Exit Polls and Polls in General

I am a good person to call if you are taking a poll. I will usually answer all of your questions honestly and concisely. And I think general polls are a good thing, as I have mentioned here before, if I don't tell them how I like something, how will they know to do it my way?

But the polls I think that should be abolished are the ones done during an election. I mean c'mon we all know what liars people are especially during an election. You know that whomever is calling to ask who you are voting for has your party affiliation in front of them so of course you are going to say your party's candidate for fear of the polling police coming to snag you for voting against your party.

And then there is the whole "racism" aspect of this year's election. Would a Dem who wasn't going to vote for Obama be considered racist if he/she said so? Would a Rep who wanted to vote for Obama but didn't want his/her friends to know admit it to anyone? So you see polls during the election are screwy.

Exit Polls are the same way if not worse. Your vote is your business. It should be illegal to ask someone who they voted for. If for no other reason than that they are unaffective and inconsiderate.

According to Time magazine the first Exit Poll was done for CBS in 1967. 1993 AP and major networks join to create the Voters News Service to conduct the Exit Polls and disseminate the information to everyone a the same time. In 2000 we saw how effective the Exit Polls were when the networks first called the Presidential race for Gore, then for Bush and then for an unprecedented "neither". In 2002 the VNS computers break down on election day and the VNS is disbanded the following year. So now it is a free for all with everyone getting and disseminating their information at their own pace. Beginning in 2004 the "pollsters" are now confined to a room in New York City with no internet or cell phone acess until 5pm est.

What really bothers me the most regarding Exit Polls is the same as someone online talking about a show I can't watch for another 3 hours. If you read Kathy's post you know we had a great turnout at our polling place this year. But I think it could have been even better. According to People Magazine the race was pretty much called by 10pm EST. But the parties waited to make their speeches until after the West Coast polls closed at 11pm EST. But that didn't stop the news organizations. We in the polling place (unbeknowst to the constituents coming in to vote) knew long before the polls closed what the outcome was. And so, I think did our voters.

Our great turnout all happened before lunch. After that voting dwindled. With results starting to be reported from the East Coast, apathy again began to set in. It leads to the thought that "my vote doesn't count". Unfortunately, by the dinner hour, voters were scarce to come by at our polling place and between the hour of 7 and 8 they were even more invisible.

California had many important issues on the ballot this year, and I think because of the Presidential race being called so early, that a lot of people didn't bother coming to the polls. And what about Alaska and Hawaii, really what incentive is there if the results are announce hours before they close their polls?

I am not one to bitch and moan without thinking through a problem and trying to find a solution. So here are my two cents, for what they are worth.

Universal polling times. All polls across the country open and close at the same time. Unfeasible? Maybe, but it could be done.

Gag order. How about the counties count their votes and put them into a sealed envelope and DONT TELL the news organizations until all polls are closed? No one knows anything until ALL the votes have been counted. For that matter not until the vote by mails are counted as well. Will it kill everyone to have to wait 24-48 hours for results?

Maybe it is me being idealistic, maybe in a perfect world we can figure this out, maybe in another 200 years our democracy will work itself out.

What do you think?

How I Voted and Why

I know that voting is a private matter and how you vote is your own business. I have had some ask my opinion on certain propositions here in California and save one (can you guess which one?) I have tried to be non-partisian in my understanding and explanation. But now that the vote has come and gone and the results are probably in (I am typing this on Monday evening in the anticipation I will be too dang tired from 16 hours at the polls on Tuesday).

President and Vice President:
Barack Obama and Joe Biden - I believe that Obama and Biden will be the team to bring the country out of the state it is in. I believe that throuhg their election we can stop being red states and blue states and go back to being the United States.

U.S. Representative:
Adam Schiff - I have known Adam for quite some time on a personal level and have agreed with most everything he has done in his last term.

State Senate
Carol Liu - As the Assemblymember of a neighboring area, I have seen good things done up there and agree with the endorsement of her predecessor Jack Scott.

Assemblymemer:
Paul Krekorian - I voted for him in 2006 and continue to support him.

Judicial:
this one all decisions were based upon the advice of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and my in house attorney.

State Measures:

1A High Speed Rail - YES, completely selfish reasons, I want to be able to get to San Francisco in 2 hours without flying. I know it may be a teensy bit fiscally irresponsible and probably not pass in the wake of the financial crisis that California is in. But my vote is not based on popular opinion it is solely based on my opinion.

2 Confining Farm Animals - YES, again probably not the most fiscally responsible decision (stop screaming at your computer Kathy), but something about we shouldn't HAVE to say treat the damn animals nicely before you kill em! No I'm not going to go vegetarian because I CARE about the health and well being of animals, but you see the dairy council put out commercials about "Happy Cows" and then you see the actualy treatment of them. It is sickening! I will pay a penny more per egg.

3 Children's Hospital Bond Act - YES, really are you going to vote against Children's Hospital?

4 Waiting period and parental consent - NO, I would hope in a perfect world everyone could talk to their parents about everything, but the world we live in today is not perfect.

5 Non Violent Drug Offenders - NO, I don't want the judicial hands tied as to how they can or can not sentence someone who is a drug offender. Rehab is good but sometimes it isn't enough.

6 Police Funding - YES, again are you gonna vote against Police funding?

7 Renewable Energy - NO, this decision was based on the representation form the Sierra Club and other proponents who stated while this was a good idea, it is poorly written and needs more working to get it right.

8 Constitutional Amendment - NO, no one should be discriminated for ANY reason. Marriage has absolutely NOTHING to do with your religious beliefs. A church can not legally marry two people. Your preacher or priest or with doctor can pronounce you man and wife all night long and twice on Sunday but it don't mean diddly squat without the liscense from the state. And the state should not be deciding who can and can not love each other. Should we decide that blacks can not marry whties? That Dodger Fans can not marry Angels Fans? Take that entire initiative and change the word gay to Black and you have just stepped right back in the 50's. Are you comfortable with that?

9 Victim's Rights - YES, I believe a victim should be involved or at the very least be made aware of parole statuses and releases.

10 Alternative Fuel - YES, again this is based on the recommendation of the Sierra Club et. al.

11 Redistricting - YES, this one was tough, but after listening to some of the explanations of how the committes would be formed (by way of a jury pooling with equal numbers from all parties including non-partisans and committee members can have never held or run for public office), I think it may turn out to be a good idea.

12 Veterans Bond Act - YES, really? you're going to vote against Veterans also? Shame on you! Not me, no siree, give em anything they want. If it comes down to everyone has to take in a Vet for a month, sign me up. (BTW Baking Gals boxes went out this week!)

R Traffic Relief - YES, have you sat in traffic in LA?

So that is it for me. Based on what you know now, how did I do? Do we agree or disagree? DOesn't matter I still love you and I hope you feel the same about me!

VOTE VOTE VOTE

Kathy and I are working the Polls all day today. The lines will be long the day will be long, hopefully everyone's patience will be long as well.

My Vote Doesn't Count

I am tired of listening to people say their vote doesn't count. That the Electoral College chooses the President no matter what the popular vote is. It is balderdash!

Yes the Electoral College determines the Presidency, but do you really know how that works? Other than what you learned in high school?

We saw in 2000 Al Gore win the popular vote but George Bush win the election. Just like in the Primaries where one candidate receives a certain number of delegates based on the voting percentage, that is how the electoral college works, sort of. If you "win" the state, you win their electoral votes. And unlike all men, all states are not created equal, they are each assigned a certain number of electoral votes as per Wikipedia: "Each state has a number of electors equivalent to its total Congressional representation (in both houses), with the non-state District of Columbia receiving three electors and other non-state territories having no electors."

That being said, it all breaks down to simple math. I know "I HATE MATH"! Not me, mon petit, I lurv math!

So, in order for your candidate to win your state YOU have to go vote for him/her! It really is that simple. To put it in even simpler terms, the difference in Florida in 2000 was 537 votes. 537, is an unimaginably low number. Can you imagine if 538 more people had decided to vote that day and voted for Gore? Our world would be entirely different, yes our World not just our Nation! Are you one of the 538 that didn't vote?

Do you still think your vote doesn't count?

I have been very vocal this election. Mainly because I truly thought for a long time that my vote wouldn't count. I would cast it that was not the question, but the events in my life lately have led me to believe that my vote would be legally disenfranchised.

Just last week I found out that wasn't the case, that my circumstance did not warrant disenfrachisement. I can not tell you how long I cried knowing that my vote would count. That my voice would not be squashed. That I can exercise my right and privilege to cast my vote for our next President.

I can not say it loud enough or often enough. I don't care who you vote for, that is your personal opinion. But I do care that you VOTE!

Cross posted at BlogHer

An Open Letter to Gayle Quinnell

Firstly and most importantly your opinions are your opinions and you are totally entitled to have them and to express them. It is your First Amendment right to do so. But when you abuse that right by spreading vicious untruths then it is time for the American public to step in and correct you.

I am having a hard time containing myself right now so we will address this rationally.

A. If you don't like Senator Obama, that is fine you don't have to like everyone. But he is a US Senator and he does deserve your respect.

B. If you don't want to vote for Sen. Obama for President because he is black, I totally get that. And there is nothing he or anyone can do about that.

C. This is where my anger gets the better of me. If you make up lies about Senator Obama, it puts your candidate in between a rock and a hard place by having to speak nicely about his opponent.

D. Senator Obama is not a Muslim.

E. Senator Obama is not an Arab.

F. Senator Obama is not a terrorist

G. To be a Muslim you must commit to the faith of Islam, Senator Obama has committed to the faith of Christianity. Also, even if he were a Muslim why would that make any difference in his ability to run this country? Do we not have freedom of religion in this country? Are you not allowed to be of whatever faith you choose? While I can choose to not follow any organized religion? Would you rpefer we were in a non-free nation where everyone had to be of one faith? Preferably yours? Sorry, the constitution doesn't work that way. And by the way, your candidate, Senator McCain is a strict Constitutionalist (or so he says).

H. To be an Arab you must be a descendant of someone from Saudi Arabia. Senator Obama's father is from Kenya and his mother from Kansas. Last I checked Kenya was a part of Africa and Kansas not too far from you.

I. This is where you might get a bit confused so let me lay it all out on the line for you.
1. Not all Arabs are terrorist
2. Not all Arabs are Muslim
3. Not all terrorists are Arab
4. Not all terrorists are Muslim
5. Not all Muslims are Arabs
6. Not all Muslims are terrorists

J. Is that clear enough for you?

Any other questions?


Below is the interview after the rally that The Uptake did with Ms. Quinnell following the rally, where she admits to spreading untruths about Senator Obama.

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