If you live in the US, don’t forget to vote today
It’s a really big deal, regardless of your political persuasion.
Already the MSFT internal mailing lists have been filled with people asking “how long are the lines at my polling place”. The good news is that the times appear to be pretty good – people seem to be getting in and out in very little time (at least in the town in which I live).
For people living in King and Pierce counties in Washington State, this will be the last time that they will vote in person. The rest of the state already votes entirely by mail, and starting next year, both counties will also switch to vote-by-mail.
The state of Oregon has already switched to a 100% vote-by-mail system, with the switchover in King and Pierce counties, Washington state will join Oregon in eliminating the ballot box.
Valorie and I have been voting absentee for about 5 years now, personally I like it – by voting at home, we have the opportunity to scope out the candidates at our leisure. That in turn means that we’re going to vote more accurately.
So if you live in the US, please, PLEASE vote today.
Comments
Anonymous
November 04, 2008
The comment has been removedAnonymous
November 04, 2008
How did the introduction of postal voting affect participation rates? In New Zealand we introduced postal voting for local government, and saw the participation rate plunge. That isn't helpful.Anonymous
November 04, 2008
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November 04, 2008
Gordon: As I understand it in both Oregon and the counties in WA that have adopted vote-by-mail, the participation numbers have increased. But I don't pretend to follow these things.Anonymous
November 04, 2008
The comment has been removedAnonymous
November 04, 2008
The comment has been removedAnonymous
November 04, 2008
"You mean: "If you are a US Citizen, don't forget to vote today"" You mean: "If you are a US Citizen && you live in the US, don't forget to vote today" If you're a US Citizen living outside the US, don't forget to vote 2 weeks ago, by mail.Anonymous
November 05, 2008
How does voting at home help you vote more accurately? The candidates and issues are well known in advance, so you can scope out the positions you think are best at your leisure in advance, whether you fill out a mail-in form, or visit your local polling precinct.Anonymous
November 05, 2008
But didn't each of you affect the other person's choice? It could have been different had you two didn't have the luxury of voting while sitting on your couch.Anonymous
November 05, 2008
> didn't each of you affect the other person's choice Not in my house. My wife and I don't tell each other who we voted for, even after the election.Anonymous
November 05, 2008
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