Green Room - Week 4 - Day 9

[clauderainsrm]

Tomorrow, people across the United States are going to the polls for "the midterm elections".

Many have already done due to "early voting", "absentee voting" and of course "drone voting", where they just send their drones into the voting booth.

I have no idea when, or even if Canadians and other "countries" vote. I assume that they do not. Because America is where freedom lives, so I doubt it found it's way to remote places, like, I dunno, Greece. Americans have little to learn from the rest of the world. After all - what can a country like Italy tell us about running a Republic? Not much, I'd imagine!

Whatever else is going on, and wherever you are though - get out and vote. Make your voice be heard! Even if you're just spouting gibberish, as long as it makes sense to you - it deserves to be heard!

Most people will tell you how you need to vote. They will talk about a blue wave, or a red wave... or waving at people as you go into vote. But the only real important wave is the one I'm going to tell you about - the Gary wave! Go to the polls and vote for me, to become your new supreme dictator for life!

It's the only way to bring everyone together, by making them all suffer under my regime!

You might think "But Gary, I don't want to suffer" but you're here, so everyone knows you are lying!

***

The vote tomorrow might not go your way - chances are good that some of it will, and some of it won't.

The same is true of the vote that is closing tonight! https://therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1007980.html That could go the way you want it to - or it could go the way someone else does!

It's a matter of taste, and who actually gets out to the polls! I've seen people complain (in past seasons) about "how did Person A survive but Person B did not!!!" and when I looked, I saw that they hadn't actually voted for Person B. Sometimes they had only voted for themselves! (Which, I do get, it's a competition. But if you are only voting for yourself, then you either aren't actually reading any of the other entries here and experiencing how good they are OR your ego is telling you that you are the ONLY one who "deserves" to be here, and I've never seen that end well for anyone. Note: this rant brought to you by an email from Season 5 that I happened to run across this morning while searching for something else, that got me all riled up again. Not by anything happening at the moment. But I think the words, and underlying sentiment still apply. Support your work and the work you enjoy. But also be willing to check your own ego and realize your tastes aren't the only ones out there.

"Your tastes aren't the only ones out there" is something that I, personally, deal at Idol head on, and in RL pretty much every day. I just remind myself that everyone else is wrong, and once I gain supreme power I will forcibly make them change, or face my wrath! It helps me get through the day!

Comments

[rayaso]

First! I spend way too much time in front of a computer early in the morning (pacific time). And yes, please vote tomorrow! Red, blue, green, or whatever color, this is an important civic duty. It ought to be a holiday. And if you don't vote, don't complain about the outcome.

[clauderainsrm]

They will anyway. And then they will complain that people are trying "to silence them" and/or "shame" them for lack of faith in the process.

[halfshellvenus]

And then they will complain that people are trying "to silence them" and/or "shame" them for lack of faith in the process.
That's the part that really gets me. "I didn't vote because it doesn't matter anyway, but stop making me feel bad about it! And BTW, everything sux."

/o\

[hwango]

I've seen the argument made that if you participate in the process then you legitimize it and should abide by the results, so the only people who can complain about the system are those who refuse to participate in it. I don't agree with that position, but I get the idea behind it.

Personally, I think doing something is superior to doing absolutely nothing, so I still vote.

[halfshellvenus]

if you participate in the process then you legitimize it
It's the only system we have! And the results of it affect the outcome of most people's lives, whether they 'believe' in the system or not.

I know that isn't your viewpoint, you're just the messenger. But that's an extremely foolish way of thinking.

It's like protest-voting for an Independent or Libertarian in a swing state. You are basically ceding the outcome to everyone else, because someone WILL be elected, and it will not be your protest candidate... :(

[hwango]

If only we could follow in Night Vale's footsteps and choose our leaders by interpreting the mysterious pulses from Hidden Gorge. Ah, well.

[halfshellvenus]

That actually worked out pretty well for Nightvale with the last election, but it seems a risky method in the long term!

[tjoel2]

Voted! In both polls. :)

[clauderainsrm]

Gives you an "I voted" kick to go with your sticker.

[murielle]

We are actually have an advanced vote tomorrow and Wednesday, and then the actual next week, not on anything as important as midterms, just on whether or not we should bid on the Olympics. And the reason we're having to vote on this? Because our ego-driven mayor won't listen to his constituents when they tell him we don't want the Olympics.

So I feel for you all heading out to the polling stations. Very best of luck.

[clauderainsrm]

What kind of commie doesn't want the Olympics?

Sure, it's a huge money drain and a nightmare, but it's the Olympics! Besides, you LOVE nightmares!!

(Let us know how stopping the Olympic bid goes!)

[murielle]

We had them already in '88. It was great! Big two-week party. The economy was strong and we were all excited about it. This time around it will cost at least 3 billion, we'll have to farm out events to other cities and even another province, and they're not chipping in to cover the cost. Bad timing.

How do you know I LOVE nightmares???? Have you been sneaking around in my life again? I actually do love nightmares. ;-)

(I'll let you know.)

[clauderainsrm]

You're in Seoul? ;)

[murielle]

Ha! :-))

[bleodswean]

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

[favoritebean]

Best green room post I have seen in days!

I will be voting, of course. I am still trying to figure out district judges, however. That takes research and the sites one can study for most candidates and propositions don’t have much on the judges. Meh.

[clauderainsrm]

Judges are always difficult. As you said, there isn't much out there about them (if they are any good) and the Bar always endorses their retention and/or doesn't take a position on contested races.

There IS a judge in Florida that the Bar has come out *against*. Which is really rare. He will probably be re-elected though. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that people Christmas tree those races. It would make more sense than the alternative that they actually did research and still voted the way they did sometimes. ;)
I usually end up doing as deep of a dive as I can on their background and case history.

Please excuse my butt

[murielle]

But what does "Christmas tree" here? I have googled to no avail...or unveil.

Will now remove my butt.

[megatronix]

I want to know what Christmas tree means here too. Do you mean they use a phone tree and call everyone they know to vote for someone and tell everyone they call to call everyone they know and vote for same said person and on and on?

[clauderainsrm]

Christmas Treeing a scantron test is when you fill out the bubbles/ovals to make a pattern instead of answering the questions.

I'm saying that sometimes it seems like people do that with their ballots. (My county actually does have those same ovals to fill out, if you do not, that could be why the example didn't make sense!)

[murielle]

Thank you. As the politicians in the mythical country in which I live take inordinately extended vacations to warmer climes during the winter months we have no Christmas Trees. ;-)

[flipflop_diva]

I plan to vote in one poll as soon as I finish reading this afternoon and do lots of other voting tomorrow!

We've had so many people come to the door the last few days reminding us to vote, plus texts and calls and so many campaign fliers in the mail. It's a bit crazy! Although it's also pretty cool, since this is by far the most activity I've ever seen for a midterm election!

[halfshellvenus]

We both voted by mail on Saturday. Our county is on an experimental 'Absentee Ballot'-only system, so you either vote by mail or you drop your ballot off at one of the recipient polling places. In June, the local library was one of those, with no provisions, so people were dumping their ballots through the crack between the two front access doors. That really lends confidence to the idea that your vote will count!

But yes. Waded through the 10 propositions on the ballot (California LOVES ballot propositions), sorted out who seemed to really be behind the initiatives, and got that sucker in the mail.

Now we can bite our nails for the next few days...

[tatdatcm]

Our county does that. I love it. It gives me a lot of time to actually research the ballot issues and the candidates. We can mail them or drop them in lock boxes around the county. We also receive a booklet with all the issues on the ballot that state the proposition/amendment and give a brief, mostly non-partisan, summary of the pros and cons for the measure.

Our ballot was three pages long this year (front, back, and front of another). There were a lot of measures on the ballot. It's the longest one I remember in a quite a while.

[halfshellvenus]

I think ours was three long pages? Candidates, propositions, etc. But I think we hit 4 pages once, with about 16 (!!) propositions on one ballot. :O

[sonreir]

I voted! Huzzah, early voting.

Now if only the people from MoveOn who have the wrong phone number and seem to think I live in Kansas would stop texting me reminding me to vote...if I get one more, "Hi John! It's [NAME] from MoveOn! Are you prepared to vote on Tuesday?" message, I'm gonna break something.

[hwango]

Aw, I already did early voting, so it's too late for me to write you in for Supreme Dictator. I just voted for the giant space jellyfish like I usually do.

[tatdatcm]

I voted weeks ago via mail-in ballot. I like to vote early.

I wish there was a big fat interwebs button that you could click after you voted that removed all political ads. At that point they're redundant. Actually, I believe they're rather ineffective in the last few days leading up to the election. I've already made up my mind. The likelihood of me changing it days before voting deadline based on one of your attack ads is infinitesimal.

[adoptedwriter]

I voted absentee just in case the grand baby came early. Another Monday in the books now.

[bsgsix]

My take on Idol voting:

When the polls go up, I vote for myself, because that is the only entry I've read. That sounds harsh, maybe, and probably won't win me any friends, but it also is a VERY GOOD REMINDER: I'm not the only writer, and giving myself an early lead means nothing (see: this week's poll, where I'm not doing that well in my opinion). I'm not the only one who does this, so really, there's no shame in sharing that I do this. How can I vote for other entries when I haven't read everything?

Then, when I've read everything, I go back in and vote for those that really moved me, were well-written, or that struck a chord within my soul. And I try to comment on as much as I can, because 1)we're all here for a common purpose, and 2)I think anyone who puts themselves out there should receive some sort of feedback, even just a "this is great, excellent work." Acknowledgement matters for writers; we know that!

But I vote, and I vote wisely, and I can tell when people put in effort. I don't vote for popularity, which I've seen happen FAR too often. I vote for what *I* think, in my solitary (or multiple, if you've read my entry, ha...) opinion, is great, and is something I want to keep seeing from that writer. :)

And I'll be voting wisely tomorrow. James, my 7-year-old, is going with me, because he says he wants to shout "VOTE BLUE!" on the way out. I won't deny him the chance, so... he's picked out a blue shirt and is already wearing a sticker that says "I'm voting," so he is SET. He's already sad he's not of legal age to vote, so we've discussed what's going on and all of the choices in front of us, and I'm glad he's so interested in the welfare of our nation.

The kids are gonna change the country. That's the hope that keeps me going here. <3

[kehlen.livejournal.com]

Well, my Idol voting took avfun turn this week. Not.

Two hours before the poll closed and two entries still to read my Internet provider cut the connection because I did not pay on time (they have this st*pid system where you don't pay monthly, you pre-pay whoever much you want, then a certain strange sum (48 or 53 rubles & some kopecks) is written off your account every day. This means your pre-paid money ends randomly if you pay a rounded amount like 500 or rubles [1 dollar currently costs 65 rubles] ).

And when the connection is cut, you can only access the provider's website where you can pay online, but it is complicated. You cannot just click "pay with a card" because that option makes you pay through a third-party site, which... you guessed it! is blocked.

So you have to click onto the "promised payment" option first, which unlocks the connection for a number of days, then afterward pay with the card. But, sometimes the promised payment does not work either, forcing you to go to an ATM instead, which is not fun at all, because the connection always gets cut between 12 and 1 a.m.

Well, the promised payment worked this time, but this comment is likely complicated and confusing. :D😏

Also, I am sorry for posting this thrice. DW won't allow OpenID comments to be edited.

[murielle]

Next time I start to moan and complain about my server I hope I will remember your post and just be grateful. <3

[tonithegreat]

I thought I was going to manage to comment on all the entries before the poll closes this evening, but nope. 2018 continues in unabashed insanity. I did vote though! And I will vote again tomorrow for sure! Floridians in particular need to earn their Gary kicks!

[megatronix]

I voted early in Lj Idol (after reading all entries, of course), and I voted early in our mid term election by mail. So glad Washington is all about the mail-in ballots!! I am glad it’s over tomorrow even though I’ll be biting my nails awaiting results. Yeesh.