Michigan Primary election is tomorrow...

[cherydactyl]

...and I am thinking about not participating.

See, most of the Democratic candidates have withdrawn their names, and did not follow the procedure to have write-in votes for them count. Because of Michigan's moving the primary earlier than Super Tuesday, the national Democratic Party has stripped Michigan of its convention delegates. The Michigan Dems seems to think the Party is joking, or will cave later, or something. Therefore several candidates fulfilled a pledge to the national party and withdrew their names from the Michigan primary. A few didn't, though in at least one case, that is actually because he blew the deadline for doing so (Kucinich).

Therefore I can either vote for Clinton, for Chris Dodd (who has withdrawn),for "uncommitted," or for Dennis Kucinich or Mike Gravel, and it may not even count except as a straw poll.

In the online surveys I have taken, I end up with either Gravel or Kucinich. [Yes, I am a liberal. Sue me.] Neither of them seem very viable, of course, in these right-leaning times. In those same online surveys, Clinton ends up at the bottom of the list Dems for how they align with me. The only merit I see in voting for her is the glass ceiling factor. This is admittedly not inconsiderable, from my point of view.

Even worse, however, is that the law that moved the primary into January had a provision that the list of who asked for which party's ballot becomes information compiled by the state and given EXCLUSIVELY to the two major parties. That is, the Dems and Republicans will know that I voted and which ballot I voted on. (Michigan's primary is open...you don't have to declare a party preference anymore, but you do have to ask for only one of the major party ballots and vote only the one ballot.) This has been challenged, most recently in a lawsuit filed late last week by the ACLU. They want to either make the who-voted-which-ballot-list completely public or deny it to anybody. As of right now, anybody but the parties having and using those lists is a criminal violation, even for reporters, or other political parties. Using public resources to gain info for private political organizations AND ENFORCE IT IN THE CRIMINAL CODE seems pretty blatantly a violation of the constitution to me. But, the actual outcome of this is unknown at this moment.

So I can vote for a limited slate of candidates, get my name on a list that may be given to the major parties exclusively, and not have my vote count.

Gee, where do I sign up?

Comments

[sarahwilder.livejournal.com]

Florida, who got the same penalty for moving their primary, has sued the DNC over it. I can't figure out why Michigan hasn't filed suit.

[cherydactyl.livejournal.com]

Maybe Florida doesn't have a parallel to this only the parties get the info thing, and they have their lawyers working on that one instead??

[gizelnort.livejournal.com]

You know I find it really adorable to watch the Dems getting into a hissy fit because the primaries were moved. Then again though one has to wonder why Hillary left her name on the list if the party has decreed the Dems shall pull their names. I took a selector as well and I'm with you, go team Liberals!

[bitter-lily.livejournal.com]

I can certainly endorse your political leanings. Well, I'm not sure about Gravel; the quiz I took matched me up with Kucinic and someone I'd never heard of before. Gravel could well have been the one!

What fun the national convention will be. Almost might maybe be worth watching! I still remember I think it was 1968, with the delegates that weren't seated singing "We shall overcome."

I normally never understand people who stay home from elections. But in your case, I can sympathize!

[cherydactyl.livejournal.com]

I normally don't sympathize with people who don't vote either, which is why I am toying with the idea of going anyway and voting for Gravel. I *don't* like the idea of crossing over to the R ballot and screwing with things there (The RNC only stripped HALF the delegates for the Republican primary, so there are delegates at stake there), which I have heard some people advocating. Bleah.

Mike Gravel is a former legislator from Alaska. He seems the best match for what I actually like, with the exception that although I think we need to get out of Iraq, I also think that doing it too fast is a bad idea.

[pattimst3k.livejournal.com]

I am voting in the Republican primary. The only Repubs that I can stomach are Guiliani and McCain (even though I don't see eye to eye on many things with them), so I will vote for one of them. I am sooo scared of Huckabee who doesn't believe in evolution and encourages "home schooling" (public schoolteacher here!!) and Romney gives me the heebie-jeebies.
I hear ya though on the Dems...what a crazy year!

[cherydactyl.livejournal.com]

I did toy with the idea of going R and voting for McCain, because as I heard one letter-writer say it, he is a "grown up" and will work on good ideas no matter whose they are. But it comes down to the fact that voting for someone right of the Dems, who themselves on average are fairly right of center if you think about it, does not go down easily.

[train-gamer.livejournal.com]

Are there not state/county/city/judicial office primaries, or Senate or House races that you could use your vote on?

Yeah, everyone's focussed on the Presidential primary, but there are other positions at stake here as well. Nobody ever said that you have to place a vote for every race on the ticket.

Personally, I think there should be a spot on every ballot for 'None of the Above'! }:-)

[cherydactyl.livejournal.com]

There are no other questions on the ballot(s). It is purely a presidential primary in my locality. Seriously.

If you doubt me, or are just curius, go to www.publius.org and put in my full name (I'm the only one with this name in Michigan.), and you can see the ballot. In fairness, they sometimes get it wrong, but I'm pretty sure there's nothing else going on here.

[train-gamer.livejournal.com]

Oh, I don't doubt you; I'm just astounded. Or did they move the Presidential primary up and still have the regular primaries later in the year? That might be what the DNC is so upset over.

[cherydactyl.livejournal.com]

No, it's because we moved the primary before Super Tuesday, in a bid to have some influence on the process.

Here's a good article about it:
at Publius.org