The Other Candidates for President
Fifth in a six-part series
(Sept. 18, 2008) The most exciting experience you can have as a voter is the write-in. It’s the only opportunity in the entire electoral process when you can actually call a shot. You get to customize your ballot.
Maybe you’ll be taken off to the side and led to a small table, people in line wondering what you did wrong. Like some rebel democrat you’ll scrawl a handmade mark on the ballot, an old lady holding up half a cardboard box to shield your privacy. Or maybe the poll worker says “You can’t do a write-in on the new Danaher 1242 voting machine.” That would be bullshit. The worker just wasn’t trained properly, and you get to demand that he call the county board of elections to explain how write-ins work on the 1242.
Or maybe you just follow the menu prompts, a touch-screen keyboard appears, and you type your write-in. Each state is different.
Going to the polls, punching a button is boring. Stepping out of the ballot box and writing-in is participatory democracy at its best. And that’s what it takes to vote for most Alt Prez candidates, because they usually can’t clear the obstacles to get on the ballot in one state, much less 50.
Many states now make candidates register for write-in status. Sadly, the ever-popular “Mickey Mouse” never registers to meet those requirements, resulting in thousands of write-in ballots cast into vote limbo.
Race for Third Place
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seven-o-heaven
Old Town Arcata
Will Plaza Point put the kibosh on Arcata whippersnapper shenanigans?
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Sept. 25, 2008
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The Other Candidates For President: Last in a six-part series
Sept. 18, 2008
The Other Candidates for President
Fifth in a six-part series
Sept. 11, 2008
The Other Candidates For President
Fourth in a six-part series
Today
Inked Hearts Valentine’s Tattoo Expo
STAFF PICK / events / 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Blue Lake Casino. Get a tattoo from local and/or guest artists. www.bluelakecasino.com. 668-9770.
Trinidad School Valentines Ball
events / 6 p.m. Trinidad Town Hall, 409 Trinity St. Roaring ‘20s theme dinner and dance featuring blues master Earl Thomas. $60. 677-3631.
Artists Valentines Exhibition/HeART Auction
holiday events, art / 6-8 p.m. Morris Graves Museum of Art, 636 F St., Eureka. Bid on original art for your sweetheart while enjoying wine, hors d'oeuvres and live music. Proceeds benefit Humboldt Arts Council programs. $20/$15 HAC Members. www.humboldtarts.org. 442-0278.
Valentine's Dance
events, music, dance / 8-11 p.m. Arcata Community Center, 321 Community Parkway. Arcata Volunteer Fire Department sponsored dance includes music by Dr. Squid no-host bar, late evening buffet, raffle and silent auction. $10. ArcataFire.org. 825-1562.
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