Elections & Responsibility!

Well...I am certainly not used to the way this state does things regarding elections! In CA, they mail you a sample ballot with all the things listed on it that we will be voting on. They also mail you a Voter Guide that tells about the issues and gives the statements issued by the people being voted for.

Here...you get...nothing. You have to depend upon the media, whether it is TV, newspaper or radio, to know that there even is an election. We kept hearing about elections, but kept thinking we would get SOMEthing in the mail telling us where and when to vote at least! Nope!

I called today and found out where we go to vote this coming Tuesday! I also got the official state government web address for the election info. There is a Voter Guide online, but all it tells you is the general information on how to vote. I can get a list of everyone running, but I cannot get a list of just those in my area. The list is for the complete state, although it does list the area for each candidate.

We can get the info we need, but we have to work more for it here than in CA. Well, I guess it is shame on us for assuming that things were pretty much the same across the states. It is our responsibility as citizens and voters to make sure we find out how the government works in our locality...even if it is regarding the federal government. Apparently, voting in nationwide elections does not guarantee that it will be handled the same in every locale.

So, now that we know, we have our homework cut out for us this weekend. We have to ferret out all the information we can about what we will be voting for. I HATE going into a voting booth uninformed. I have been thinking about the elections for some time now. I really should have checked sooner instead of assuming that something would come. Oh, well. Live and learn, right?