So we come to the end of another election season, with the usual grassroots campaigning going on over the weekend. Though there’s always hope, at least until the early returns are announced, pretty much everyone expects the loathsome Prop 2 to pass. I have a question for those of you who support this particular piece of legislation: Is there a specific effect you hope will result from its passage? For example, since Prop 2 is being touted in some corners as being needed to “strengthen” and “protect” marriage, are you hoping that its passage will lead to a decline in the divorce rate? If not that, then are there any other quantifiable outcomes we should look for? And if there aren’t – if there are no behaviors which we should expect this legislation to alter in any measurable way – then please tell me what the point was. Besides this, I mean.
For those of you who have not yet voted, please remember that just because ballot propositions are technically non-partisan, that doesn’t mean that it’s legal for anyone, even an election judge, to hand you a pamphlet about one or all of them, even if that pamphlet is billed as being informational. This is called electioneering, and it’s illegal within 100 feet of a polling place, which is why you generally only ever see this or that candidates’ supporters outside in the parking lot or on the sidewalk. If this happens to you, complain about it until someone listens.
Finally, there are a lot of other elections going on around the country. Here’s a brief guide to what else is happening tomorrow.
And to get ready for more elections next year, look at Sen. Reid’s new website http://www.giveemhellharry.com