ANALYISIS OF YOUR ELECTION WORK .

You as a citizen of your country are able to vote.  But, you have many things to think about and make decisions.  Hopefully, you will not keep all these items in your head, but you will make a list about the items within the election, such as the items in my last blog.  Please make notes next to those items you feel strongest about.

Of course, there are special items that you know about, i.e. abortion.  How much weight do you place on those items?  An item like abortion may carry a large percentage of weight in your selection, anything over 50% means that you have slipped into a “polarizing” issue.   An issue that places so much weight in your selection that whatever else the candidate supports you will or will not support him/her.  For you, your decision is made.  It is the easy way to vote. 

An election is full of issues that deserve full attention.   Voting for something that is a polarizing issue should be your last consideration before voting.   Take a look at those items that you have made notes next too.   You might want to establish a “weight system based on 100%” and place a percentage next to the items you feel strongest about.   Start to make out cards, or notes next to those items and see how strong the contenders match up.

Starting down the list of “contenders” you will quickly see that you do not have the knowledge you would like to contain in your brain to make a decision that you could live with.  Does it have enough strength for you to support one specific candidate?  Perhaps if you had been following the election closely, you could have received the necessary information.  Now, you are going to have to go several resources for answers. The best of the batch include; The Christian Science Monitor, www.csm.com                                     www.factcheck.com , www.commondreams.org , www.commoncause.com , www.cnn.com , www.foxnews,com ,  www.projectvotesmart.org , www.msnbc.com,  www.centerforresponsivepolitics.net, www.legislativeinformationfromthelibraryofcongress.com,Thomas.loc.gov/ , www.npr.org , www.GOP.com , wwwldemocraticparty.org   .  Your local newspapers are available on the web system and can easily find articles that would answer questions.

These sources could provide you with answers to the questions you desire.  Next election perhaps you could come up with your own system which might include:  taking the local newspaper (cutting out articles) keeping the articles in your own system be it a file system or binder.  Reading the articles and keeping them to help you in discussions throughout the election will further strengthen your vote.

Usually the county where you vote will send your ballot sheet that has everything in the election.  No, this is not for you to vote on and hand in, but it is for you to make semi-final decisions.  Select those candidates that you have decided deserve your vote, place an X next to their name.  Do the same thing with all the propositions.  After finishing, go over the entire ballot and see if you have made your final decisions.  Once that is completed, take the sample ballot INTO  where you vote—into the actual booth, so you can fill out the actual ballot the same way you did on the—that takes all the anxiety and pressure off of making errors on the ballot.

The ballot booth and ballot itself.    The booth is supposed to be private.  A pull sheet is provided for that purpose.  The ballot procedure is different everywhere.  Make sure you have familiarized yourself with that procedure.  This simple item was the basis of the Supreme Court case that cost Al Gore the Presidency to George W. Bush in the state of Florida.  Please be careful about getting to the balloting place before it closes.  As long as you are in line, they must allow you to vote.  Also, watch out for signs that direct people away from balloting locations.  This is a trick played on voters by one of the political parties to lower the vote count because people didn’t get to the ballot station in time.  Again, in the State of Florida.   A last word of advice.  If you have to work, get to the ballot location in the early morning—before you get to work, there are less people, lines are shorter.  The State of Oregon has done one thing better—they are an all absentee ballot state.  All ballots are mailed into the County to be counted.  I hope you feel confident in your selections and you help in electing a solid ballot that will correct our ship of state.