Vote!

Make your voice heard. Vote!!

I've gotten some searches already this morning on voting issues, so hopefully these links will help:

• Where do I vote? Check here.
• Which district am I? Check here.
• When can I vote? Polls are open today 6AM to 8PM.
• Am I registered to vote? Check with your superintendent of election; list here.
• Who won? After 8PM, you can start checking for local races here. NJ.com will have up Senate results, Assembly Results, and Ballot Question results.

Go vote. Take your next door neighbor with you. Offer a ride to the lady across the street who doesn't walk very well anymore. Ask that guy at work who always complains about the conservative pundits if he voted before work or is going after. Remind people that voting is the most important thing we do in a democracy. Don't let something so silly as rain make a difference. Get out the vote!

Costliest and contentious

That's how Tom Hester described the race between Ellen Karcher and Jennifer Beck for the Senate seat in the 12th. That it has been, and I'm glad to see the end. I can only hope that folks see Ellen Karcher for who she is, not who Jennifer Beck wishes she was.

You want someone who will work tirelessly against corruption? Ellen is it. You want someone who can inspire people? Ellen is it. You want someone who is willing to work for Our Fair State? Ellen is it.

Karcher's last ad was a great idea; positive, in a campaign that has been increasingly negative. I can only hope that voters respond to it, and to her.

Democracy Inaction

Low voter turnout is expected in tomorrow's election...

Interest will be low, because there are not national or statewide offices up for election. Instead, each voter gets a chance to decide on state Senate and Assembly races in one of 40 legislative districts.
Although four ballot questions are being asked statewide, only one, on stem cell research, has generated much interest.
Also at stake is control of the Legislature. Democrats now control both houses, with a 22-18 edge in the Senate, and a 50-30 advantage in the Assembly.
State officials will not issue a prediction on turnout. Party officials don't think it will be much different from 2003 -- the last time the state Legislature was the top of the ticket -- when only 34 percent of registered voters cast ballots.

...everywhere except here in the 12th.

Turnout is expected to be better than average in a few of the 40 legislative districts, notably the 12th, where Democratic state Sen. Ellen Karcher and GOP Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck are spending more money than any other race this year for the Senate seat.
Beck said her "door-to-door, grass roots efforts" should inspire voting, but acknowledged it's a tough sell.
"People tend to follow national politics a bit more than they follow state politics," she said. Karcher said voters around the state may be repelled because of recent
criminal cases.
"People think that with corruption, their vote doesn't count," she said. "If people believe we're doing it for their interests ... they will invest in understanding what the races are about and getting to the polls."

On this, as with most things, Ellen Karcher is right. I believe there are some politicians who are working in my interest as well as some very serious ballot questions, and I plan to get myself to the polls tomorrow.

34% is pathetic. We can only hope that prediction is what turns out to be low.

Another poll?

How many of these will I be getting this year?

Interestingly, this one had different questions than the last one (and this pollster was able to pronounce Declan O'Scanlon.) They asked whether I'd seen anything that the candidates for senate were tossing around about scandals, including one I hadn't heard yet: That Jennifer Beck has had her driver's licence suspended five times.

I wonder what she did to deserve that. I'm surprised that Republican State Chairman Tom Wilson didn't tell her how to drive; the state Repugs dictate everything else she says or does.

Beck v. Karcher were on On The Record this weekend; if you want to watch, it's here.

I just got polled!

Get yer minds out of the gutter.

I mean that I just took a survey on the phone about the upcoming election. The woman doing the survey sounded very new- I could hear the supervisor over her shoulder prompting her on the questions. Poor thing, she absolutely couldn't pronounce Declan O'Scanlon.

Hopefully, none of us will have to remember how to pronounce it come Nov. 7.

BTW: don't forget, you don't need a reason to vote by "absentee" ballot in Our Fair State. You can request a mail ballot up to seven days before an election. In other words, you don't have an excuse not to vote.

"Clean Election" Debates for the 14th

The League of Women Voters is sponsoring the two Clean Election debates (required by the program):

On Oct. 10, there will be an hourlong debate among the 14th District Assembly candidates starting at 7 p.m. at Monroe Township High School Performing Arts Centre.

On Oct. 22, an hourlong debate will take place among 14th District Senatorial candidates followed immediately by a one-hour debate among 14th District Assembly candidates. This event will begin at 6 p.m. at Steinert High School in Hamilton.

Mark your calendars!

So this is Clean Elections?

GOP leader balks at signing Baroni letter Party faithful decries content as unethical and negative. From today's Times of Trenton:

Racquel Chiarella of Monroe considered herself a faithful Republican, so when she was asked to write a letter to the editors of several newspapers in support of state Senate candidate Bill Baroni, she was more than happy to oblige.
But when Baroni's staffers sent her a form letter to sign that was critical of Democratic Senate candidate Seema Singh, Chiarella not only refused, but resigned her leadership position with the Monroe GOP committee.
"Bill Baroni is about running clean campaigns and I felt that this letter was unethical and so negative that I wouldn't sign it," Chiarella said. "If it had just been a letter supporting (Baroni), I would have signed it without a problem, but because it was attacking his opponent and I don't even know if the issues it raised are legitimate, I could not put my name on it."
Chiarella said she was originally contacted by Baroni staffer Arnaz Ali, who said the campaign was looking for a Monroe resident to sign a letter in favor of the Republican. The instructions accompanying the letter asked Chiarella to send a copy to four newspapers.

Form letters-to-the-editor are pretty common in campaigns, but who would write one so unethical that even the party faithful wouldn't sign it? Well, of course, it was all done by an overzealous young staffer (according to Baroni spokeswoman Stacy Schuste). Isn't it always some young staffer?