The democratic primaries are coming up and I'm not sure were I'm going to toss my vote. For that matter I haven't registered in Austin, and I doubt I'll make a trip down to Houston just to vote (like I did in 2000). So i need to figure out a few things. So I needed information and a quick search lead me to a pretty good website that's impartial as far as I can tell with information about all the candidates and information on voting in general.
Vote Smart is an non-partisan, independant organization started by several national leaders several years ago. The website contains tons of information on candidates at many different levels. They sponsor the NPAT (National Politcal Awareness Test) which is a chance for candidates to state which way they lean on many important political issues. You can see the results of many candidates NPAT at th website, but unfortunately a bunch of the more important candidates have done them, suck as Kerry, Dean, and Dubya himself. The site also has congressional voting records and other biographical information that can help you make your choice. It's hard to tell anything useful from watching TV and not much easier reading print/media articles, so I think the site really helps.
Also if you haven't registered to vote in your area, you can follow the links straight to your county/states registration form, print it out, and mail it in. The democratic primary in Texas is March 3rd and you need to register 30 days before hand. Get moving!
(Edit: forgot to mention this. Another neat thing is that you can look up who different people are endorsing. We all know Gore endorsed Dean, but do you know who Aaron Sorkin endorsed?)
Posted by ramk at January 22, 2004 12:13 PMI'm glad you're voting and all, but living in Texas and voting Democrat is like taking a spoonful of water out of the ocean and hoping your effort will be noticed.
I wish I could vote in California so my vote would actually have an impact.
Posted by: Akash Kapoor at January 22, 2004 05:12 PMWhat are you talking about??
First of all there's a democratic primary election which COULD make a big difference in the end.
Second, voting is about participation not about saying you cast the deciding vote.
Third, the whole 'one vote doesn't make a difference' is absolutely retarded and you know it. Obviously no ONE vote is going to turn the election, not even in Florida in 2000. I don't even want to go into the whole argument because you know it already.
Fourth, 2.4 million Texans voted for Gore in 2000. 2.4 million spoonfuls of water? How about the fact Gore won the popular vote by just about 500000 votes? Mandate?
Fifth, there's more than just the presidental election to vote for. If I register in Austin I'll get to vote for Lloyd Doggett, although I'll be losing my chance to vote against Tom DeLay. That's a tough decision...but anyway, my point is that there are plenty of other significant offices to think about.
Finally, unrelated to all the other points, why can't you register in California? You live there now. All you need is proof like your housing agreement with the university or a utility bill and you should be good.
Posted by: Ram at January 22, 2004 05:56 PMThat's more work than Akash is willing to put forth to get registered.
Posted by: Nick at January 23, 2004 01:24 PMNo, I'm absentee in Texas, so I can't double-dip.
And yes, when it comes to voting Democrat in Texas ... its just like not casting a ballot at all. I don't care how much you want to idealize the process, show me the difference in the national race. FYI, I voted Rep in local elections, although I await the day Kay Bailey gets tossed out.
Posted by: Akash Kapoor at January 25, 2004 08:52 PM"show me the difference in the national race"
Come on? So what if we put you in Florida in 2000? Your vote would have been useless there too under your reasoning. The only way your vote can matter in your definition is if it's a tie and you swing the vote. Which in reality is never. So voting is pointless? And don't tell me that's some logical/idealistic rationalizaion. Your vote would have NOT had any effect in ANY presidental election EVER if you need to see a 'difference in the national race.' So don't vote, stay home.
I don't understand why you are saying what you are saying. You just ignored my points and repeated yourself.
Why are you absentee in Texas??? Especially if you want to vote in CA? I know there was some point where you could have changed your registration.
Posted by: Ram at January 25, 2004 10:59 PM