It’s like Vote-Johnng
Last night when I went in to cast my vote at my polling place, I was the only one there who wasn’t a poll worker. Doesn’t anybody vote in person anymore? Anyway, while I was there I figured I might as well try out the new electronic voting machines. The machine was easy enough to use, but not significantly easier than using the paper ballot. In short, the positions/issues appear on the screen, followed by your choices for each and a button that allows you to “write-in” candidates. I didn’t write anyone in, but if I had, typing in their name is much like typing in a name for the “winners” screen of the touch screen games at the bar. For me this was an idle amusement: I don’t have any physical challenges that make the paper ballot awkward: I could see how the voting machine could be a big advantage to someone who has a hard time seeing the small text on the paper ballots or finds it difficult to fill in the little ovals.
Since I refuse to declare a party affiliation–because, like thousands of my fellow Washington voters, I don’t have one–voting took me all of about a minute.
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If you don’t choose a party when you vote, your vote will not be counted….. so you might as well stay home and yell at the TV, it’s just as effective!
Actually, that’s NOT TRUE. If you don’t select a party when you vote, you are unable to vote for partisan offices. Your non-partisan votes count whether you select a party or not. If you fail to select a party but vote for partisan offices anyway, your votes for those partisan offices will not be counted but your votes for non-partisan issues WILL BE COUNTED. It says so on the ballots themselves.
I know that the same old sad sacks who care way more about their party affiliations than the actual governing of this state would like true independents like me to simply stay home since we don’t blindly follow party lines–that, I’m sure, is why there’s so much widespread misinformation about the party/voting connection.