Voting

Brandt and I both fulfilled our civic duties this weekend, and voted. In Oregon, voting is done by mail. It was extremely easy and I preferred this method because they also mailed a large booklet of information about all candidates and proposed measures that we could reference.

Voting doesn't matter in the presidential election because your vote is thrown away due to the electoral college, unless you live in a swing state. However, I still vote in the presidential election and firmly believe in voting at the local and state level. Brandt was watching Boardwalk Empire and thought of me during the first season because it was about women's suffrage. We shouldn't take for granted what our predecessors fought for and voting can make a difference.

"...remember the ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies, we are determined to foment a Rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or Representation." - Abigail Adams 

How Voting Works in Oregon

We registered like normal and received postcards informing us that our ballots would be mailed in late October. I wasn't sure what I thought about it but kept an open mind. First, we received the Voters' Pamphlet, shown to the right. It contained write ups from every candidate and details about each ballot measure. The part I appreciated the most was arguments in favor of and opposed to the  measures. I found it helpful to consider the positives and negatives before making a decision. I don't like to make uninformed votes but researching measures can be difficult because the internet isn't always reliable. I also rarely took to the time to look in depth beforehand either. Then, when in the voting booth, it's nearly impossible to decipher what the measures propose and what they mean.

My Safeway card next to the booklet.

Our ballots came in the mail with a sheet of detailed information about each measure, a privacy envelope, and the return envelope. Of course, we waited and didn't mail them until Monday. However, we took our time when we voted and each scoured the pamphlet to make our decisions. Finally, we signed the back of our return envelopes and include our return address.

Negatives:

• You must affix a stamp and anymore, who has stamps? However, if you'd prefer, you can go down to polling centers and vote there. Another option is drop boxes placed around the community. So it's not that much of a negative, really.
• If you live with someone manipulative or controlling, they could force you to vote a certain way or do it for you.
• You could forget or not mail it in by 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
• I didn't get a cool sticker to show off that I voted.

Positives:

• This method is very convenient! I sat in our cozy living room with the smell of pumpkin spice filling the air as I voted.
• No need to worry about having an ID or finding the polling place.
• You don't have to leave work or stand in a ridiculously long line. Last time we voted, Brandt and I stood in line to have our IDs checked and then waiting again for a booth. I think it was about 30 minutes of standing and waiting.
• As mentioned above, I loved having the pamphlet with information readily available.

Overall, the process was easy, convenient, and informative. I didn't know about some of the ballot measures before this weekend. I was able to research everything as I was voting and if I'd wanted, I could have looked up more information online. It even helped to have the candidate statements when making a few of my decisions. Now here's one of my favorite quotes: