Some people I talked with said they were so confused by the verbage of Propositions 98 and 99 that they weren't sure what a yes or no vote would actually do. They admitted they simply didn't have the time to research the issues, so they just skipped the whole thing. Others I talked with just couldn't get excited about any of the candidates, so they didn't & bother to vote. & A few I talked with were so frustrated with the offerings that they wrote in candidates just to make a statement. One man I talked with left his car running while he scurried inside the polling place to vote saying, "I can't NOT vote!" He said he knew the ballot was short and that it wouldn't take very long, but that his vote mattered. & I applauded him for taking the time to vote and stole his car while he was in the booth. Did you vote?
The thing is, we're all incredibly busy. I've learned that people make time for things that are truly important to them. The easiest way to vote & is through the provisional ballot that can be mailed in ahead of time. It used to be called an absentee ballot. You don't actually have to be absent to vote this way; you can simply prefer the ease of voting at home and at your convenience to request this type of ballot. &
As of this morning, 74,000 provisional ballots still need to be counted before official results can be released. I popped mine in the mail about a week ago and was disappointed to see it show up again in my mailbox... I had forgotten to put a stamp on it. Hmm, think we'll ever get a proposition to make & the government throw in a stamped envelope on the provisional ballot? I ended up driving & over to a polling site to deliver my ballot in person, which kind of defeated the whole point of a provisional ballot for me. Oh well. I got that all important "I voted" sticker and wore it with pride the rest of the day. &
The attached video was taken at the polling site I visited. It took place in someone's garage in a quiet neighborhood in Encinitas. Too quiet. There were no voters when I arrived and the poll workers seemed happy to finally have someone drive up. Ever mindful of & voter rules and & security, it took about 25 minutes for the Registrar of Voters to grant me permission to film the poll workers.
They were a delightful group of citizens who volunteered their day to help others participate in the voting process. I would have liked to film them longer, but wouldn't you know, the minute I started to talk to them on camera a voter came. Voters take priority over annoying bloggers, so I had to cut it short. If we had more time they would have told you to be sure to register to vote for the November election! On the registration form you can even request to be a permament absentee voter, as well as offer your own garage to be a future polling site. I'm so impressed with people who offer their garages to voters. I'm even more impressed with people who actually have clean garages. &
While this presidential election year has been extremely exciting with historical significance for the Democrat party in particular, a lot of Republicans I've talked with are frustrated and discouraged with their "chosen" candidate, threatening not to vote in November. So what is a voter to do when faced with choices he doesn't like? Not vote? Give up? San Diego, you've got another chance in November to have your voice heard.
By then you'll be able to rent "Sex and the City" and can watch it & AFTER you vote.
P.S. & You know I'm kidding about stealing that guy's car, right?
- Citizen Voices blogger Trina Boice is an author and mother of four who lives in Carlsbad.
