Thursday, November 3, 2016

Voting By The Numbers

State Propositions on the ballot: 17.

Pages in the Calif. General Election Official Voter Information Guide, from Secretary of State Alex Padilla: 224. (Including covers, but they're numbered, no doubt for legal reasons.)

Other official gov't. materials rec'd: Three. The Voter Information Pamphlet Special Municipal Election, from L.A. City Clerk Holly L. Wolcott, & two from L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean C. Logan, the Official Sample Ballot General Election & Official Vote By Mail Balloting Material.

Proposition-specific Mailers: 12. Three from No on 56, three from No on Prop 61, three from Yes on Proposition 52, two from No on RRR, Neighborhoods Against the DWP* Power Grab, "a coalition of environmental groups, consumer advocacy organizations, and employee organizations". (No true America-hater can resist that.) & one from the Coalition to Preserve L.A., which is pro Measure HHH & anti-Measure JJJ.

City Measures: Four.

County Measures: Two.

Oddities: Mailers from both Yes on 52 & No on 56 feature images of actual doctors, both sporting white lab/doctor coats (one w/ name embroidered on the coat, one w/ name-pin) & stethoscopes slung over their shoulders, in best stock photo practice.

Candidate mailers: Nine. Eight from Miguel Santiago for Assembly 2016, one from the Sandra Mendoza for Assembly Committee. Santiago's the incumbent & endorsed by the Gov. & many other Democratic officeholders, Mendoza ran against him two yrs. ago (maybe four as well, who can remember?) & is both a self-proclaimed grandmother & member of I.B.E.W. Local 11-E.A.A. (Santiago is endorsed by I.B.E.W. Local 18, hope there's no trouble.) which looks like a real union, so I'll waste my vote on Sandra. Again. Added ha-ha: California's nonpartisan blanket primary ensures this reporter couldn't vote for a Republican (other than the Presidential ticket) even if he wanted to.

Pay-for-play endorsement mailers: 10. Two (duplicates) from Educate Your Vote - a Project of the Coalition for Literacy & one from Election Digest - a Project of the Coalition for Literacy, two (duplicate) Budget Watchdog News Letters (Yes, fascist scaredy-pants bullshit: "Prop 62 means brutal killers get healthcare, privileges at Taxpayer expense for life No-62, Yes-66 for victims.") one from California Early Voter Guide (F.P.P.C. I.D. #1387464) & one from Californians Vote Green (F.P.P.C. I.D. #1323171) both from the same address & suite number in Long Beach, which tells us "mail drop", one from Voter Guide Slate Cards (also from a "suite" in Long Beach, although a different address) a California Senior Advocates League Voter Guide (F.P.P.C. I.D. 1368249) & our favorite, from Californians for Quality Education, which suggests I vote for Gary Johnson & Loretta Sanchez. Dunno if this merely means Johnson bought the space ("Loretta Sanchez's Placement: Paid for by Citizens for Strong Leadership ... and not authorized by candidate or committee") but as there's no indication of such I wonder if Johnson's mug is on it because I'm "decline-to-state".

Of the other 10, the two duplicates of the three from the Coalition for Literacy ignored the Senate race while the third said Kamala Harris or Loretta Sanchez, five others didn't mention the race, & one other was also "paid for by Citizens for Strong Leadership". Part of her blurb there reads: "Kamala Harris is an extreme leftist!"
*The City of Los Angeles Dep't. Of Water & Power. Yes, L.A. is a socialist hellhole.
†California State Fair Political Practices Commission.