*Edit: 2-23
News Media Still Hasn’t Caught On. We are having our Primary NOW. (See below.)
While everybody is laser focused on the last debate, the primary is already underway in WA. My ballot came today
I opened the mailbox and found a delightful surprise, my WA State vote by mail primary ballot. I opened it, took a pen I happened to have in my pocket and colored in my candidate then placed it in the enclosed the prepaid mailing envelope and put it in the outgoing mail. Didn’t take much longer than to write this far.
He who will not be named was over there on the GOP side. Both primaries are on the same ballot. You just pick a party but if you mark both sides the computer will kick it out.
Voting doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated and we’ve retained a paper trail if anything should go wrong. With simplified voting and automatic registration WA almost makes it more difficult to not vote than to vote.
Ballots are tallied as they are received. You can check the status of yours anytime. You can also get a replacement if you lose or spoil yours.
Here’s a hint when GOTV begins in the general election they will stop calling you once your ballot has been received. The GOTV computer knows whose been naughty or nice but of course they don't know who you voted for just that it has been checked in. We generally get statewide results an hour after the polls close. It’s a system any seriously democratic state should use.
I could have held on to my ballot until March 10 but my decision of who to vote for is based on two things I don’t see changing. One is who best represents own personal interests. The second is the candidate that I believe has the campaign machinery and funding to have the most clear path toward the nomination. At present I see only one actual Democrats with that path and the winner was Sanders.
I personally think we are getting ahead of ourselves on electability. There are too many unknown variables and humans are just plain awful predicting the future. First things first. We get a nominee without the DNC splitting the party then we work like hell to get our person the win. All of our top candidates out poll Trump head to head unless the party splinters.
Whoever you vote for I encourage you to vote now. Vote early. Get it out of the way before it gets lost in a the pile.
I voted. My token personal part in the greater scheme is done.
I feel so grateful to live in the most beautiful and arguably the most small d democratic state in the nation.
In case you are interested and don’t know it takes 1991 delegates to win on the first ballot at the national convention a number that isn’t getting much play yet but important to keep in mind.
Bloomberg is well aware that we are voting and is on the air but so far none of the others. Not even Sanders.
Blue or Bust.
EDIT: I was just watching a CNN YouTube showing a map of the Super Tuesday Primaries and their sage commentary about who can stop Sanders. Meanwhile we are having our Primary and nobody notices.
We are not early voting for a primary after Super Tuesday. This is it and it began before the NV Caucus. March 10 is the date the poll closes not when it happens. Poll is singular since we have no physical polling places.
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