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I second your thoughts there, Dwight. I was looking at the sample ballot over the weekend and was wondering if they could make it any more confusing. And I'm sure by law they must have a vote for the judges, but they are all running unopposed, so presumably they are all elected regardless of the votes, yes? Or is this just the Democratic ballot I was seeing regarding judges?<br><br>I still don't understand how "super delegates" hold any value for the public...<br><br>-marc<br>The RP Muse Blog ~ Highlighting local arts & culture. Submissions welcomed.<br>http://therpmuse.blogspot.com<br><br><br>> Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 10:32:13 -0500<br>> From: dwightrholmes@gmail.com<br>> To: towntalk@riverdale-park.org; HOPE_in_Hyattsville@yahoogroups.com<br>> Subject: [RP TownTalk] What a weird primary system this is!<br>> <br>> Looking at my sample Democratic Party ballot for tomorrow for the<br>> Maryland primary, this is a very strange primary system we have<br>> indeed. It's not like this everywhere, of that I'm sure. (I have no<br>> idea if any of this applies to the Republican balloting or not).<br>> <br>> If you're registered as a Democrat and in Congressional District 5<br>> (Hoyer's district) your ballot looks like this:<br>> http://mdelections.umbc.edu/voter_registration/v2/primary_2008/Prince%20Georges/BS1.pdf<br>> <br>> If not, you can find your ballot here:<br>> http://mdelections.umbc.edu/voter_registration/v2/vote_prod.php<br>> <br>> Tomorrow I will vote quite separately for my presidential candidate of<br>> choice and the delegates. So will every other registered Democrat in<br>> Maryland. If I were *really* unable to decide between Clinton and<br>> Obama, then I could (for example) vote for Clinton on the top of the<br>> ballot, but then vote for Obama delegates at the bottom! But of<br>> course the Clinton vote is cosmetic, and only my votes for Obama<br>> delegates really means anything! The only thing that's important about<br>> your vote for the candidate is that they each must get 15% of the vote<br>> total, or they won't earn any delegates whatsoever.<br>> <br>> Of course, my fear is that some (however many it is, it's too many)<br>> voters will go in not having studied the sample ballot, see the list<br>> of candidates at the top, make their choice (Clinton, Obama, Edwards,<br>> Biden, Dodd, Uncommitted, and more – they're all on there), then see<br>> that the next section has to do with judges (why we vote for judges,<br>> about whom fewer than 1/10 of 1% of us know anything at all, is beyond<br>> me), stop reading and say "I'm done." Then they'll finish their vote<br>> and leave, without having made the choice that counts: Delegates.<br>> Let's hope not, but isn't this a legitimate concern?<br>> <br>> (By the way, it's not like this in every state. For certain I know<br>> that in California, the ballot choice only involves the candidates<br>> themselves; selection of delegates is made in local caucuses of some<br>> kind).<br>> <br>> So, in sum -- Vote early, vote often, and be sure to vote for your the<br>> delegates who are committed to your candidate!! :-)<br>> <br>> -- <br>> Riverdale Park Community Wiki<br>> http://rpwiki.wetpaint.com/<br>> _______________________________________________<br>> TownTalk mailing list<br>> To post to the list, send mail to TownTalk@riverdale-park.org<br>> TownTalk-request@riverdale-park.org is for automated subscription processing only<br>> http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk<br>> <br>> For more information about Riverdale Park, visit http://www.ci.riverdale-park.md.us<br><br /><hr />Connect and share in new ways with Windows Live. <a href='http://www.windowslive.com/share.html?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_sharelife_012008' target='_new'>Get it now!</a></body>
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