Farewell, Election Day

More on the voter fraud in Ohio:
http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=3128354&maven_referralPlaylistId=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/

I both agree and disagree with this article. It seems that Will is lumping every absentee voter into the same group. I have been following this election race since the start, and I would like to continue to listen to the candidates until November 4th. The problem for me is that I will be away on business for most of November and I have to vote early. I do not feel that this makes me some kind of lazy coach potato- the absentee ballot is for (at least this day in age, maybe not during the Civil War) people like me. And though my decision is pretty much made up at this point, I still would like to have as much time as possible to weigh my options. The long winded point to this is that many absentee voters are not doing it because it is easier, but because they have to, and it does not make them any less patriotic or educated for doing so. Second, though I, and many other people, am voting early, it does not mean we are voting today. The rules for absentee voting from where I come from require that the ballot be postmarked on the day of the election; and though I will probably cast my vote several days earlier, people do have the chance to vote on election day as an absentee, so really this race is still on- no need to say farewell to election day.

I always learn something from George Will, even if I (often) do not agree with him fully on his views. I am open to being challeneged by someone whose views differ from mine if the other person is bright and articulate, words that always have described Mr. Will. What I find to be missing from this column is the segment of the conversation that must take into account the enormity of the population. The infrastructure that may have existed for soldiers of the Civil War cannot accommodate tens of millions of citizens who wish to vote now. If we had but one day to vote, there would be chaos beyond description (e.g., long lines, persons not voting because their hourly jobs prohibit them from leaving work, computer hard drive overload).

I always learn something from George Will, even if I (often) do not agree fully with his views. I enjoyed this colulmn. What is missing for me is attention to the fact that we have far, far more persons who *can* vote. An argument about the number of soldiers during the Civil War does not match the lack of an infrastructure to accommodate all interested voters now.

Dear Mr. Will:
The chief reason that I vote absentee is that it provides a paper trail, especially after the shamefully rigged elections of 2000 and 2004.
Moody Lawrence, Key West

Some October surprises that can happen! Obama gets named by resko in his federal deal and is ordered to appear before a federal court to face charges! Or Larry Sinclair videotape emerges with proof that Obama did have a homosexual affair! Or the Michelle Obama whitey tape comes out or a terrorist attack in an u.s. city (god help us) or Iran attacks Israel and makes an announcement that they have a nuclear Wepons! Or Pakistan breaks into two different factions and one is a terrorist regime! So many things can happen!

I am fairly certain that my 84-year-old grandfather, a retired doctor, would vehemently disagree. He would be grateful that someone in this country is thinking of seniors and others who find long lines to be physically daunting. Categorizing large, generalized groups of people as "slothful" is exactly what is wrong with modern conservatism.

voter fraud in Ohio:
http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=3126975&maven_referralPlaylistId=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/

A man of great wisdom:
http://www.atlah.org/broadcast/manningreport.html

Will's time has past. He should lose his column in Newsweek for this thoughtless point of view. Any argument against any mechanism that actually increases voter participation and turn out should be slapped in the face. Oregon is ahead of the charge, and the other 49 states would be well suited to follow their leadership. Will can go to his 20th century hell, the rest of the United States has passed him buy. PS: Will was however, very correct in pointing out Gov. Palin's lack of readiness for the VEEP.

Obama's dirtiest, darkest secret!:
http://larrysinclair.org/

George- We have been watching this thing unravel for 18 months now. How much more front-loading can you get than that? It's ridiculous to think that somehow, after listening to all this drivel for 18 months, that in the last week before the election we are going to encounter such a big shocker that we switch our vote....please.

This article is drivel. FOr a guy who considers himself the smartest in the room all the time, he sure says some dumb things.

How odd that George F. Will would cite an ???expert??? from the American Enterprise Institute. This is the same organization who staged a massive public misinformation that got us into the Iraq war. How odd that Will should continue to write missives of mass deception even though history has proven him wrong time and time again. Ah, White Privilege is indeed alive and well..

It???s also strange that Will ignores the endless Republican tactics of voter suppression. In many states voting while black or voting while Latino is as serious a crime as arson. Many states are notorious for rigged voting machines. Republican operatives target predominantly black neighborhoods and send misinformation telling voters the wrong polling place or even telling them that Democrats are supposed to vote Wednesday and not Tuesday. Voter ID laws discriminate against the car-less - even though exhaustive studies conducted by both Brennan Center for Justice NYU and the Samuelson Law, Technology & Policy Clinic have proven conclusively that voter fraud is virtually non-existent. These are some of the reasons people might resort to absentee ballots.

Unbeknownst to Wills , many people are actually forced to hold down two jobs to feed their families. As a retired school teacher, I myself have occasionally resorted to absentee ballots because my typical 12 to `14 hour work day made it difficult to go to the polls in person.. Once when I was selected to grade Advance Placement Exams, I had to cast an absentee ballot because I was out of state when the primary took place. Like McCain, Will is out of touch with the exigencies that shape the lives of many people.

I will concede one point to Will. Perhaps there are problems with allowing people to cast absentee votes too early. Perhaps also voting machines with paper trails, and the elimination of the various voter suppression tactics practices by the GOP might encourage more people to go to the polls, but absentee voting must remain a part of our electoral system.

I'm sorry, but you lose credibility when you decide to dictate who gets to vote. I may not like the fact that some of our citizens do not feel it is worth their effort to get up off their couches to vote. But it is the epitome of elitism to deny them their right to do so for this reason alone. I believe we as a nation should do everything in our power to make it easier, not harder for all people to vote.

the democrats pick up the homeless and crack heads and pay them 20 bucks to vote for obama its a chicago style thing thats been going on for years ! acorn has had mickey mouse minnie and all the other toons voting demorat for years ! its no surprise though the republicans just need to keep the ballots seperate so they can be checked to see if there is any wrong doing ! i'm certian if acorn is involved that most of those ballots will be junked !

The top 1% of earners earns 22% of the income and pays 40% of the taxes. So, that leaves 60% of the taxes to be paid by 99% of the people. Please, tell me what is fair in this equation. How much more does Obama want them to do? And, when Obama says 95% of the American people will get a tax cut, he forgets to say that 40% pay NO tax. So, while some do get a tax cut, he'll be sending a new "welfare" check to those that never paid in the first place. That's socialism, folks!

Dear George,

I have had the opportunity--and the honor--of voting in four different states in our country. I moved to Oregon four years ago, and I have never felt so empowered as a voter. Oregon's system involves a lot more than simply mailing a ballot. In Oregon, the state sends a voter pamphlet (really, a booklet) to every single household registered to vote. This ballot includes an amazing amount of information. Every candidate for ever position may submit a description of themselves and their policies, and where voters may go for additional informaiton (there is a word count maximum, and it is applied equally to all candidates). That alone makes is very useful and telling. I can't tell you the number of times I've entered polling places in other states and encountered the names of judges or someone running for a local seat that hadn't heard of--and I did pay attention to the news. Oregon allows voter-initiated measures, which I think is another reason Oregon's voter turn-out is high--we have a direct voice in how our state is governed. In the pamphlet, the state includes the language for each measure, an interpretation of what the measure impacts (this includes projected fiscal impact), and then anyone or any organization in Oregon may pay money (I believe it is $500) to include an arguement for or against the measure. It is this fee which pays for the voter pamphlet.

The pamphlet arrives well in advance of the ballot, and it allows me to pay closer attention to candidates, gather additional information, to consider what my vote means, and how it will impact my state and country. Because I am not in a situation wherein I must make an immediate decision, I can take the time to truly investigate the people running for office and the initiatives on the ballot.

I really value your insights and thoughtfulness on the political arena. I appreciate your point about the challenges of early voting. I think you are right that it can--when done poorly--lead to problems. However, I think invoking Oregon's mail-in system without considering and describing the whole of the process in the state of Oregon, misrepresents a successful strategy to empower people. I love Oregon's system, and I wish my friends and family in other states had the opportunity to be as informed as I am. I think it would make a huge difference to the quality of voters.

In terms of quantity of voters, though, I do want to say one thing: I am proud to say that my vote counts no more than another person's vote. I think we should work to increase the quality of the quantity and not choose between them.

Thank you for listening.

Laura
Eugene, Oregon

As a registered voter in Oregon, I take strong exception to George Will???s screed against mail-in ballots in ???Farewell, Election Day.??? His statement that ???the quality of the electoral turnout declines when the quantity is increased??? offends those of us who bother to vote year-in and year-out, with or without heavy turnouts.

He calls those of us who use the vote by mail system variously ???slothful,??? ???barely interested,??? or ???barely informed,??? suggesting that only those voters who ???get off their couches and visit neighborhood polling places??? have a greater knowledge or interest. I work full-time, and have three part-time jobs. I didn???t realize I was so ???slothful??? because I use the mail-in system.

And, by the way, we don???t have to ???mail??? our ballots; we can also drop them off at a number of public locations, including the county elections office???on Election Day, if we desire the ???communitarian moment??? or ???civic liturgy??? Mr. Will seems to find so hallowed. The ballots themselves are not counted until Election Day, so although I can vote early if I wish, I won???t know the results in my state until 8 p.m. or later that day.

I take my vote and the election very seriously and am insulted by Mr. Wills??? suggestion that I don???t have the kind of ???quality??? he is looking for in a voter.