Pages Tagged “voting”
Blog Posts
- I Voted, Primarily
Last Friday, I dropped off my ballot for today’s primary election. I’ve got to say, I really appreciate the new approach in LA County of mailing everyone eligible a ballot, maintaining permanent drop boxes at relevant locations (libraries, etc.), and opening some polling places early to accept completed ballots. MUCH more convenient than needing the […]
- Not the Same
Option 1: will do some things you want, and some things you don’t. Option 2: won’t do anything you want, will do all the same things you don’t want that option 1 will do, has promised to do more things you don’t want, undo the things you wanted that have already happened, make it more […]
- Patch the Electoral System
Whatever you think of the electoral system, the fact that we have to wait for people to copy down those electoral votes is no longer helpful, and the fact that they can choose (or be pressured) to vote for someone else is a vulnerability in our democracy that should be patched. You want to keep […]
- Voting Experience: Los Angeles’ New “Vote Centers” and Machines
Los Angeles County has a new voting system this year. Instead of every registered voter being assigned a specific polling place based on their home address, you can vote at any polling place — excuse me, “vote center” — in the county. There are fewer locations than there used to be, but they’re also open […]
- Fix the small problem, break the big problem
If you have a big problem and a small problem, and you solve the small problem in a way that makes the big problem worse, that’s a bad solution. Imagine “solving” a squeaky air conditioner fan by breaking the AC completely! In the US, people voting who shouldn’t is a much smaller problem than people […]
- Busier Midterm Voting than Expected
The polling place was full this morning. I had to drive all the way around the block to find parking (notice the line of cars), which I can’t recall ever having to do at this location. (The 2016 election used a different polling place for this area.) I wondered if I should have walked there […]
- California: Don’t sit out the midterms. Check your Voter Registration TODAY
Californians! Today is the last day to register to vote in time for the midterm election. Don’t sit this one out! Even if you don’t care which Senator wins, even if the propositions are overwhelming… We’re choosing the next governor. We’re choosing the House reps & state legislature. For Secretary of State we’re literally choosing […]
- California: Vote this November!
Californians: If you can vote this November, don’t sit this one out. We have a governor to choose. We have representatives to select. And we need to shut down the 3-Californias plan hard. It’s a terrible, outlandish, unpopular idea…but in a midterm election (low turnout already) with the specter of voter suppression? Don’t rely on […]
- Voter Suppression Supreme
Step 1: Refuse to confirm a SCOTUS judge for a year. Step 2: Install a judge you prefer. Step 3: Get a SCOTUS ruling upholding a voter purge law that disproportionately impacts people who are more likely to vote for your opponents. Voter purges aren’t about getting rid of invalid registrations. They’re about suppressing votes. […]
- Are you SURE You’re Registered?
A family member was incorrectly removed from the voting rolls. She hasn’t moved in about 7 years, hasn’t done anything to lose eligibility, and has been active in every election during that time. Even the local ones. She cast a provisional ballot and is trying to sort out what the hell happened to her registration. […]
- Straight-Party Checkbox: Bad Design Pattern
Putting a straight-party checkbox on a ballot violates a key design principle: The polling place and ballot should strive to avoid steering people toward specific choices. This is also why some places randomize candidates’ names or stick with alphabetical order. The human brain would rather work on auto-pilot than think carefully. Give it an excuse […]
- Vote Local!
Remember to vote in local elections. Initiatives, council and school board members, judges, etc. affect you and your community directly. It may not be as exciting as the Presidential race, but it determines who makes decisions in your town, who passes and enforces city laws and regulations, local taxes, which services are offered and how. […]
- Election Day 2008
Katie and I got up early so we could hit the polls first thing in the morning and not have to worry about whether we’d be stuck in an insanely long line at the end of the day, like we were in 2004 and 2006. The first thing we noticed was the sound of rain […]
- Holding the Center
California is an interesting state. We just re-elected Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger 55% to 39%, but also re-elected Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein 60% to 35%. All but one of the remaining state offices went to Democrats (some by larger margins than others). The Governator is talking about a mandate. Politicians always do that when they […]
- How Crowded Could It Be?
Note to self: Stick with morning voting next time. “Oh, it’s only a midterm election! How crowded could it be?” (Yes, that was me.) Feh. Katie and I arrived at the polling place at 6:30 PM. The people who got in line behind us decided to leave, have dinner, and come back. Of the two […]
- Uh, that’s a negative
The Los Angeles Times website had an interesting way of describing the results of yesterday’s state election: It’s hard to believe that all eight propositions failed. Even the four Orange County measures failed. Every item on the ballot in our district was rejected! On a related note, I still don’t like the voting machines we […]
- Two to Go
Woke up early (well, early for me) so we could get out and hit the polls before work. I was amazed that there was only one person in line ahead of us. Not only that, but there was only one line, not three or four broken up by last name. Well, it’s a mid-term election. […]
- Vote!
If you live in California and you’re a registered voter: vote! If you like the initiatives on the ballot, vote them in. If you don’t like them, vote them out. If you’re disgusted with the way the initiative process has been subverted by the very political machines and special interest groups it was supposed to […]
- Thunderous Thought
A loud clap of thunder sent half the office to the windows about 20 minutes ago, and prompted cries of “Save now!” That got me thinking. In theory, we’re supposed to have e-voting in today’s election. Are the voting machines on UPSes? If the polling place loses power, is there any kind of backup to […]
- A Better Voting System
For several years now (before the 2000 Presidential election, but even more strongly after that), I’ve been of the opinion that allowing people to mark a 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice on each ballot would effectively resolve the “lesser of two evils” problem that limits us to the Republicans and Democrats as the only viable […]