Like Clockwork

Haven't we seen this before? It's now like clockwork. Every so often, a certain local media pundit declares his disdain for early voting. And whenever that happens, G-O-TEA politicians & media personalities respond with glee... And with legislation to restrict and/or abolish early voting.

Like clockwork, the above mentioned local media pundit went on another tirade against early voting. But this time, national G-O-TEA media personalities became involved. And this time, the local media pundit contracted a case of the sads when he was caught in the middle of Dave Weigel's rebuttal of the G-O-TEA case against early voting.

Whenever the above mentioned local media pundit rails against early voting, he cries, "SLOTH!" And whenever G-O-TEA politicians rail against early voting, they cry, "INTEGRITY!". But in reality, early voting neither encourages "sloth" nor threatens "integrity". Rather, it's simply a way to allow more voters to participate in our ("small d") democratic process.

And that brings us back to Weigel's Slate column... And to Wisconsin State Senator Dale Schultz (R). He voted against his own Republican Party's plan to severely restrict early voting. And he didn't hold back when he explained to a Madison, Wisconsin, radio station why he did so.

It’s just, I think, sad when a political party — my political party — has so lost faith in its ideas that it’s pouring all of its energy into election mechanics. And again, I’m a guy who understands and appreciates what we should be doing in order to make sure every vote counts, every vote is legitimate. But that fact is, it ought to be abundantly clear to everybody in this state that there is no massive voter fraud. 

The only thing that we do have in this state is we have long lines of people who want to vote. And it seems to me that we should be doing everything we can to make it easier, to help these people get their votes counted. And that we should be pitching as political parties our ideas for improving things in the future, rather than mucking around in the mechanics and making it more confrontational at the voting sites and trying to suppress the vote.

And Dale Schultz is not alone in saying this. In fact, the bipartisan presidential commission that was appointed after the 2012 Election recommended expansion of early voting in order to avert the kinds of long lines and voter dropout that occurred in states like Florida & Ohio, where Republicans had severely cut back early voting opportunities.

And that was no accident. A Republican Florida State Senator had actually declared, "This should not be easy", when he voted to cut early voting. That State Senator, Mike Bennett, is now the Election Supervisor for Manatee County. And ironically enough, he just convinced county supervisors there to slash Election Day voting sites in order to "save money and allow the county to offer more early voting sites in the future".

This is why we have such a hard time accepting G-O-TEA excuses for attacking early voting, even when a certain local media pundit attempts to validate their excuses. There's no "integrity" in eliminating citizens' ability to participate in our democratic system. There's no "virtue" in forcing hardworking Americans to choose between voting and keeping a job &/or taking care of their families. And there's certainly no "value" in deliberately creating long lines on Election Day that discourage people from voting.

At least Assembly Member Pat Hickey (R-Reno) had a moment of honesty last September when he admitted 2014 will be a "great year for Republicans" so long as we don't vote. That's what they're counting on. They're hoping we don't vote. And they're hoping by eliminating our opportunities to vote, we'll give up and simply don't vote.

Like clockwork, G-O-TEA politicians attack our voting rights. And like clockwork, they come up with elaborate excuses as they attempt to cover up their dirty misdeeds. It's just irritating that like clockwork, a certain local media pundit fails to recognize what's really behind their campaign against early voting.

Preliminary Early Voting Report

Now that early voting has come to an end, we can start analyzing the numbers. Clark County and Washoe County have posted new data, so let's take a look at the state's two population hubs.

In Washoe (Reno), the final in-person early vote count reached 111,190 people in total. 44,402 Republicans voted early in-person compared to 45,043 Democrats. But when the mail-in (or absentee) ballot count from yesterday is included, Republicans take a 451 raw vote lead. That makes for an almost final Republican turnout advantage... Of 0.004%, about on par with voter registration there.

In Clark (Vegas), the final in-person early vote count reached 436,631 people. 140,727 Republicans voted early in-person compared to 210,431 Democrats. Again, not all the mail-in ballots have been counted yet, so the full numbers are not here yet. But when yesterday's mail-in ballot count is included, here's where we are for now: Democrats have a 70,670 raw vote lead, or a 14.62% turnout advantage. This is just a tick below Democrats' 14.95% voter registration advantage in Clark County.

And here are some in-person early voting stats for the various swing districts in Clark County. (I've yet to find mail-in stats for districts within the county.) In NV-03, Democrats closed with a 5,018 raw vote lead, or a 2.79% turnout edge (slightly above 2.11% registration edge). In the Clark County part of NV-04, Democrats closed with a 27,112 raw vote lead, or a 19.03% turnout advantage (which is above the 17.61% voter registration advantage there). And in the key State Senate Districts which will determine control of the Nevada Legislature next year, Democrats closed in-person early voting with a 7.27% lead in the Henderson-Green Valley based SD 5 (almost 2% above registration), an 8.38% lead in the Las Vegas-Summerlin based SD 6 (just over 1% above registration), and an 8.65% lead in the Southwest Valley based SD 9 (about 0.5% above registration). Republicans' one bright spot (compared to all the rest in Clark) lies in SD 18, where their 0.01% turnout lead is at parity with voter registration there.

So we'll have to wait for the Secretary of State's next report for the updated mail-in ballot count. But so far, it looks like Nevada Democrats are making a strong close to early voting here. Yesterday's statewide lead was about 7% (on par with registration), and the new Clark & Washoe data suggest that statewide number won't be dropping today.

Scenes from the Campaign Trail in Nevada

Today is the last day of early voting in Nevada. After today, the only day left for voting will be Tuesday. Yet while we have one more day of early voting to occur, we now have a much better sense of where things stand in this final stretch.

Just this morning, Jon Ralston posted this.

Democrats gained about 6,000 voters on the penultimate day of early voting in Clark County while Republicans won Thursday in Washoe County by about 200 votes.

It appears the Democrats, who now lead in Clark by 60,000 voters, will have somewhere in the neighborhood of about a 40,000-voter lead --perhaps slightly more -- in Nevada going into Election Day. If partsian voting patterns are predictable and if independents are, as credible polls show, relatively close, the GOP will need a huge turnout Tuesday for Mitt Romney to have any chance. And it also means that U.S. Senate race could be a nail-biter.

Turnout will be greater than what it was four years ago. In 2008, 392,427 people voted early; this year, with one day left, it's at 388,456.

Here are the totals for Clark, including mail ballots:

Democrats -- 205,878, or 47.6 percent

Republicans -- 144,745, or 33.5 percent

Others -- 81,345, or 18.9 percent

So how did this happen? Let me show you.







There has been a whole lot of canvassing. And we've especially been seeing plenty of canvassing in the Southwest part of the Las Vegas Valley. There are many Democratic voters here. But since there are so many new neighborhoods yet so few early voting sites, Nevada State Democratic Party organizers and volunteers have been working at a furious pace to turn out Democrats to vote early for President Obama, Shelley Berkley, John Oceguera, and the local candidates.

But of course, this hasn't been all. There's also been a large contingent of volunteers coming into the office to do GOTV ("get out the vote") phone calls to reach people who possibly couldn't be reached by the canvassers. There have even been a few very special guests dropping by this week to call with the local volunteers.





Yep, both Shelley Berkley and John Oceguera stopped by Nevada Democrats' NV-03 field office in Henderson to thank volunteers. Berkley brought pizza to make sure everyone was well fueled. And Oceguera hit the phones to personally call voters along with the volunteers.

And that's not all. Yesterday, another special guest came to Southern Nevada to pump up Democrats and encourage (even more of) them to vote. Oh, and it just so happened he met us at an athletic field right next to an early voting site.







And here's an excerpt of President Obama's speech at CSN Cheyenne.



So it's been quite an exciting week. And with early voting wrapping up tonight, there's even more work to do with the final round of GOTV for Tuesday. But so far, it looks like Nevada Democrats are prepared for the home stretch. They opened well, but they also have to close well. And that starts today.

Mr. President's Final Rally (That I Will See in Person!)

After taking time off from the campaign trail to help with the start of recovery efforts after Hurricane Sandy ravaged several Northeastern states, President Obama returns to the campaign trail today. And yes, this means he's returning here.

The president is expected to address a campaign rally around 2 p.m. today at Cheyenne Sports Complex, 3500 East Cheyenne Ave. in North Las Vegas. Doors are scheduled to open at 11:30 a.m.

Actress Eva Longoria and percussionist Sheila E. will join Obama at the rally.

Obama spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said that while the president remains focused on the storm recovery, "there is a reality of a political election happening in five days and he will return to the trail to make the case to the American people on why they should send him back for four more years."

And what a strange reality it is. But alas, we only have 6 days left until the final polls close. And here in Nevada, we only have 2 more days until early voting ends. So this may really be President Obama's last chance to fire up the base and persuade a few more undecided voters.

Oh, and I'll be there today. Yes, a friend & I will go to North Las Vegas to see Mr. President. And I'll update the blog later with reports from the Cheyenne Sports Complex. I'm sure it will be plenty of fun. ;-)

Juego Cambio

Yes, I know we've been talking quite a bit sobre El Voto Latino. But really, there's no way to overstate la importancia de la comunidad. And starting today, we will be seeing more evidence of Latino turnout.

Political pundits, campaign organizers and national magazines have declared 2012 the year of the Hispanic voter. Voter registration numbers and enthusiasm is up, and now all of those who invested in the wake-up call for this once-dormant demographic want to make sure it does not hit the snooze button on Election Day.

“I worked registering voters in 2008 and 2010, and I’ve seen a lot of enthusiasm this year,” [Izack] Tenorio [of Mi Familia Vota] said. “There are a lot of groups on the ground in Nevada encouraging Hispanics to get involved, and I’ve seen whole families come into our offices to all register together. I think people are starting to embrace their role and the choice they can participate in. Now, we just have to make sure they take that final step of getting to the polls.”

Mi Familia Vota came into this election cycle with the goal of registering 11,000 voters in Nevada. A few months in, the organization met that benchmark and set another one. That one was broken, too. More than 19,000 voters, the vast majority of them Hispanics, were registered, said Leo Murrieta, state director for Mi Familia Vota.

In a nationwide poll, Latino Decisions found that 8 percent of Hispanic voters had voted early as of Oct. 29 and 87 percent of Hispanic voters said they were “almost certain” to vote. Also, 45 percent of the demographic said they were more excited to vote this year than in 2008, when 84 percent of registered Hispanics voted. Notably, the percentage of Hispanics who said they were certain to vote and more enthusiastic than in 2008 have both increased in the weeks leading up to the election.

Many more Latino voters have been registered this year. But now, the real test comes. How many will vote?

Some already have. But as I hinted on Monday, we'll see a real "game change" moment today when more early voting sites open in Latin@ heavy East Las Vegas and North Las Vegas. For these final three days of early voting, the Clark County Election Department will be covering these neighborhoods much more thoroughly than we've seen for the previous 11 days.

So now, it truly is all about turnout. And since early voting is often the best (and sometimes the ONLY) way to get people to vote, these next 60 hours will be critical. And it may all come down to how crowded the Cardenas Market at Lamb & Bonanza becomes today (and tomorrow and Friday).

Second Weekend of Early Voting Breakdown (& Forecast for the Final Days)

Yesterday, early voting slowed down in Clark and Washoe Counties. In Clark County, the Democratic turnout advantage ticked down a bit to 16% (49-33). But in Washoe County, Democrats' turnout advantage actually ticked up to 2.5% (42.6-40.1). So far, Democrats have likely extended their raw early vote turnout lead to at least 30,000 statewide.

Here's what Bloomberg had to say about the general early voting trend here.

In two of the most competitive states in the U.S. presidential race -- Iowa and Nevada --Democrats are building a significant advantage in early voting. [...]

Thus far in Nevada, where an even larger proportion of the vote has been cast than in Iowa when compared to the 2008 vote, Democrats have accounted for 45.4 percent, according to the Nevada secretary of state’s office. Republicans have accounted for 37.2 percent and independent voters for 17.4 percent.

Heavily Democratic Clark County, Nevada’s most populous and where Las Vegas is located, has seen people registered with the president’s party cast 121,298 early and absentee ballots, compared to 81,512 for Republicans, through Oct. 27.

And their figures don't include yesterday's early vote totals. And in regards to the early vote totals here in Clark County, I have a theory as to why Democratic turnout was off a bit yesterday... And may remain lower today and tomorrow. Basically, look at where the early voting is happening. Yesterday, early voting started in Sun City Anthem. And for the next two days, there will be temporary early voting sites there and at Sun City Summerlin, Boulder City, and Mesquite. So long story short, Republican turnout is probably strengthening slightly because early voting is happening in Republican strongholds.

However, starting Wednesday we'll see temporary early voting sites shift more to East Las Vegas and North Las Vegas. So as long as Democrats turn out their voters there (in what are the big Democratic strongholds in the Las Vegas Valley), Democrats can still close the week, and early voting, quite well. We'll just have to wait and see exactly what happens this week.

Scenes from the Campaign Trail in NV-03

Late last night, we saw another Clark County update on early voting turnout here. Countywide, Democrats now have a 17.70% turnout advantage. In NV-03, Democrats have a 4.79% turnout advantage as of last night. In the Clark County portion of NV-04, Democrats so far have a 22.13% turnout advantage. And in the key State Debate Districts 5, 6, 9, and 18 which will determine control of the Nevada Legislature next year, Democrats so far have turnout advantages of 7.99% (SD 5), 10.83% (SD 6), 8.01% (SD 9), and 1.02% (SD 18). Overall and in most parts of Clark County, Democratic turnout continues to overperform voter registration.

So how is this happening? As we discussed last Sunday, it's all about the field now. We saw this on display again yesterday when local Sierra Club volunteers knocked doors in the Green Valley (aka SD 5) neighborhoods of NV-03 with John Oceguera. Everyone took part in turning out more Democrats to vote early...







And afterward, the candidate himself joined some volunteers in making "Get Out the Vote" (GOTV) phone calls!

And that's not all. Throughout last week, the local Nevada Democratic "Super Organizer" and local volunteers also canvassed the expansive and just recently developed Southwest part of the valley (aka SD 9). Since there were not as many early voting sites in the Southwest Vegas Valley as in other parts of the valley during the first week of early voting, it was imperative to reach these neighborhoods and turn out as many Democratic voters as possible.

And yes, John Oceguera himself also stopped by last Sunday to walk here himself. He's certainly taking his campaigning seriously.







There's clearly been plenty of work done by Nevada Democrats in the past week. But in the end, they're hoping all this work will be rewarded in President Obama and Shelley Berkley winning, along with the local Congressional and Legislature candidates. And so far, it looks like Nevada Democrats are laying the groundwork for just that. We'll just have to wait and see how Week 2 of early voting continues.

Mitt Romney's Welcome Back to Southern Nevada

As we had discussed earlier, Mitt Romney is here.





And just before he arrived, there were some special people ready to greet him.







For the most part, things remained calm at Henderson Pavilion. The only major moment of contention happened when the Univision camera crew came over to film the ProgressNow Nevada protesters and a few Romney supporters were hurling insults at the protesters... And at the Univision camera crew. Other than that, there wasn't really confrontation this morning.

The other big takeaway from this morning was in contrasting what happened on the two sides. Honestly, the line for Mitt Romney looked like a long string of white. There was little diversity in the crowd. And the crowd mostly looked angry.

Meanwhile, the protesters were frustrated over Romney's anti-immigrant stance and refusal to acknowledge the severity of the foreclosure crisis. Yet even there, the group of protesters didn't look as visibly angry as the Romney supporters waiting in line. I just couldn't miss that interesting facet.

At the very least, the nearby early voting site at the Paseo Verde Library should see some action today. We'll have to see how much of a dent it really makes in Nevada Democrats' early vote lead.

Busy Week

As early voting continues at a furious pace...



... And the debates finally come to an end, it's time for one more round of rallies and special events to fire up the base.

Today, Mitt Romney will be here in Henderson... And guess who will be just outside the venue.

And then tomorrow, Romney will head to Reno while President Obama throws a "block party" in West Las Vegas Wednesday night. We'll do our best here to stay on top of all the action and provide updates this week.

Campaign season is about to come to a close, so we might as well enjoy the fireworks.

First Weekend of Early Voting Turnout Report

In case Saturday didn't provide enough drama and surprise, we can see even more amazing numbers in today's early vote report. Here's where we stand after the first weekend of early voting:

- In Clark County, 22.46% more Democrats than Republicans voted early in the first two weekend. To put things into perspective, Democrats finished with a 14.96% voter registration advantage earlier this month.

- In NV-03, Democrats built a 9.42% turnout advantage this past weekend. Here, Democrats closed voter registration with a 2.11% registration advantage.

- In the Clark County portion of NV-04, Democrats so far have a 29.39% turnout advantage. For all of NV-04, Democrats finished with a 13.27% registration advantage.

- We also saw interesting early voting turnout numbers in the key State Senate districts which will determine control of the Nevada Legislature next year. In the Henderson-Green Valley based SD 5, Democrats reached a 12.90% turnout advantage. In the Las Vegas-Summerlin based SD 6, Democrats hit a 20.09% turnout advantage. In the Southwest Vegas Valley based SD 9, Democrats reached a 9.93% turnout advantage. And in the Northwest Las Vegas based SD 18, Democrats reached an 8.04% turnout advantage. With the one exception of SD 9, Democrats dramatically overperformed voter registration in all the other competitive Senate seats.

- And finally, after two days of early voting Democrats have so far managed to produce a 9.79% turnout advantage in Washoe County. Early this month, Republicans (!!!) actually closed with a tiny 0.005% voter registration edge.

So in the first two days of early voting here in Nevada, Democrats have run up a major turnout advantage in the two most populous counties in the state. This is certainly a good start for them. So what's to come this week? We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

This is How Elections Are Won.

Here in Nevada, early voting started yesterday. And it was truly a momentous occasion. Not only did people turn out to be among the first in this state to cast ballots, but the lines (and the determination of these voters to stay in line to vote) were truly awe inspiring!

Late last night, Jon Ralston leaked the Clark County and Washoe County early vote numbers.

Democrats also decisively defeated Republicans in first round of absentee ballots, usually a GOP strength, posted in Clark County: 8,976-7,448, or 46-38. So raw number in Clark so far: Dems, 27,364-17,036. That's 52-32, or 5 points above the registration edge.

So: After one day -- remember it's only oen day! -- using absentees and early votes in Clark and early votes in Washoe (don't have absentees yet), the Democrats have an 11,000-vote lead statewide. Let's see where we go from here. [...]

The Washoe numbers: 48-38, or 4,604-3,619 (Actual registration: 38-38)

Yes, it's only one day. But if it continues like this, Nov. 6 is going to be a very bleak day for Republicans in this state.

Yes, I know. These numbers seem so wildly unbelievable. But really, it happened!

Let me explain to you how it happened. Let's start with this scene at the Galleria Mall in Henderson.



Yes, all these people were actually waiting to vote. Oh, and I was one of them!



And that wasn't all. Throughout the day, Nevada Democrats were making calls and knocking on tons of doors to turn out voters for President Obama, Shelley Berkley, and all other Democrats down the ballot. And most of the voters in this middle class neighborhood just up the freeway from the Las Vegas Strip were happy to see the volunteers at their doors... And they made their plans to vote early.







Funny enough, yesterday evening I saw a group of Republicans canvass this very neighborhood as well. They were dropping Mitt Romney and Dean Heller literature... At DEMOCRATIC doors! And the Democrats in that neighborhood were none too pleased.

And when the "Team Nevada" Republican canvassers were finished, they were picked up by a big white "paddy wagon". No really, I kid you not!

Meanwhile, another set of Democratic canvassers were coming in for the final round of "EGOTV" (early get out the vote) for the day. After all, today is another day of early voting. And there are still many more Democratic voters to turn out.

Believe it or not, this is how elections are won.

Just What Nevada Needs: FEWER Voters??!!

Apparently, Assembly Member Crescent Hardy (R-Afraid of Democracy) thinks it's just "too convenient" to vote. Has he been taking Jon Ralston's pleas against early voting way too seriously?

(I would quote the article, but it's from "the newspaper" that need not be named... Sorry, but I don't want Righthaven suing me!)

If passed, AB 311 would eliminate early voting. That means we would all be forced to vote on Election Day... That is, if we can manage to get time off from work/school/travel/life to do it! It would make voting far more cumbersome and exclusionary, making voting a privilege for the fortunate few instead of a right all of us can exercise.

Hundreds of thousands of Nevada seniors, students, disabled people, casino workers, and plenty more regularly use early voting to let their voices be heard. Without it, it would be close to impossible to vote. It's disgusting whenever those in power try to make us powerless in silencing our voices by preventing us from voting, and that's all this chicanery is all about! Remember this whenever Crescent Hardy or Mark Sherwood (R-Sigh, My Assembly Member!) waxes poetic about the "tradition" of election day voting. Remember that this "tradition" means excluding most Nevadans from participating in what's supposed to be a participatory representative democracy.

If anything, we need to find more ways to encourage more Nevadans to perform their civic duty and vote, NOT discourage them by making voting so difficult. Early voting is a great way to get more Nevadans to participate, and it saves money by reducing the need for more county poll workers and voting machines on Election Day! The only reason these Republicans (and Harvey Munford, for gawd knows what reason!) are doing this is because they're being sore losers over Harry Reid winning last November. Let your legislators know AB 311 is a waste of everyone's time and money.

Sorry, Jon Ralston. I Voted Yesterday!

(Btw, I will always [HEART] Jon Ralston for his superb political reporting and his curmudgeonly yet insightful commentary. I just don't get why he's so adamantly opposed to early voting. That's all.)

On Sunday, Jon Ralston told me NOT to vote early. And lil' rebel princess that I am, I voted early yesterday anyway.

But why? Especially after Ralston begged me not to.

Don’t vote.

At least not yet. [...]

I know this rant falls on deaf ears — if history is a guide, half of the primary voting universe will have dispensed with the sacred duty with the solemnity of a trip to the convenience store. I am used to being ignored (do not forget — I have a teenage daughter).

But imagine:

You voted for U.S. Senate hopeful Sharron Angle this weekend and then watch in horror the disclosure June 1 that she had a bit part in “Battlefield Earth,” left on the cutting room floor because she advocated mandatory chemical castration of rapists.

You voted for gubernatorial candidate Brian Sandoval this weekend and then recoil with revulsion at the revelation June 4 that a tape exists of him saying, “I had to lie during the campaign but, of course, I will raise taxes.”

Or, perhaps, you voted this weekend for congressional aspirant Michelle Fiore and then blanch with embarrassment at the unveiling June 7 of a defunct website in which she was selling guns on the black market to illegal immigrants.

These are obviously fantastic scenarios (I think), but I exaggerate to make a point. In case you missed it in my subtlety, that point is: Don’t vote. At least not yet.

Well, I had a Democratic ballot (Oh, the shock! LOL.), so I couldn't have participated in Ralston's doomsday scenarios anyway. But even if there were more competitive races on the ballot, I probably still would have voted yesterday. It's fun sometimes to savor the scandaliciousness of campaign season. But ultimately, it's policy that determines my election decisions. So yes, I still would have voted early.

But why? Especially when Ralston begs us every two years not to.

And why should voting be a convenience, thus reducing its importance to picking up a pack of Trident at the 7-Eleven? I wonder if any of the folks blithely voting this weekend and for the next two weeks have any appreciation for the interminable lines or threats to life and limb those in other countries are willing to endure for the right to vote for their leaders?

It’s not just the potential to miss something that could make you regret your vote — it’s your duty to wait until June 8. So: Don’t vote. At least not yet.

Oh dear, here comes the guilt tripping. Now yes, I use it myself when I hear of someone I know deciding not to vote at all... But why denigrate those who choose to vote early? We're still doing our civic duty. And in fact, we're making sure we fulfill our civic duty in case we have to work all day on election day, or the babysitter can't be booked that day, or we're on a business trip, or we're on a vacation that couldn't be rescheduled, or we had to fly back to California for a family emergency... Get it now, Ralston? Most people have lives, very busy lives in fact, and early voting gives us a chance to participate in elections in case life intervenes and we can't (gasp!) vote on election day.

But why? Especially when Ralston said early voters didn't really know who they were voting for/against!

This cycle, I fear, will be worse than most. I would not be surprised if early voting is at a record percentage of total turnout. Why?

Never before in recent history have people had their minds made up, often bereft of facts and unencumbered by thought. Blind anger — emphasis on the first word — governs so much of the political colloquy today that you would have more luck convincing many Republicans that the world is flat than persuading them to vote for Harry Reid. You would have a better chance of inducing Democrats to hop on the birther bandwagon than to consider the possibility that Shelley Berkley isn’t the greatest congresswoman since Bella Abzug.

So if you know what you like — or more likely, loathe — why take the time to carefully deliberate, look at all the facts and make a rational decision?

Better to vote early. Don’t worry, be angry.

Meanwhile, the willfully benighted will trundle down to malls and elsewhere only to be confronted by ballots with names they have never heard of. What, there are judicial races? Who are these people?

Those with patience, though, will have the benefit of televised debates during the run-up to June 8 so they can make — oh, the horror! — an informed, intelligent decision. It will once again be striking — and depressing — how many folks will skip over the judicial races on their ballots after they vote for their favored candidate near the top of the ticket — or more likely, press the button for the candidate they hate the least.

So yes, my mind was already made up. But no, I was NOT "bereft of facts and unencumbered by thought". In fact, I've done a number of candidates' debates so far. I read Progress Now's handy-dandy Progressive Voter Guide. I've even had the privilege of meeting most of the candidates I voted for "face to face" (pun intended)!

Believe it or not, it's not difficult to be informed early. Perhaps Ralston didn't realize this, but voters no longer have to rely upon newspapers and TV make decisions. We have this thing called the internet, and it allows us to check out campaign web sites, read voter guides like Progress Now's, see policy speeches via YouTube... And yes, we can even stay up-to-date on things like political scandals and late-breaking campaign news by reading these things called BLOGS.

Oh yes, I'm writing on one of these blogs right now!

Let's face it, times have changed. And as long as the feds refuse to make Election Day a national holiday and perhaps extend "Election Day" to a three-day weekend so we can all make time to vote in person "when we're supposed to", early voting is a much needed tool to give more of us the chance to participate in democracy. And come on, isn't more people participating in democracy a good thing?

Well, at least Jon Ralston isn't in California. I fear he'd be in a total state of horror over a little thing they call Vote-by-Mail.