On Monday, Ahnold called a November 8, 2005 special election. As much as this special election is a waste of $80 million, it's happening so we've got to get people to vote. There are some disastrous initiatives on the ballot such as one requiring a 48-hour waiting period and parental notification for abortion and one limiting the ability of unions to raise funds. I'm sure that you are now asking, what can I do to keep Ahnold, Paris Hilton and the Fundies from buying California?
Read on to find out one way to help.
One of the easiest ways that you can get people to vote is by making sure that all of your progressive friends are registered to vote and most importantly, that they are registered
Permanent Absentee Voter. This is California's version of early voting.
Anyone can register for an absentee ballot The advantages are:
- Absentee voters vote at much higher rates than on-site voters. It's easy for people to forget about an errand on a busy Tuesday. If your friends are PAV, then you can nag them until they send in the ballot.
- You don't need to stand at a Diebold machine for 30 minutes trying to decipher the ballot. Your ballot is mailed to you 29 days before the election. You can sit at home at your kitchen table, check voter guides to make sure that you are making intelligent choices on the initiatives.
- Absentee ballots are paper, so there is a paper trail. (Just remember to sign the envelope and write your address so it will count.)
- You can register as a Permanent Absentee Voter at any time. It's something you can do now to affect the election in a big way.
Remember, it's a lot easier to get someone to vote, than it is to change someone's mind. But they have the same effect, one extra vote. So, let's not leave votes on the table. Let's work to get people registered and get them registered PAV.
You can find links to the county election departments here.
http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/elections_d.htm
Print out the voter registration and PAV forms for your county and pass them out. If someone is filling out a new registration or changing their address, they can just check a box on their registration form to become PAV. If you are already registered, then use the PAV form.