Get Ready to Cast Your Ballot!

Get Ready to Cast Your Ballot!

Are you beginning to tune out the incessant political ads, mailers, and intruding, recorded phone messages?  The June primary election is four weeks away, but many of us are ready to have it over.  Our TiVos and DVRs get a workout, as we fast-forward through political voices vying for our attention.  Only four weeks left, but then November will be looming before us.

We may feel like ignoring elections, but Americans are known for their freedom and the rights of citizenship – which includes the right to vote.  Samuel Adams, known as the Father of the Revolution, instigated the original tea party, signed the Declaration of Independence, and served in Congress until 1781.  This early patriot wrote that, in voting, a citizen “is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.”  We may think our vote is insignificant, but nothing is further from the truth.

If national sentiments can be trusted, Americans – and Californians – are ready for a change.  Incumbents nationwide appear to have a red bull’s eye painted on them, as they falter in once-solid seats.  Voters, previously missing in action, are beginning to take note and act with authority – invigorated by the seemingly miraculous victory of the people’s candidate earlier this year in Massachusetts.  Just one vote has determined issues and winners – even presidents – throughout history.  California’s admission to statehood hinged on “just one vote.”  (Paul Harvey, Just One Vote, originally published October, 1956)

Rather than voting all incumbents out of office, as some seem ready to do, examine the issues and the candidates, and prayerfully make the best decision you can.  As the Declaration of Independence was being signed in 1776, Samuel Adams said, “He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of his country who tries to promote its virtue, and who, so far as his power and influence extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen into any office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man.”

Where to Start

That wisdom holds true today; find out about individual candidates instead of voting by name recognition, political campaigns, or party affiliation.  Vote for good men and women, who are honorable and trustworthy. IVoteValues.com is a good place to start.  It can help you identify your values and provides basic information on candidates in your local elections. 

Are you registered to vote?  If you have changed residences, party affiliation or your name, you must re-register.  Forms are available in most public buildings, as well as online or through your county elections office.  You must be registered by May 24 to vote in the June 8 primary.  If you have questions or want to check on your election status, call your county election office.

If you are one of more than 5.8 million Californians who vote by mail, your ballot will be arriving in your mailbox any day.  You can fill it out at your leisure, as you make decisions, or as you research the issues.  Just make sure it has been returned to county election officials by 8:00 p.m. on June 8.  (That’s received, not postmarked.)

On the Ballot

In addition to candidates for public office, five initiatives appear on the upcoming ballot.  The first three were put on the ballot by the Legislature, which must get voter permission before borrowing money, making changes to previously passed initiatives, and amending the constitution. Proposition 13 is a virtually uncontested measure that dictates that construction to seismically retrofit an unreinforced masonry (brick) building will not trigger a property tax reassessment. 

Proposition 14, authored by newly confirmed Lt. Governor Abel Maldonado, was approved by the Legislature to guarantee that then-Senator Maldonado, a Republican, would cross the aisle to support a Democrat budget proposal last year.  Prop 14 changes our current two-party primary into an open primary, in which voters will choose any candidates for congressional, statewide and legislative races regardless of party preferences.  The top two vote-getters – regardless of political party – will appear on the general-election ballot, instead of the current closed primary system in which the top candidate from each party appears on the November ballot.

Proposition 15 would institute a pilot project for publicly financed elections for the Secretary of State campaigns in 2014 and 2018.  Candidates would receive public funds – paid for by voluntary contributions and an increased annual fee on lobbyists, lobbying firms, and lobbyist employers – if they agree to strict spending limits and refuse to accept private contributions. 

Propositions 16 and 17 were placed on the ballot by submitting a requisite number of signatures, in both cases largely financed by a single corporate interest.  Proposition 16, sponsored by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), would require two-thirds voter approval before a local government can spend or borrow money to finance its public utilities – giving an advantage to PG&E.  Amending Proposition 103, a comprehensive measure passed by voters in 1988 to regulate insurance prices, Proposition 17 (sponsored by Mercury Insurance) would allow auto insurance companies to reduce or increase insurance costs based on a driver’s history of continuous coverage.  Current law says that auto insurance companies may not take into account past coverage when setting rates with new customers.

Other Voter Resources:

• IVoteValues.com
• Official Voter information, Secretary of State, June 8, 2010 Primary Election
• Robyn Nordell's Conservative California Election Website