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The Long March through the Ballot
It is always a long march through the ballot in Arizona. This bug is the feature in a Progressive Era state, meaning a state whose constitution was ratified in the late 19th or early 20th Century. Long ballots were supposed to give more direct power over more offices by voters. In practice, we ended up with so many offices and issues that the ballot form is 19 inches long and double-sided. Therein lies a cautionary tale.
Since the ballot is so long, and because a number of the candidates fall below the national or even local political radar, I long ago registered for the Permanent Early Voting List. This means my ballot arrives in the mail approximately 30 days prior to election day. I was determined to vote for every Republican and no Democrat, so all the partisan offices, from Presidential to County Treasurer, were easy. I carefully filled in each appropriate bubble on the scan form ballot. So far, so good.
Now for the “non-partisan” offices, which are clearly nothing of the sort in this day and age. We have all experienced power plays by all manner of local officials. We know that schools have been entirely politicized. So, attention is needed.
Every election and every office matters. Every American eligible to vote knows this now. We have all been affected by the decisions, the proclamations, of officials from city hall to federal agencies we hardly knew. Pay attention to signs and statements, from local campaign signs to the national party platforms. Consider the case of energy policy, with the examples of California, Arizona, and the Democrats’ national platform. California’s blackouts illuminate the stakes for all of us.
Daniel McCarthy has been serious about seeking my vote. His campaign is hitting my phone number almost daily with a short pitch by the candidate. He is asking for my vote and giving me reasons to fill in the bubble next to his name. You, on the other hand, have shown me and every other Arizona Republican and Independent voter complete contempt. How dare you presume on my support?