Farewell, Election Day

kmar200009 said: "it concerns me as well that in such an instance, so many voters would have cast their ballots based on different information than those on election day"

I live in Oregon and vote by mail and love it. I follow politics intensely. I am voting for Obama because he pronounces "Ossetia" the same way I do. See how that works?

I don't care if he is caught shooting children from a rooftop, it would not get me to vote for McCain.

You subhead asks: "What kind of people will not vote if doing so requires them to get off their couches and visit neighborhood polling places?"
For one, my father who is paralyzed and would have to arrange transportation to move him from his bed to the polling place.

Unfortunately,life's circumstances does not permit me the time to travel to the polling place and wait to vote.At best I would sacrifice a portion of the days pay,which my family and I cannot afford.Therefore,according to Mr. Will and his ilk I should forfeit voting.The reasoning of this elitist republican is repugnant!

It would seem that the easiest way to fix this is to invalidate any ballot with a postmark before a certain date - say, 18 days prior to the election - 4 weeks for those who are oversees, such as soldiers.

I have voted in every single election I've been eligible to vote in, save one, since 1974. My first two years I voted absentee because I was away at college in Ohio, but my residence was in NY.

There was a small window of time I had to get my ballot postmarked. If I as a college freshman could figure that out, I'm betting most other folks could, too.

Civic duty is a good thing, so is a public ritual that celebrates democracy, but the point is to get as many people voting as possible, however that occurs.

George Will may have a flexible schedule as a well-known, well-regarded journalist/columnist, but the average American is gainfully employed on a relatively fixed schedule. So while I understand that in Will's case, not being able to make it to the polls on election day indicates some sort of "slothfulness" or ignorance, applying that lgoic to the average American is some sort of strange, naive projection. Election day is always on a Tuesday and it is not an official holiday, so Americans are likely to be busy working to feed their families, pay their bills, and fuel this country's economic growth like they do every business day. Sure plenty of Americans are uniformed and lazy, but the idea that being "busy on election day" is indicative of either is the same type of conservative elitism that justifies poll taxes, literacy taxes, any number of voter supression methods.

George Will may have a flexible schedule as a well-known, well-regarded journalist/columnist, but the average American is gainfully employed on a relatively fixed schedule. So while I understand that in Will's case, not being able to make it to the polls on election day indicates some sort of "slothfulness" or ignorance, applying that lgoic to the average American is some sort of strange, naive projection. Election day is always on a Tuesday and it is not an official holiday, so Americans are likely to be busy working to feed their families, pay their bills, and fuel this country's economic growth like they do every business day. Sure plenty of Americans are uniformed and lazy, but the idea that being "busy on election day" is indicative of either is the same type of conservative elitism that justifies poll taxes, literacy taxes, any number of voter supression methods.

George Will may have a flexible schedule as a well-known, well-regarded journalist/columnist, but the average American is gainfully employed on a relatively fixed schedule. So while I understand that in Will's case, not being able to make it to the polls on election day indicates some sort of "slothfulness" or ignorance, applying that lgoic to the average American is some sort of strange, naive projection. Election day is always on a Tuesday and it is not an official holiday, so Americans are likely to be busy working to feed their families, pay their bills, and fuel this country's economic growth like they do every business day. Sure plenty of Americans are uniformed and lazy, but the idea that being "busy on election day" is indicative of either is the same type of conservative elitism that justifies poll taxes, literacy taxes, any number of voter supression methods.

George Will may have a flexible schedule as a well-known, well-regarded journalist/columnist, but the average American is gainfully employed on a relatively fixed schedule. So while I understand that in Will's case, not being able to make it to the polls on election day indicates some sort of "slothfulness" or ignorance, applying that lgoic to the average American is some sort of strange, naive projection. Election day is always on a Tuesday and it is not an official holiday, so Americans are likely to be busy working to feed their families, pay their bills, and fuel this country's economic growth like they do every business day. Sure plenty of Americans are uniformed and lazy, but the idea that being "busy on election day" is indicative of either is the same type of conservative elitism that justifies poll taxes, literacy taxes, any number of voter supression methods.

"But surely the quality of the electoral turnout declines when the quantity is increased by 'convenience voting.'" Are you kidding me? Did you really say that? You conservatives are disgusting. God forbid we have we make it easier for the plebeians to vote and decrease the "quality" of our elections.

I think the arguement that you should be willing to get up on election day really only applies to mail voting then early voting. Here in GA early voting requires you to go to a poll. However there is usually only one location per county (the local board of elections) so in convience terms early voting is acually less convient because polling locations on election day are considerably closer to home. I voted early this year because I dread the very long lines in polling places. I am also a typical early voter in that I am incredibly partisan and vote a straight democratic ticket 99% of the time. Without early voting I still would have voted but it does make it easier and I am glad we have the option. That said I do think early voting starts a little too early here in GA. A month in advance is more then enough time. not 2 months

There is one other advantage of absentee voting: confidence that your vote will be counted. The day my county adopts a voting machine that can be hacked & lacks a reliable paper trail is the day I will vote absentee.

FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON BLAMES CORRUPT DEMOCRATS FOR FANNIE MAE MELTDOWN

President Clinton told ABC News That the blame for the Fannie Mae Meltdown Lies squarely at the feet of Corrupt DEMOCRATS who blocked efforts to regulate and investigate Fannie Mae. You have to admire his honesty, candor, and political courage-

Watch The Jim Angle Report It Links To The Clinton Interview--
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHj8-HSi5AA&eurl=

Watch The ABC / Clinton Interview On ABC News ---
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/09/bill-clinton-do.html


But If You REALLY Want To Know How We Got Into This Mess In The First Place, Watch This Video And Pass It Along:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheMouthPeace

Hear Barney Frank On Video "There Is No Crisis At Fannie Mae"
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194210.php

The New York Post Agrees -- http://www.nypost.com/seven/09242008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/house_of_cards_130479.htm?&page=1



There are former CEOs of Fannie Mae, Interim and assistant CEOs, Four US Senators and at least two members of the US House of Representatives who should GO TO JAIL for BRIBING members of Congress to block investigations of Fannie Mae Abuses.

Come on, George! Is this really the most pressing issue you could find? Arguably, early voting frees the independent citizen to make an informed choice in the privacy of their own home. This allows them time to examine ballot language on the numerous ballot issues and initiatives (many of which are often ambiguously worded) which are crammed into those quadrennial ballots. For those with small children at home, or whose work schedules make it near impossible to go to the polls to wait in line for an undetermined amount of time, absentee voting is reasonable accomodation. I admit that I enjoy going to the polls for the excitment of casting a ballot in person. However, to suggest that voting should become a privilege of those who have the luxury of time to do so strikes me as frankly un-American.

I'm an independent voter (I've voted for candidates of both parties and Ross Perot, too). I live in Oregon and believe that a little bit of effort on the part of abled-bodied voters is not too much to ask in order to exercise my right to vote. I also look back fondly to elections when I lived in Virginia, New Jersey, and Idaho and stood in line, waiting to vote, with my fellow citizens of all political persuasions. It was a civic event and celebration of democracy that I miss. For my part, I don't mail in my ballot. On election day, as silly as it sounds, I drive to the election office in my small town and hand-deliver my ballot -- hoping, unrealistically, to bump into fellow citizens with whom to share an "American Moment."

What a pompouse, white, Republican elitist! What George Will is really saying is that by early voting, the slimy Repulican candidate does not know when to:
* launch his slimy 'October' surprise
* throw his Hail Mary

Such a quandry for Republican McCain - exactly when do I launch my slimy, false, 'soundbite' lie about my Democratic opponent? McCain (George Will's thinking): "If I launch it too late, some people will have voted on the facts they have been able to verify and so I won't be able to swifeboat my way to the White House. But, Gee, but if I launch it too early, the voters may be able to find out the truth before they vote."

Sarah Palin is another example of this,......keep her sequestered from the people until it is too late to do anything about. They even tried to postpone the debates.

George Will and other Republicans like him HAVE NO SHAME. Like Jack McCafferty, I am disgusted.