The Florida ballot is designed to screw us -- again

[Cyrano]

The Republican dicks that run Tallahassee are at it again.

This year's Florida ballot is six pages long and has 11 amendments on it. Anyone who walks into a voting booth without a crib sheet had better take a chair with them. And even then, I defy most people to understand what each amendment means. The purpose, of course, is to make sure the voting lines are a mile long. And you just know that there will be a limited number of voting machines in highly Democratic districts.

I received my absentee ballot this week and spent an hour trying to make sense out of just the first two amendments. The solution finally came to me. I called the League of Women's Voters and also my local Democratic Party reps. Both told me to vote no on all 11 amendments, so I did.

The bottom line is that the Republican Party does not believe in fair elections. Hopefully, the changing demographics of the country will doom their corrupt, rotting party to the ash heap of history. (And hopefully, Allen West will be thrown on that ash heap during this election.)

[porphyrian]

1. Hey, republicans don't run Tallahassee, they run the Florida state government. Not the same thing.

Tallahassee is populated by as many liberals, as conservatives, if not more, and Leon County elections usually go Democratic. Don't blame the people of the city for the assholes the rest of Florida elects. Most of them are employed by the state government and are treated like shit, so they know what time it is.

[Cyrano]

3. My reference to Tallahassee was a reference to the state govt.

[KaryninMiami]

2. We discussed this very topic at dinner last night

And voting no on the amendments is indeed, the best way to go. Clearly this is another attempt to make it more difficult for people to vote. Living in Florida can be very challenging - especially this time of year.

[HockeyMom]

4. Yep, No on ALL the Amendments

with a Republican Governor and Republican controlled legislature, NO is the safest bet on anything they propose.

See, that is another nice reason to vote absentee. You can take as much time as you want; read the amendments, look up info on the Net., etc. No need to rush anything.

Where I live, all the locals running are Republican against Republican. VERY EASY. Not voting for any of them.

[GoneOffShore]

10. It's kind like when I get a proxy form for stocks I hold.

I always vote my shares against management and for shareholder proposals.

[MynameisBlarney]

5. This is great info, thanks!

I'm in Key Largo and just got my sample ballot a few days ago and haven't had time to go over it.

[Cyrano]

7. You're welcome

[HopeHoops]

6. Other than the six pages, will it be hanging chads, butterfly ballots, or voting machines?

[Cyrano]

8. No chads or butterflys

You vote by drawing a line with a black pen next to yes or no.

[HopeHoops]

11. WHAT could POSSIBLY go wrong? How's Katherine Harris doing these days?

[Tom_x]

9. The south is designed to screw you

What are you doing living in the most backward part of the country ?

You really think thats a good place to live ?

(I lived there for 5 years and knew i had to get back up north if i was ever gonna have a decent life)

[GoneOffShore]

12. Little bit of a broad brush there Skippy.

[Tom_x]

15. Help me out here

Are you saying the south has a progressive reputation ?

[GoneOffShore]

19. You are attacking an entire region and the large numbers of progressives who live there.

[Tom_x]

23. Yeah I'm attacking an entire region

A region that has proved itself to be a stronghold of ignorant conservatism. They had to be dragged kicking and screaming in the the 20th century during the civil rights struggle.

They are pulling down the rest of the US and Im not attacking the progressives down there.
Im warning them that they should get out.

[Eleanors38]

29. Oh you are so tough. O-o-o-o. Can I be next to you?

[Blue Palasky]

36. "I'm warning them they should get out"

Please just stop at that.

[OldDem2012]

39. How do you explain voter suppression attempts in the following non-South states?...

...Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, Kansas, and West Virginia? Are you also going to attack those states as strongholds of "ignorant conservatism"?

As far as desegregation goes, how much reading have you done about the problems that were encountered in non-southern states like California, Nevada, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, and Delaware?

Until you learn a little US history, keep your bs warnings to yourself.

[KamaAina]

44. And Illinois

Google "martin luther king cicero".

[ToxMarz]

57. Cutting off your nose to spite your face is not an attractive look

Well of 3 of those 11 states (I am assuming you are referring to the Confederate states) went for Obama in 2008, and 2 if not all 3 are looking good this year. That's 58 electoral votes. Be careful what you wish for Big Man. Maybe you should jump in line to come to the 21st century with us, rather than cut and run. I'm proudly making my progressive vote mean something here is AssBackwards Florida. What have you done.

[Heywood J]

62. You're still here, so I'll respond.

Go to Boston sometime, walk around the neighborhoods for a few days to a week, and tell me what you think about North vs. South on race. Then, go and spend a few days talking to people in Harlem and Trenton.

[Cyrano]

14. Southeast Florida isn't really "The South"

Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties are pretty liberal for the most part. The hardest part of living here is the humidity.

[HockeyMom]

41. But SW Florida definitely IS

The land of Romney's buddies, the 1%. Then add in parts of inland Florida, and they will offset the Atlantic Coast. When we drove around Polk County, I thought I was in the movie Deliverance.

[cherokeeprogressive]

18. I'd say you were a fucking idiot but that would get my post hidden so I won't say it.

I could also go on about the good Democrats/Progressives/Liberals who've come from the South but that would simply be lost on someone/thing like you so I won't say THAT either...

So what I will say is that your post is misguided, and more than a little insensitive.

[Tom_x]

26. Say anything you want

If it helps I'll pretend i care

[cherokeeprogressive]

28. You can pretend whatever you want. Hell you can pretend to be Superman.

That, however, won't make your worthless opinion any more substantial than a fart in a stiff breeze.

Lots of original though in your post though, the first one I mean. We haven't had anyone disparage a whole geographical region here in what... a day or more? Your originality suit hangs loosely on you.

[OldDem2012]

20. I've lived in the South most of my life...

...and yes, I've lived in the Huntsville, AL, area for the last 22 years and it's a very good place to live and raise a family.

Just in case you think I have a narrow point of view, let me tell you that I've lived, traveled through, or worked in all 48 states of the continental US. Born in Virginia, I've lived in Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida, Rhode Island, and California. Previous work allowed me to work in all of the major cities of the Northeast and Midwest. I've also traveled in Canada, Mexico, France, Spain, and Italy.

Based on personal observations, there are far worse places to live in the US and overseas than your preconceived notions of the South.

Come back and visit DU when you can't stay so long.

[Eleanors38]

33. Mr. X, he like breakin' wind. Nt

[KamaAina]

46. New Orleans is as deep South as it gets

it is also among the Bluest cities in the land, trailing only Buffalo in the percentage of Dem votes.

[NCTraveler]

63. Florida went for Obama.

Telling that you think you got screwed by the south on that one.

[Wounded Bear]

13. My only caveat is......

I've seen in the past where voting "NO" on ballot proposals meant saying "yes" to something I didn't agree with. In those case, as you point out, reading them doesn't help that much. The writers seem to like to craft their proposals in the guise of reading comprehension tests for Mensa members.

The LoWV and the Dem Party are valid advisers, at least.

Oh, and living as I do in one of the two states with all mail-in voting, I have to say that that is the way to go.

[Sancho]

16. Yep...vote NO on all amendments!!

The repubs here are the worst slime in existence...even my GOP-loving-neighbors are freaked about the ballot, registration, and dumb ass Scott..

[HockeyMom]

42. "Religious Tolerance Amendment"

Maybe they should have consulted Louisiana to see what can happen with eliminating the Blaine Amendment? It is not only going to be YOUR approved Christian schools looking for tax money $$$$$.

EXPLAINED this to my Repulican husband, and he was like WHAT???? Now even he is voting NO on that.

[slackmaster]

17. My sample ballot here in California is also six pages

But I have 12 measures to vote on.

I received my absentee ballot this week and spent an hour trying to make sense out of just the first two amendments. The solution finally came to me. I called the League of Women's Voters and also my local Democratic Party reps. Both told me to vote no on all 11 amendments, so I did.

My mom taught me a simple but effective way of dealing with measures that are often intentionally made to be complex and confusing:

If after reviewing available materials for several minutes you are unable to get your head around what the measure would really do, vote No. Someone put it on the ballot in order to gain some kind of power. If it's not abundantly clear who would come out ahead and what costs would be incurred by whom, someone is trying to game the system.

[Cyrano]

21. Automatically voting no doesn't always work

Many times, amendments are written so that "no" actually means "yes." That's why I called the LoWV and the Dem Party.

[KamaAina]

45. Yes on 30, 34 and 37. No on 31, 32, 33 and 38.

30: taxes mainly the wealthy to make a dent in the budget mess
34: ends the death penalty!
37: requires labeling of GMO food

31: would give the governor sweeping powers to cut budgets even further
32: would cripple unions' ability to engage in political activities
33: is being pushed by the auto insurance industry, specifically Mercury Insurance. Need I say more?
38: competes with 30, raises taxes on the middle class, and gives all the money to schools, leaving social services and health care out in the cold.

[slackmaster]

48. Here's what my friend Pete has to say about them

http://www.peterates.com/index.shtml

[russspeakeasy]

22. I can't thank you enough.

I thought I had approached the level of "too dumb to vote".
The amendments are poorly written and meant to mislead. again thanks...

[Cyrano]

24. You're welcome

[watercolors]

25. Thank You, we are confused about the wording on some also.

Its no for all of them!!

[Orlandodem]

27. VOTE NO on all amendments. Facebook your friends and ask that of them.

Vote yes to retain the judges. This will piss off the republican legislature.

[Cyrano]

30. Retain the first three judges on the ballot

When I called the Dem Party, I also asked about the judges. They said the first three were good judges. They said nothing about the last two on the list.

On edit: I'm in Palm Beach County and I don't know if the judges are the same on all ballots statewide. If you're unsure, call your local Dem Party.

[ToxMarz]

58. Don't remove any of them while Rick Scott is Governor.

Even if you get rid of a bad one, you'll get one worse. And if you accidentally get rid of a good one, Uh Oh!

[Sekhmets Daughter]

31. The ballot in Miami-Dade Cty, is 10 pages long...

I am so happy you did the heavy lifting on this....I was planning on voting no for everything myself. Now I can do so with confidence
(My thinking was...a republican legislature is not going to propose anything I'd want)

What worries me is that many people will become tired or discouraged by the length of the lines and leave....early voting cut in half etc. I requested an absentee ballot, yet I know those have the greatest chance of not being counted....I despise what the republican party has become.

[Cyrano]

38. Here's how to be sure your absentee ballot is counted

Don't mail it. Drop it off at any local Democratic office near you.

I do this all the time. The people who work there assured me that there are Dem watchers all along the line who make sure that ballots do not "accidently" disappear.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

49. Thanks!

[Retrograde]

59. Make sure this is allowed in your state!

Rules for absentee voting vary by state. Some allow this; in others, like mine, this can get your ballot tossed. Your local registrar of voters is supposed to be working for you: if you're not sure, call him or her and ask.

Some localities let you track the status of your absentee ballot on the web. Again, check with you local registrar.

[William769]

32. Well in my favor, I live in a heavily republican district.

Hopefully the lines will be short.

[Cyrano]

35. Sounds like it will be

easy for you to vote, but tough to have a political conversation with anyone.

[onethatcares]

34. not a one of these amendments were

citizen initiatives.

That should be the giveaway.

[ejbr]

37. In my younger days...

if I came across a situation like that, I would have just voted for the things I was aware of and left the others blank. I know this is not civically responsible, but that's what I would have done.

[Skarbrowe]

40. Thank you!

I vote right across the street from my house and usually wait until the actual voting day. I wanted to vote early because this election has me just as or possibly more worried than 2000 and 2004. My room-mate is much more up to speed on this stuff, but she hadn't said anything yet about voting "NO" on the amendments. I just told her about your post and she said that was exactly right. She said all of these amendments are proposed by Scott and his creeps. She's a teacher and has already felt the "Republican Governor and State Senate" insanity. She has a totally different view of her job and how she works. She still does her job, but she no longer works from 7 in the morning until the janitors kick her out at 9pm. She has over 35 years in the Broward ( South Florida ) school system. I wish she could quit. She gets constant phone calls to tutor ( she's a math/science genius ) for very good money, but she likes it where she is. I don't think she has the type of kids you can help. Her belief is if she can just get a handful on the right track she has accomplished something. She's right, of course. I just don't know how she deals with both the school system (state) and the out of control students and still keep her sanity. The thought of a Romney win simply scares the frickin' daylights out of me. I can't imagine what more it would do to her working conditions or the possibility that they might find a way to fire her. They want the highly paid older teachers out. Oh, and the highly paid is relative.

[nenagh]

54. Wow, may I ask a question? I don't know what grade your room-mate teaches, but she does teach math

In Broward County. I was in Broward County in the winter, and saw a test of some sort, maybe a school test, but the kids were asked questions about what I would recognize as fractions.

Which is bigger 3/7 or 1/2...etc. long lists of questions, also using the symbols >,<,=.

The problem questions were written using some difficult to understand words and not written in a simple format. A child could fail because their reading was not up to speed.

It seemed so intentionally difficult to me. These kids could barely print their names... Any comments would be appreciated.

My children, in grade 3 were in Tipperary, Ireland then Ontario....nothing in early math seemed so difficult.

I'd hate to think a child gave up in grade 3.

[Skarbrowe]

61. Hello nenagh! Tough question.

All I can say about the math that she teaches which is grades 9-12 is that it is so difficult that I can't help grade the papers unless it's multiple choice or something like basic math that I do know. I feel so sorry for the students who really try. They are having to do something like you are talking about, I think. She just graded a ton of papers that have to have writing assignments along with the math.

She said that they are wanting kids to do something almost like a city planner would do. Knowing how much a certain amount of money, say a budget, should be allocated to what departments to keep a city going. They want math in action. It sounds great. But, these kids don't have the foundation for this or even doing fractions.

Sorry, I'm half asleep. Plus, her job and what she teaches is so far above my brain capacity, that I can't do a good job of information sharing right now.zzzzz Really sleepy.

[HockeyMom]

43. It will cost you $.65 cents to mail in your ballot

I got mine yesterday, all folded up. It is NOT that heavy. More CRAP from this state.

[dems_rightnow]

47. Even no to the property tax exemption for low income seniors?

It provides for one if they're over 65, meet a low income threshold, and have lived there 25 years. That seems like a good one.

[Flying Squirrel]

50. What people usually don't realize

Is that you don't have to fill in every blank. If you don't understand a particular ballot question it's perfectly fine to leave it blank (same goes for candidates). You could just vote for Obama/Biden and leave everything else blank, and it would count (or should, if there are no shenanigans).

[former9thward]

51. If you don't like voting on Amendments I suggest you don't move to California.

They always have a boat load on the ballot.

[ThoughtCriminal]

52. I don't think you can bring a chair

Republicans think chairs are Democrats that talk to them.

[Retrograde]

53. So why is it that California seems to be able to deal with lengthy ballots

and Florida can't? 11 propositions? That's how many state ones we have this time (and some counties and cities have additional ones) and it's not a record. Much as I'd like to believe it, I don't think we're any smarter, and yet we regularly cope with long ballots.

Is it because our Secretary of State sends out copious voter information guides that include the text of all the propositions, with analyses and arguments pro and con, as well as candidate statements? And the county registrars send out sample ballots so voters can prepare in advance?

[NCTraveler]

64. The ballots in FL are very simple.

Some people don't read up on them before showing up to the booth and then act shocked. OMG, there are amendments. Example ballots can be found, all of the newspapers carry examples, and many orgs are willing to help.

[Kurovski]

55. K&R

If it were not for the chronic theft and dirty tricks, America would have had majority Dem rule for 15 years. Shit, maybe longer!

[ellenfl]

56. yup, vote 'no' on all amendments.

the palm beach post editorial page said the same thing and the person who wrote the article is reliable.

ellen fl

[davidn3600]

60. An amendment does need 60% of the vote to pass in Florida

The big ones to watch are 1, 6, and 8.

The others are mainly about property taxes.

Here is a little guide about them all...
http://tampabay.com/tbprojects/elections/2012/ballot_guide/index.html