E-Day 2008

Indeed it is election day, and unlike many young voters, I did not vote early. The plan has been to vote tonight at our designated polling station. My girlfriend and I are going together to cast our ballots. When we discussed who we were voting for, she for Obama, me for McCain, the question of our votes cancelling came up. Why would we even bother leaving the house? If I vote one way and she votes the other, then it's like we didn't vote at all right? Then I brought up the fact that there a lot of other people on the ballot.

This isn't just a presidential election.

No way right? So, I took the time to go over the other candidates that will appear on the ballot with my girlfriend. Granted my view in these cases might be a bit biased. I like Tom Harkin a lot for instance, so I might have endorsed him a little more than his opponent. The point that I made to my girlfriend is that, despite the furor over the presidential campaign, other offices should be considered. I wonder how many people go into the booth vote for president, then just randomly check boxes. I wish I would have thought of this sooner than the day of the election, but what can you do?

Here in Iowa we send five representatives to the House. I currently live in district 3, albeit very damned close to district 4. If you ever want a lesson in gerrymandering, look at your house districts. The race isn't what you would call a close, hard-fought battle, but it bears looking at. Leonard Boswell (D) is the incumbent. He is running against Kim Schmett (R) who is running on a solid background. It's basically a choice between a proven leader and someone who has been tested in other areas. Luckily, neither one of them seem a bad choice. Boswell is 74 though (Schmett is a spritely 55) and this might mean it's time for change. We even have a third party candidate running, Frank Forrestal under the SWP ticket. That's right, a true socialist. None of this Obama-crap. While Forrestal doesn't have much of a chance, he's on there and he's raising issues. And, if people vote by blind guessing after they vote for president, he might stand a chance.

http://www.boswellforcongress.com
http://www.KimSchmett.com
I couldn't find a good website for Forrestal, so feel free to use http://www.dogpile.com/ to look him up.

I also live in State House District 59. This is an interesting race between Chris Hagenow (R) and Jerry Sullivan (D). Again, both candidates have strong backgrounds. Sullivan is a former broker and senior financial service representative at Prinicipal Financial. Hagenow has his law degree from the University of Iowa (Go Hawks!) Sullivan is focusing on bringing new businesses to Iowa, something this state could use. Hagenow focuses on spending issues, something Iowa is generally very pragmatic about.

http://www.chrishagenow.com
http://jerrysullivanforstaterep.org

The State Senate isn't really a contest. Seriously, only the one choice. So, make sure you don't mess that one up on the ballot...

The Race for US Senate, or How Tom Harking Stole My Heart. Tom Harkin (D) is the incumbent, being challenged by Christopher Reed (R). I've grown up watching Harkin do amazing things for Iowa, so my opinion is biased. I have great respect for both candidates and wish Reed the best, as long as he doesn't beat Harkin. He's not really a bad guy, but he's running on the basic Republican platform (note, this is not necessarily what I think of when I think of conservatism). I can't even debate this, Harkin needs to win again, and it looks like he will.

http://www.tomharkin.com
http://www.Christopherreed2008.com

For more news on these guys or to figure out who is running in your district, check out http://www.desmoinesregister.com/section/iowaelection08. Not the best coverage in the world, but it works.

So, learn a little before you vote. Knowing Obama is a pretty speaker and McCain is a creepy old man doesn't make you knowledgeable. Don't just vote a party line. Please don't just vote randomly, that's how we get socialists... If you can't do it for this election, there will be another big one in two years. Just keep your head up and your eyes and ears open.

PS - I might have been upset when I last posted...