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« Maricopa County Jails are English Only | Main | Should You Pay Mortgage Discount Points? » Sunday, October 29, 2006AZ Voters - Be Informed When Casting Your VoteI just finished filling in my early ballot so I can mail it off Monday morning. Yes, I'm way too impatient to go to the polls and stand in line. Besides, casting a ballot from the comfort of my own home allowed me to use the internet as I decided who to vote for! Not necessarily for the big races...I already knew who I wanted to vote for when it came to Senator, Governor, etc. But I had no idea who I liked in the less publicized races like the School Governing Board and the Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWCD). In fact, I'd never even heard of most the people running nor was there any mention of these races in the news. These candidates were not even mentioned in any of the informational mailouts I received from the Secretary of State's Office. Are schools and water so unimportant in our daily lives that these candidates don't even deserve a mention? But whether or not we should turn election day into a lottery, now that's important! While I was trying to find information on the candidates in these less publicized, but equally important races, I came across some links that I thought might be helpful to BlogArizona readers as they prepare to cast their votes. These links are not intended to bias your vote, but to provide you with some information on candidates you've probably never heard of, such as those running for the Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWCD)!
Depending on which Arizona city you live in, you may be voting on School Governing Boards, bonds and/or budgetary issues. As a Mesa resident, I voted on the City of Mesa Utility Bond Questions 1, 2, 3 & 4. And since I live in Mesa Unified School District No. 4, I had to choose from these 4 candidates for School Governing Board. Arizona's 2006 Ballot Propositions are another story. We've all seen the signs on street corners around town saying "Vote Yes" on this and "Vote No" on that. But there's much more to many of these ballot initiatives than they put on the sign. In fact, it seems that just about any nut job or out-of-state interest group can get an initiative on our ballot these days. That's why it's very important to do some research and know exactly what you're voting for or against. As you're reading about the Propositions, pay special attention to who initiated the proposition. Was it an out-of-state interest group, the legislature or a local initiative petition? Sometimes knowing who is pushing a particular initiative can help you decide whether or not you agree with it. You should also read the 'for' and 'against' arguments for each proposition, and pay attention to who submitted each argument. Sometimes a proposition will sound like a good idea until you read the arguments, after which you realize that passing the proposition may cause unintended problems or expenses to Arizona taxpayers. Also, some propositions with good intentions should not be passed because they're poorly written and/or may create unnecessary lawsuits. Here are some links I came across that may be helpful as you vote on the various Propositions:
As far as the judges go, the pamphlet you should have received from the Secretary of State's Office has a Judicial Performance Review you should look at. There's also some limited information about Arizona judges on page 14 of this non-partisan Voters Guide put out by The Center for Arizona Policy. At the very back of the pamphlet the Secretary of State's Office sent out, there is a 'cheat sheet' you can fill in and take with you to the polls. It has places to write down how you want to vote on each proposition and on the judges. But it doesn't have anywhere to note your choice of major candidates or how you want to vote for the ACWCD, School Governing Boards and city bond/budget issues, so remember to write them down somewhere if you need to. If you're voting at the polls, it would be almost impossible to remember how you want to vote on everything without having notes, so I definitely suggest using this cheat sheet! Be sure you bring proper Arizona voting I.D. when you go to the polls. Have fun as you do your civic duty!
Posted by Shannon Hubbard, AZ Realtor & Computer Guru on October 29, 2006 | Permalink CommentsGreat article! I was not finding these links through Yahoo search or google. Very helpful! Posted by: Chris H | Oct 29, 2006 10:06:14 PM
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