Allow us to hector/lecture you for a few minutes, starting with some pedantically condescending questions: Are you dying to write in somebody, anybody who isn’t Jefferson Smith or Charlie Hales to replace Sam Adams? Are you dying for the chance, should several stars align in Salem in Washington DC, to buy verified, high-grade marijuana at a state-run store? Are you dying to help Barack Obama win the popular vote, to take the sting out of a loss in the Electoral College, the presidential election’s actual(if pretend) arena?
What’s that? You are? Why, that’s bully! Here’s what you can do about it: TAKE FIVE GODDAMNED MINUTES AND GO REGISTER TO VOTE. And keep reading, because this is important: The deadline to sign up for a ballot in the November 6 election is tomorrow, this Tuesday, October 16.
The easiest way: Hit up the Multnomah County Elections Office’s website. You can download a registration form and find answers to questions like, “If I’m already registered, but moved since the last election, do I have to register again?” (The answer is yes.) Or? Go right to the cleverly named oregonvotes.org website maintained by the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office.
You can also go old school, if that’s how you roll: Show up at 1040 SE Morrison or call 503-988-3720. Copies of registration forms are also in phonebooks, and in post offices, libraries, schools, and DMV offices.
Any Oregonian 17 or older is eligible (provided you’ll be 18 on or before Election Day). And no one should feel left out if they’re currently houseless. List the place you sleep most often as your residence—be as detailed as possible, providing details like cross streets—and then use a friend’s place, a shelter, a PO box, or even the county elections office as a mailing address where your ballot will be sent.
Lecture over. Now go make me proud.
I thought about voting this year, only because I wanted to vote to legalize marijuana, and vote against the casino.
But then I remembered, there’s a better chance of me winning Powerball on election day than my vote actually mattering during this election. So, on election day, instead of going to the post office to drop off my ballot, I’m going to market and buying a lottery ticket. Then, I’m going to the coin store and purchasing a 1 ounce gold coin, and then I’m going to order a pistol (probably a Glock 23). It’s going to be an expensive day for me, but I’ve been planning this for a while.
Regardless of what happens during this election, and regardless of what the rest of the busy-bodies are doing, I will know that I spent my time that day looking out for myself and my future: the value of my gold coin is going to increase, the value of my pistol is going to increase, and there’s a chance that I could win the lottery (very exciting!).
Republicans really, really want you to believe that your vote doesn’t matter.
And the oligarchs really, really want you to believe that your vote does matter.
@Pete – Sorry to burst your bubble Pete, but I’m a Republican (life-long, always vote a straight R ticket.) I know this site is heavily populated with D’s – *But*, the only reason this political system works (the best in the world I think,) is that people participate in the political process.
It’s like the dollar since we went off the Gold Standard – it works, because people *believe* it works. If ever we quit believing in it, we’ll fail as a country.
That is what makes us unique in the world, and is the basis of the notion of “American Exceptionalism.” Yes, we’ve done some bad things – slavery, Jim Crow, the bombing of Dresden, My Lai. (Too long to list here..)
Where there is greatness, there is always the possibility of great wrongs being done. Especially if the men in charge lack morality. But, we have a generally free society that is allowed to change the National Course, if we feel it necessay.
I thought the USA would cease to exist when Obama was elected; I was sure we’d all be dressed in puffy green jackets, waving Obama’s “Little Red Book.” I was wrong.
The Republic lurches on, despite Obama… Yet, I am amazed at the jaded cynicism, and apathy shown here in some of the comments.
I am 54 years old, because of my military service (in Diplomatic Security) I have traveled extensively in this world. In many places I’ve been to, if one edition of this newspaper was printed in the tone that it is usually printed in – left of center, usually critical of sitting politicians – every employee – Editor, staff writers, graphics people, photographers, print shop people (even the poor schumck delivering the newspaper to it’s stands) would be taken out and shot, summarily.
That is why we are different, that is why the notion of American Exceptionism is as true as the day WWII ended; We, as a nation, exemplifly the best of the human race. That is why we are different than everyone else.
I encourage everyone reading this to get your ass out and vote. Even if It’s for Obama, who, by-the-by, is going to get his skinny ass kicked.
Don’t worry folks, the Earth didn’t quit spinning around the sun because Obama was elected – You’ll get used to the term “President Romney”.
@Jarhead – I think “American Exceptionalism” doesn’t mean what you think it means.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_exce…
Consider that half of this country doesn’t vote. So, the majority has already jumped ship on this “democracy”, it’s just the few holding on (really the people who don’t have a lifeboat) that make it seem like the USS Titanic warship will sail again. Just embrace the inevitable truth: this ship is sinking, there’s nothing we can do, and we’re going to be left out in a frozen ocean while a lot of people die. It’s over, the federal reserve blew a big hole in the ship called “Quantitative Easing”, and the fat cats are laughing all the way to the bank while everyone gets more poor each year, we go into debt to fight a concept of “terrorism”, and the Constitution and Rights are perverted as often as possible. There’s nothing that can be done, it’s over, the United States is ruined, and it’s only going to get worse the longer you hang on. Accept it: you need to build a life boat so you can jump ship, you need to take care of yourself in this frozen ocean, and it doesn’t matter who we put at the helm of a sinking ship, nothing can be done to save the collective “us”.
Also, by “participate in the political process” – what does that mean? Like lobbying city council to not join the JTTF, or not fluoridate the water – two issues where the overwhelming majority of citizens did not want the city to do, and yet the city did anyway? Having actually participated in Portland, Salem, and DC’s political processes, I can tell you with first hand that 1) there was only a very few number of people actually participating, 2) officials didn’t want citizen participation, 3) participation didn’t matter, and officials will do whatever they want regardless. So, I think you’re talking out your ass – or, you’re guessing how the system works because you’ve never been involved in it.
But hey, don’t forget folks: Putin, Castro, Chavez, Ahmadinejad, and so many others are elected year after year. Is this what Democracy looks like? Maybe we should all read more Thomas Jefferson before we continue.