The Voting Circus

Yes, I am doing two political posts in a row. DON'T PANIC! This is no indication of my future blogging habits! I had planned to make one loooong post, but loooong posts are a turn-off to readers. (Despite my best of intentions, that last post still ended up being VERY loooong. Sorry!)
This one is about my current voting experience.

We received our ballots for Washington’s Primary Election over a week ago, and I have been trying to fill them out. Ha ha. Very funny. Little did I know what I was in for! Armed with a computer and a determination characteristic of perfectionists and obsessive/compulsive tendencies, my quest began with visiting links that I had bookmarked in the previous election. Sadly, most were either outdated or invalid. I asked for help from various political people and sites. No good. I did internet searches. Nothing. I might find what time President Bush wakes up each morning or how Obama likes his eggs or what McCain thinks about the war, but barely anyone has easy-to-digest information on judges. Take one look at “legal” gay marriages to see the importance of the courts. We desperately need good judges, especially at the top.
I prayed for help, and I praise God for a memory He gave me just when I was ready to give up. An e-mail from a homeschooling support group in our area. It was still in my deleted items folder. Half way down was a short blurb on voting. A single link. I clicked on it, and . . BINGO!!!! I was able to fill in all my ballot blanks save one, which I figured out just today with another internet search. Woooooo!

Now tell me this: WHY ISN’T THERE MORE HELP OUT THERE FOR VOTERS??? How are we supposed to vote on people and issues we know nothing about??? And if I can’t find the info . . . I have 4 ½ years of college education, do e-mail/internet stuff daily, am accustomed to searching for and finding information, I read a couple of politically active sites and one political magazine, occasionally listen to a political talk radio show host, and I possess a strong drive to vote intelligently . . . If I have this much trouble, how does the average American have any chance of making an informed vote on anything other than the president????? I ask you! THERE’S SOMETHING VERY WRONG HERE.

I’m going to be pondering this dilemma for a spell.

In the meantime, let me tell you who I voted for:

Wherever there was one Republican running, that was my pick. The Republican Party is more conservative and supportive of traditional values than the Democratic Party.

For the rest of the ballot:

US Representative District 5

Cathy McMorris Rodgers

Governor

Dino Rossi

This guy actually won the election last time and then lost it after a couple of recounts. So he might actually have a chance of beating the democratic incumbent.

Lt. Governor

Jim Wiest

Superintendent of Public Instruction

John Patterson Blair

Click here for the site I used to make my choice.

State Representative Pos 2

Matt Shea

I got my information for the judges at this site, the one that was in the e-mail mentioned above. The last few times I've tried to visit it hasn't worked. Not sure what happened to it, but the candidates it recommended are listed below.

Supreme Court Justice Pos 3

Michael J. Bond

Supreme Court Justice Pos 4

Charles W. Johnson

Court of Appeals Division 3, District 1 Pos 2

Harvey Dunham

Spokane County Superior Court, Judge Pos 1

Greg D. Weber

Spokane County Superior Court, Judge Pos 10

David Stevens

Election of Political Party Precinct Committee Officer

Christopher Bass

We actually got to meet this guy when he was going around knocking on doors. He made a very good impression. Then, I e-mailed him with some questions about his views, and he promptly sent back a long and thorough reply that completely convinced me he has solid conservative values. He is also endorsing Matt Shea (Mentioned above for State Rep.)