Happy Election Day!

Polls are now open across Michigan for school and millage elections.

For most of us, this marks the first chance to go to the polls and make our voice heard since the November 2010 'shellacking' and the Republican attempts to overreach with their newfound power.

Many school districts will have elections for their school boards. With Governor Snyder's attacks on education, it is critical that we have intelligent, levelheaded leaders helping to lead our schools. These elections are also very important because school board members often go on to run for 'bigger and better' things in Lansing and DC. Today will be a good chance to get progressives in local offices while stopping tea partiers from underminimg our kids' education at the local level.

Here in Kent County, we will be electing two new trustees for Grand Rapids Community College. I'm supporting Bert Bleke and Fred Sebulske over their tea party opposition.

There are also plenty of millage proposals on the ballot, from public safety in Flint to public transportation in Greater Grand Rapids. The well-being of our communities depend on passage of many of these millages. In this era of 'emergency financial managers' and 'watch lists,' many of these millage proposals are very important.

So take a vew minutes to VOTE today and remind your friends to vote! Polls are now open, and will close at 8PM.

Small Margins, Big Impact: Why GOTV Matters

17,595. 5,708. 5,200. 4,963. 3,800. 2,074. 1,154. 1,149. 720. 537. 450. 323. 312. 133. 128. 121. 91. 87. 28. 21. 15. 4. 2. 1.

Giant IP address? Nope. All of those numbers are margins of victory in some of the closest elections Michigan and America have seen in recent years. Many of those close races have had significant consequences:

• 17,595: John Engler (R) over Jim Blanchard (D), Governor of Michigan, 1990. Do we need to go over the consequences of this one?
• 5,708: Ruth Johnson (R) over Sheila Smith (D), Oakland County Clerk, 2008. And guess what Johnson is doing now? Running for office for the 12th consecutive even-year election. Would Republicans have nominated her for Secretary of State had she lost? And polls show her slightly ahead of Jocelyn Benson (by margins similar to Bill Schuette's lead in the AG race) - would Benson be leading the Republican nominee if it wasn't Johnson?
• 5,200: Mike Cox (R) over Gary Peters (D), Michigan Attorney General, 2002. Cox's 8 years as AG have led to a severe downgrading of the role of Attorney General as protector of consumers and individual rights.
• 4,963. Nancy Danhof (R) over Herbert Moyer (D), State Board of Education, 2004. Two candidates are elected each even-numbered year in State Board of Education races; winners serve 8-year terms. In 2004, Danhof came in 2nd, Moyer 3rd. This means that Democrats now have a 6-2 lead in the State Board instead of a 7-1 lead - and it also means we will not have an 8-0 sweep after the election. (If you think the SBE race isn't important, let me remind you of the Texas curriculum rewrite.)
• 3,800: Woodrow Wilson (D) over Charles Evans Hughes (R), President (California - 13 electoral votes), 1916. Had Hughes won California, he would have scored a 267-264 victory in the Electoral College. Instead, in his second term, Wilson led America to victory in World War I and won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• 2,074: John McCulloch (R) over Brett Nicholson (D), Oakland County Drain Commissioner, 2008. We came that close to electing a great young Democrat to countywide office in Oakland County.
• 1,154: G. Mennen Williams (D) over Harry Kelly (R), Governor of Michigan, 1950. After beating ex-Governor Kelly by such a small margin, Williams won his third term by beating Frederick Alger in 1952 by 8,618 votes. He was one of the more popular Governors Michigan has had.
• 1,149: Grover Cleveland (D) over James G. Blaine (R), President (New York - 36 electoral votes), 1884. New York helped Cleveland to an electoral-vote voctory of 219-182 over Blaine; had Blaine won New York, Blaine would have been elected with a 218-183 margin.
• 720: John Pappageorge (R) over Andrew Levin, Michigan State Senator, 2006.
• 537: George W. Bush (R) over Al Gore (D), President (Florida - 25 electoral votes), 2000. Again, let's not rehash the consequences. (Incidentally, this is the number of votes by which Bush was declared the winner. As to who really won... I have my suspicions.
• 450: Roger Kahn (R) over Carl Williams (D), Michigan State Senator, 2006. Had both Williams and Levin won, the Democrats would have controlled the state Senate with Lt. Gov. John Cherry's tiebreaking vote. Republican control of the Senate (while Dems haev controled the Governorship and House of Representatives) resulted in two state government shutdowns in the following three years.
• 323: Bob McDonnell (R) over Creigh Deeds (D), Virginia Attorney General, 2005. McDonnell defeated Deeds by a larger margin in the 2009 race for Governor, likely due in part to his increased name recognition that resulted from his time as AG.
• 312: Al Franken (D) over Norm Coleman (R), US Senator from Minnesota. The period from when Franken was seated in July 2009 to the election of Cosmo Brown the following January (I refuse to let him sully such a good name as Scott) was remarkable in that that's when the healthcare reform package cleared the 60-vote hurdle. It later passed by reconciliation in March, two months after Brown was elected.
• 133: Christine Gregoire (D) over Dino Rossi (R), Governor of Washington, 2004. Gregoire is still Governor, while Rossi is now running for Senate against Patty Murray. Murray is the slight favorite at the moment; would she still be ahead if Rossi had won that race six years ago?)
• 128: Shelley Goodman Taub (R) over Karen Spector (D), Oakland County Commissioner, 2008. Because of this, Republicans hold a 13-12 majority on the Oakland County Commission.
• 121: Mike Rogers (R) over Dianne Byrum (D), US Representative from Michigan, 2000.
• 91: Karl Rolvaag (D) over Elmer Anderson (R), Governor of Minnesota, 1962. This election was finally settled the following March.
• 87: Lyndon Johnson over Coke Stevenson, US Senate Democratic Primary in Texas, 1948. Johnson became an accomplished legislative leader before serving as Vice President and President.
• 28: Barbara McIlvaine Smith (D) over Shannon Royer (R), Pennsylvania state representative, 2006. This gave Democrats a 102-101 majority in the State House. Yes, it was that close.
• 21: Sam Gejdensen over Edward Munster (R), US Representative from Connecticut, 1994.
• 15: Dan Benishek over Jason Allen, Republican US House primary, 2010. The general-election matchup between Benishek and Gary McDowell (D) is seen as a tossup in a district currently represented by retiring Rep. Bart Stupak (D).
• 4: Frank McCloskey (D) over Rick McIntyre (R), US Representative from Indiana, 1984. McCloskey was seated in May 1985.
• 2: Louis Wyman (D) over John Durkin (R), US Senator from New Hampshire, 1974. The Senate ordered a revote, which Durkin won.
• 1: Mike Kelly (R) over Karl Kassel (D), Alaska State Representative, 2008. Not as consequential as the one in Pennsylvania - at least in terms of who has the majority - but Republicans have only a 22-18 majority in the Alaska House, which would be 21-19 had Kassel won. (No, Kassel's not related to the NPR personality. :-) )

Whether or not you help with GOTV these next few days will likely have a much bigger impact on the direction of our state and country than you may realize. Just a little more effort would have put Democrats in charge of the State Senate in 2006. Consequently, the people of Pennsylvania were spared a Republican state House thanks to the dedication of Democratic GOTV volunteers in the 156th state House district in 2006. A few hundred more votes may have meant that Al Franken would have been seated long before July 7, 2009. (Incidentally, Coleman led by 5 points in a SurveyUSA poll released the Saturday before the 2008 election.)

2010 will almost certainly have its share of close races in Michigan and throughout the country. With a couple polls now showing Democrats tied with or slightly leading Republicans among likely voters in the generic ballot for Congress, it's clear that control of the US House may depend on a few votes in a few districts.

But if absolutely nothing else convinces you to help GOTV for our fine Democratic candidates, I give you this:

On 18 January 1961, in Zanzibar (now part of Tanzania), the Afro-Shirazi Party won the general elections by a single seat, after the seat of Chake-Chake on Pemba Island was won by a single vote.

If Democrats lose the state House because of a tiny margin in one district... and it was because you did not help... are you ready to deal with the regret?

So please, head on over to your local campaign office or make some GOTV calls from home.

(PS: Information found by browsing the US Election Atlas, Michigan Department of State, Oakland County, and Wikipedia websites.)

Registering to vote and voting absentee - it's that time of election year again!

(Cross-posted at Michigan Liberal, Blogging for Michigan, West Michigan Rising, and Great Lakes, Great Times, Great Scott)

If you're reading this, you're probably registered to vote. Yay!

But you most likely have a few friends, relatives, coworkers, neighbors, roommates, etc., who are not registered.

You have two weeks to change that!

October 4 is the last day to register to vote in time for this fall's elections. Here's your voter-registration form, and here's the place to go to check to see if you're registered, so even if you know where you're registered, be sure to pass the word!

Speaking of voting, absentee ballots should be available this week, so if you haven't gotten your absentee application in, do so soon! (Okay, you can apply for an absentee ballot anytime between now and the Saturday before the election, October 30, but the sooner, the better!)

(PS: Anyone who has not registered to vote before should definitely register in person at their clerk's office, if possible. If they don't, they'll have to either vote in person on Election Day or apply for their absentee ballot in person at the clerk's office.)

October 21, 1987 and 2008 - I cried as I voted.

I cried as I voted today. I had been waiting for this day for so long.

Today is my 21st birthday. At 11:37 this morning - the time listed on my birth certificate - I filled in the oval next to Barack Obama's and Joe Biden's names to cast my first-ever vote in a Presidential election.

I had envied those who were old enough to vote in 1996, 2000, and 2004. For countless national, state, local, and school district elections, I had felt a sense of being left out. I had learned about the candidates - even met a few every now and then - but I couldn't participate in that basic civic duty of voting.

This is the eighth time I've voted since registering just before my 18th birthday. The February after I registered, I found out that the school district was asking voters to renew a sinking fund millage. I went to City Hall, cast my first vote by absentee ballot, and a week and a half later I found out that the millage had passed. I felt part of the process for the first time, even though not many people voted.

My first in-person, at-the-polling-place vote was on Primary Election Day in August 2006. I had the chance to vote for myself as I was on the ballot for Precinct Delegate here in Michigan. It was uncontested as three of us ran for three spots. I still remember that chill I felt casting my first in-person vote.

A few other elections have since taken place, and I haven't missed one yet - not even the controversial 'primary' here in Michigan (which I discuss at length here). But then, when it came time for the state and local primaries this year, I found out that I was one of three candidates for just two spots as Precinct delegate, and the top two vote-getters would win. Long story short, one candidate got 34, another got 29... and I got 30! Yes, I won by one vote!

But voting in a general election for President... Now there's something I hadn't done. I applied for an absentee ballot a few days before I returned to school, and it came about a month ago. (I would've re-registered at my school address, but I would've given up my spot as a Precinct Delegate to do so - which I obviously didn't want to do!) Still, I wasn't eager to just vote it then and there and then mail it back, which I did in 2006. Instead, I voted it over bit by bit. Diane Hathaway for state Supreme Court one day, Carl Levin for US Senate another. Ballot proposals (to legalize medical marijuana and stem-cell research) another day.

But I saved the best for last. I chose this day - October 21, my 21st birthday - to mark my ballot for Obama and Biden.

This morning, at 11:37, I looked up at a sheet above my desk in my room and read this quote from my choice for President:

Hope is what led a band of colonists to rise up against an empire; what led the greatest of generations to free a continent and heal a nation; what led young women and young men to sit at lunch counters and brave fire hoses and march through Selma and Montgomery for freedom's cause.

Hope-hope-is what led me here today - with a father from Kenya; a mother from Kansas; and a story that could only happen in the United States of America. Hope is the bedrock of this nation; the belief that our destiny will not be written for us, but by us; by all those men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is; who have the courage to remake the world as it should be.

Inspired by this wonderful diary on Daily Kos yesterday, I thought of my family and friends, of the many people who have struggled for freedom and justice through the ages, and of all those who today believe that 'Yes We Can' make our nation and world stronger.

I teared up as I thought to them, "This one's for you!" I used my pen, made from recycled materials, to fill in that oval next to Obama's and Biden's names.



When I go home this weekend, I will drop off the ballot at City Hall before celebrating my high school's Homecoming and then celebrating my 21st with my family.

And the, who knows, maybe I'll shed another tear.

Respect Our Vote!

Here's an article on The Huffington Post posted by Katie Naranjo, President of the College Democrats of America.

Senator Barack Obama inspires younger generations like no other politician in recent history. Rather than ignoring young people and writing off our entire generation as apathetic, Senator Obama reaches out to us and understands our needs. He offers the youth a refreshing alternative to regressive Bush-McCain policies, which continue to increase the financial burdens on college students. More importantly, our country is more vulnerable to another terrorist attack, and our economy is in crisis because of the current Republican administration. In this election, Senator Obama has inspired millions of people of all ages to get involved in our political system, making the point that change can only happen when "We the People" make it happen.

This is why according to a recent Rock the Vote poll, 87 percent of young people intend to vote this election cycle. Indeed, unprecedented voter registration numbers since the primaries have put a number of traditionally "red" states in play. In Virginia, home to 13 electoral votes, the Obama campaign registered nearly 50,000 new voters in August alone. The Obama campaign is rapidly closing in on its goal of registering over 150,000 new voters in Virginia by the October 6 deadline - a remarkable accomplishment in a state that hasn't voted Democratic since Lyndon Johnson carried it in 1964.

Yet with millions of young people preparing to cast their first vote, a shameful Republican misinformation campaign has emerged across the country. Inexperienced voters and young people are extremely vulnerable to miscommunication campaigns, and Republicans in Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, South Carolina, Virginia and all across the country have taken advantage of this over the past few weeks and months. In Colorado, a Republican county clerk falsely informed out-of-state students attending Colorado College that they could not register to vote in Colorado if their parents claimed them as dependants on their taxes. In Virginia and South Carolina, local registrars have intentionally lied to students registering to vote, telling them "you can't vote here." Indeed Republicans are discouraging young people from voting across the country, and these tactics must stop now.

But why would anyone try to strip someone of their right to vote? Yes, young people have voted increasingly Democratic over the past eight years - a USA Today/MTV/Gallup poll released yesterday found that 61 percent of young people support Barack Obama while just 32 percent support John McCain. But we live in a country founded on the premise that everyone has an equal voice on Election Day. We live in a country where you simply can't disenfranchise your political opponent's supporters because you cannot relate to their issues and their future.

To protect the essential right to vote and ensure that students are heard on Election Day, the College Democrats of America are launching a nationwide youth empowerment campaign. The project, entitled Respect Our Vote, intends to combat these despicable tactics and ensure that every student has all the information that they need to cast their vote on November 4th. Students will be able to educate themselves on their rights and report any incidents of voter intimidation on our new website: www.RespectTheYouthVote.com. More over, CDA will be transporting thousands of student activists from around the country to key battleground states to canvass colleges and inform students on the laws in their areas. The right to vote is a non-partisan issue, and we - as College Democrats - will do everything in our power to protect it. The youth vote will not be suppressed now or in the future.

Throughout our history, millions of people have fought to provide all Americans with the right to speak out, choose our leaders, and enjoy the freedoms that many of our peers are fighting for. We owe it to everyone in our generation to ensure that all of us are able to fulfill our civic responsibility. While Senator Obama continues to build a relationship between the youth and the political process, it is up to us to make sure that all students are able to voice their vote in the most important election of our lifetime.

I don't want to brag too much, but I will say that I wrote the first draft of this as part of my new role as Deputy National Communications Director for the College Democrats of America! Not every word in this article is mine, but Katie included much of it in the final draft. ;-)

No matter who drafted this piece, what matters is why it was drafted. Everyone who wants to vote should be able to vote.

Check out respecttheyouthvote.com for more.

UPDATE: Check out the comments for an excellent poem!

VoteForChange.com

This being the last week before next Monday's voter-registration deadline, I want to encourage you to visit an excellent website from the Obama campaign - VoteForChange.com.

This is where you can see if you're registered to vote, find out about registering (if you haven't registered already), and learn how to vote absentee (you can also learn more about absentee voting on Facebook ;-) ).

So check it out and share it with your friends!

Bits of Tid: August 18, 2008

• The Obama banner on the right links to the Michigan for Obama MySpace page. I am excited to inform you that I have secured an internship with Obama for America, and as part of my internship I help to manage that very Michigan for Obama page on MySpace!
• I'm back at CMU helping to put on a freshman orientation program relating to diversity. Now through Wednesday, I am spending my evenings preparing for the program, which will run Thursday through Saturday. Many of the incoming freshmen are participating in what is called Leadership Safari, which I am glad I did my freshman year. Most residence hall students move in Thursday, and classes begin next Monday.
• The other day at the Democratic County Convention, I seconded the motion to approve the Credentials Committee Report. Winning by one vote can make you powerful! :-)
• I'm pushing for people to vote absentee if they need to. Keep in mind that while absentee ballots don't come out until late September, they will accept absentee ballot apps anytime until November 1 (the Saturday before the election). So there's no better time than now to apply for an absentee ballot!

4 1/2 more hours to vote!

Once again, I feel powerful.

I made my first trip to my new polling place in Kentwood; I am now voting at a church instead iof a school.

I was Voter #185 in my precinct, up from being #120 around 3:30 PM in the 2006 primary. That seems odd because three of the four voting booths were in use when I giot there in 2006, but only one was being used when I got there today.

Contested races included the Republican state House and county Sheriff races, plus the Kent County Jail Millage renewal and the Kentwood Library Millage.

I voted in the Democratic primary because I am in a contested race for Precinct Delegate (one of three people running for two delegate spots - very unusual as these races are often uncontested!)

In 2006 someone gave me the 'no split ticket' talk; today there were signs in the booths saying the same.

You have until 8PM to vote!

School Election Day!

Ah, the joy of democracy.

A little earlier today (at 3:40 PM) I voted for the fourth time in my life (having voted for a sinking fund renewal in February 2006; last August's primary; and of course the general election six months ago). This was my second time voting in person nat a voting location.

Four items appeared on my ballot. I voted for two of the three candidates for Kentwood School Baord; two of the four candidates for Grand Rapids Community College Trustee; and Yes on a GRCC millage increase as well as an Interurban Transit Partnership millage.

Voter turnout is expected to be light today, as it usually is in this type of an election. But here's the shocker: I was the 352nd person to vote at my voting place. 352! Granted, two voting precincts vote at Glenwood (at least that's how it usually works; perhaps it's different in a school election), and both appearedto have voted in the same place this time (as opposed to when they voted in different parts of the gym in August. But I was #120 in my precinct in the primary, and we ended up with 20% turnout in our precinct.

Predictions
Based on the level of campaigning I have seen, I predict that Bill Joseph and Mimi Madden will win re-election to the Kentwood School Board, as will GRCC Trustee Margo Anderson. As my upset pick, Fran Pepper will oust Terri Handlin from the GRCC Board. The GRCC and ITP millages will pass with 64% and 73%, respectively. (If this scenario plays out, I will be a perfect 6 for 6 in terms of voting for winning candidates and sides of proposals.)

Polls close at 8... so if you haven't voted, do so now! Then check Election Magic for results.

ELECTION NOTICE: February 27 local elections

Some communities and school districts in Michigan will be holding elections next Tuesday, February 27. Click here to find out if you are in one of them. (For those of you in Kent County, this only applies to you if you live in the Wyoming School District.)

If you need an absentee ballot, be sure to apply for one ASAP!

You must have been registered to vote at your current address by January 29. If you are reading this, you probably voted in November, but if this is your first time voting, you must do one of the following in person: 1) Register to vote at the clerk's office; 2) Request an absentee ballot in person; or 3) Vote at your voting place on Election Day.

Every election is important. Every vote counts... and it counts even more when fewer people vote. So if you have an election where you live next week, take these next several days to find out what will be on your ballot, inform yourself on the issues, and of course, vote between 7AM and 8PM next Tuesday.

(Incidentally, my first vote was to renew a school district sinking fund, and that took place a year ago.)

Behold, All Things Have Become New: Happy 2007!

Can you believe another year has come and gone? I just cannot get my mind around the fact that this is 2007!!

Memories
Boy, 2006 flew right by us! What were some of my highlights?

• Joining the Knights of Columbus the first week of the year
  
• Participating in Wheeler Hall’s Open Mic Night
  
• Joining the SGA Senate
  
• Easter Vigil at St. Mary’s in Mount Pleasant (and having my dorm room to myself that weekend, as couple of roomies went to see Dane Cook and the other - like most on campus - went home for the weekend
  
• Becoming a precinct delegate
  
• A lengthy campaign season in which my emotions fluctuated between hope and despair for our governor, while assuming (until the last few weeks) that Congress would stay in GOP hands
  
• Casting my first vote ever - to renew a school district sinking fund in February (it passed)
  
• Voting, first in the primary, and then by absentee for the general election
  
• A joyous election night that already seems so long ago

2006: What a ride.

How I celebrated 2007
On Sunday Mom and Dad went to a New Year’s Eve party, so my dogs, birds, and I stayed home. I took the dogs for a walk. Our walk route included a couple of Little League baseball fields. As we paused at a couple of the fields, I thought of the many kids who played ball and made so many memories on those fields this summer - memories they will cherish for a lifetime. I will probably be the last person to walk on these fields in 2006, I thought to myself.

I turned on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” at 10. Dick Clark himself was still not in the best of shape after suffering a stroke a couple years ago. But he was better than last year. His countdown was a little In the last few seconds, his countdown was a bit off. Still, I enjoyed watching it. Then at midnight, I kissed my dog Lucy and kind of sang along as‘Auld Lang Syne’ played on TV.

Predictions
Some of these predictions for 2007 are based on historical precedent, while others are just guesses.

• An assistant coach at U-M or MSU will become CMU’s new football coach. Just a guess.
  
• The Colts will win the Super Bowl. Their time has come.
  
• Two governors will resign. Just a guess
  
• Bush will veto more bills this year than Granholm. A Democratic Congress will pass more bills Bush won't approve of, but a State House in Democratic hands will mean not as much bad legislation will get to the Governor's
  
• Sorry, Al Gore - no Oscars. I just don't feel it happening.
  
• Hillary Clinton will NOT run for President. Either Feingold or Bayh will reconsider their decision not to run. Meanwhile, Vilsack will drop out of the race sometime in the summer or early fall.
  
• There will not be any contested races for Kentwood City Commission. Grand Rapids will see two. (Kentwood has seen just two contested City Commission races in the last four odd-numbered years.)
  
• The Tigers will again make it to the ALCS and, perhaps, the World Series. The team is largely unchanged from 2006, but it will have Gary Sheffield.
  
• I will decide by May 1 who I will support for the Democratic nomination. I settled on Howard Dean pretty early in 2003, but then I switched to Bob Graham, then Dennis Kucinich, then Wesley Clark, then back to Dean until he dropped out of the primaries.
  
• Osama bin Laden will not be found. He hasn't been found yet, has he?

Resolutions
In each of the last few years I have made vague resolutions to lose weight, be financially better off., and treat myself well. This year, I plan to save some of the cash I earn working, but also drink six glasses of water per day. Water helps with weight loss. I will also work to get higher grades. (Dean’s List anyone? Okay perhaps I’m being a wee bit optimistic. But it’s good to be optimistic.)

So here’s to an amazing 2007 for you, me, and our entire nation and world!

(PS: "Behold, all things have become new" comes from 2 Corinthians 5:17.)

My 2006 General Election Voting Story

At approximately 12:50 AM on Friday the 13th (let it not be a bad omen), I, Scott Urbanowski, patriotic American and proud Democrat, filled out my absentee ballot for my first General election, seven hours after picking it up in the mail. (Okay, I could've voted last year, but there were literally no contested races in Kentwood.)

It took six minutes and twenty seconds for me to fill out 33 bubbles, 28 for candidates and 5 on ballot proposals.

As I voted for Jenny, I thought of a few of the people from all over the state who will join me in supporting our Governor: My parents; Lieutenant Governor John Cherry; Amos Williams; Dan Mulhern; John and many others from the ICDP; Andy and all the College Dems; Dan, Lonnie, and Mike (and a few others) from SGA; Haley and Sue from the Kent County Party; David LaGrand; Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow; John Conyers... and even a few Republicans. The list goes on and on.

And then Vietnam vet, former Detroit cop, and respected attorney Amos Williams for Attorney General. And Macomb County Clerk Carmella Sabaugh for Secretary of State.

Then I voted for Debbie. Sure, I don't agree with everything she has done, but she did oppose Roberts's and Alito's confirmations to the Supreme Court, as well as the Iraq War. Not to mention the fact that thanks to her, Canadian garbage will not be coming to Michigan for much longer. We are fortunate that Debbie and Carl are our US Senators. May we have many more years with them!

Then to US House. Vern Ehlers is pretty popular, but he voted for CAFTA and cut student financial aid. While I expect Ehlers to win by another landslide, I voted for Jim Rinck. On paper, Rinck is probably the most qualified Democrat to run against Ehlers in the 13 years Ehlers has been there, having been on the Grand Rapids school board.

And then LaGrand for State Senate. If you were to ask me six months ago if LaGrand could beat Bill Hardiman, I would've said, 'nope, Hardiman's a shoe-in.' Then I saw the crowd of supporters for LaGrand in the Kentwood Fourth of July Parade. Then he won MichiganLiberal's very first Michigan First! endorsement. Then I met David personally. Yes, LaGrand can win, and I am proud to support him!

Then on to state boards. Law professor and Army major Kathy White; Gore 's Michigan campaign manager Debbie Dingell; former American Bar President Reginald Turner; and former Michigan Bar President Julia Darlow are just a few of the fine folks who got my vote for state and university boards.

I suppoorted Brian McKay for Kent County Drain Commissioner. Having worked for the City of Grand Rapids in a similar job, he is more qualified than Republican nominee Bill Byl (though I expect Byl to win easily; Other than GR, Kent County is about as Democratic as Ted Kennedy is Republican).

Supreme Court Justice Michael Cavanagh received my support for another eight-year term. I also voted for Jane Beckering, listed in 'The Best Lawyers in America.'

As for the ballot proposals: I joined the Grand Rapids Press; both DeVos and Granholm; SGA; and many others in saying HELL NO to Proposal 2. I also opposed Proposals 1 (sounds good, but unnecessary and would place too many funding restrictions in the state Constitution), 3 (I'm unconvinced that we must kill mourning doves in order to move forward in this state), and 5 (would force the state to spoend more money that it doesn't have; more on Prop 5 in a few days). I did support Proposal 4, which would restrict government's ability to seize property by eminent domain. For more on the ballot proposals, check out http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Statewide_Bal_Prop_Status_145801_7.pdf .

Having applied 63 cents postage (a regular stamp plus a postcard stamp) and sealed and signed my return envelope, I slowly placed my envelope, ballot inside, in the mailbox in the Towers lobby.

Want more info regarding the election? Ask me, or check out www.michigan.gov/vote . Also, click here to print up an absentee request form and send it to your city clerk. (Never voted before? You must request an absentee ballot IN PERSON at your clerk's office, unless you registered to vote in person at your clerk's office.)

PLEASE do yourself a favor and VOTE! The current governor of Washington was elected by 133 votes. Bush won Florida by 537 votes in 2000. In the '80s, a congressman won re-election by four - FOUR - votes.

If you don't vote, you have no one to blame but yourself. So go vote. It's easy and quick... and the job you save may be your own.

Michigan voter registration deadline is October 9!

Just a friendly reminder: the voter registration deadline in Michigan is Monday, October 9! Registration forms are available at the ICDP office, the city and county clerk's offices, and online.
Also, be sure to apply for an absentee ballot if you need one!

If this is your first time voting, you must do one of the following in person: 1) Register to vote at the clerk's office; 2) Request an absentee ballot in person; or 3) Vote at your voting place on Election Day.

My 2006 Primary voting story

Tuesday was our primary here in Michigan. Voters decided which candidates will face each other for various offices, and passed or defeated local ballot proposals.

Turnout was 18% statewide, 19% in Kent County, 17% in Kentwood, 20% in my precinct. It was a little higher in Kent County as a whole because the other state senate district (District 28; I live in District 29) had a hot Republican primary, while a couple House and county commission races were also competitive.

I voted in the Democratic Party primary. The only contested race on the Dem side of the ballot was that for US Congress. (Vern Ehlers usually wins more than 65% of the vote.) Jim Rinck won by 424 votes; it would’ve been 425 except that I voted for Peter Hickey. I also voted for Helen Brinkman (non-partisan) for Circuit Court Judge; she will face Mark Trusock in November. Three city Charter amendments and a county senior millage all pased with 70-plus percent of the vote, including mine. Oh, and I voted for myself for precinct delegate. ;-)

Elsewhere in West Michigan: Mark Jansen pulled off a surprise win over Joanne Voorhees in Senate District 28, and, given the Republican leaning of the district, is expected to win in November. I’m glad Voorhees lost; She and her husband Harold have been in politics for too long, IMO.

Tim Doyle, a 2002 Republican Senate candidate in District 29, edged out Chris Meyer for the right to take on former Grand Rapids City Commissioner Robert Dean in District 75. Term-limited incumbent Jerry Kooiman won in 2004 because the inexperienced Democrat barely campaigned. Now, Dean will campaign aggressively in a district where John Kerry got 54% (before Bush’s approval rating slipped below 40%), while the inexperienced Doyle lacks incumbency.

Fritz Wahlfield (R), David Morren (R) and, by 26 votes, Paul Mayhue (D) were renominated to the County Commission. Expect them to win in November. A closer race will be in the district where Carol Hennessy (D) faces Eric Schmidt (R) for the right to succeed Tom Postmus (R). Hennessy lost the last two elections to Postmus by fewer than 100 votes. Postmus vied to succeed the late Roger Laninga as Drain Commissioner; William Byl beat him for the Republican nomination.

Elsewhere in the state: Eric Welsby, former VP of College Democrats at CMU, came oh so close to winning the Democratic nomination for state house district 99 (part of Midland and all of Isabella counties); Loren Partlo won by just 61 votes. Former CMU College Dem Dave Tibergien lost to Julie Dennis for the right to take on incumbent Senator Jerry VanWoerkom in District 34. I hope they both run again in the future.

And of course, Mike Bouchard gets to take on Debbie Stabenow. What puzzles me is that Keith Butler won Kent County. Even the unoposed Stabenow outpolled Bouchard here!