot is anywhere near as long as mine, you’re going to need it. Trust me. You’ll thank me later.

You’re welcome.

 

 

21 thoughts on “I Voted!”

  1. I’m waiting too… Watching every piece of coverage, shaking my head at all the last minute reveals to throw campaigns off their game. Seriously. I should, like you say.. tune it all out but I can’t help myself. I keep watching.
    Props and Measures in California alone have sent my head spinning. One week more. Thank goodness.

  3. With me, I like voting on Election Day itself. I love going to the polls, loving seeing the people park their cars, stand in line, get their stickers, all of it. It give me such a warm feeling, and I have a lump in my throat. Plus, I love seeing the people each election who give their garage over to the influx. When I first started going to this polling place, the couples’ children were tiny, now they’re grown up. They always smile and we chat a while afterwards, if it’s possible, and they always remember me from election to election. I sure know what you mean by a train wreck; I sometimes tell myself I’m not going to watch, not going to read, then in the next second there I am again going, “can you believe……” I’m going to start the ball rolling this weekend with the gargantuan booklet (and last night’s mail even had a supplement!!). It looks intimidating, but little by little. I printed out the KPBS guide earlier this week and I know it will help me understand some of the propositions that seem so difficult now (what a great job the did!). Well, people, it’s almost time:

    • You definitely have the right attitude about voting. And what a great idea to print the voter guide to help you. Good luck on voting day. It’s destined to be an exciting day! 🙂

      (Karen, I’m excited you’re getting my blog postings again. Woo hoo!)

  4. I beat you to the polls, Monica! I took my mom the first week in Octobery and decided to join in the procedure since Illinois doesn’t require any particular reason to cast a ballot before the actual election day. Woo Hoo — done!! Now I intend to tune out all the pre-election “buzz” and focus on other stuff!

    • Wow, Debbie, you sure can start voting early in Illinois. They say already that at least a million folk in the US have voted. I better remind my daughter of that option, of voting now. The sooner the better, if you ask me. Feels good to be done, doesn’t it? It’s a privilege I look forward to every year!

  5. Thank you for sharing your experience, Monica. I can relate! You are so right about the Herculean effort to get through the two long ballots in San Diego- whew! I agree that the KPBS Voter Guide and also Ballotpedia.org were quite helpful in the rather excruciatingly long process — but, worth it to be counted!

  8. Hi Monica.

    Technology is a wonderful thing, as is the right to vote.
    We are following events over here with great interest in the events over there.
    May the best woman win and all that!!!

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