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Do you read the book?  

post #1 of 13
10/16/08 at 11:07am
Thread Starter 
You know, the little booklet of propositions and proposed amendments to your state's Constitution with the wording of the bills and arguments for and against. Do you actually read through that little book, including the text of the bills? Or do you make a judgement based on the little blurb that says what the bill is about? Do you just go by the ads on the props? Or do you just skip the state/local stuff altogether?

I got my county one yesterday and reading through it got me thinking about how many actually do. I'll post the actual (quote) reason later when I get home.
post #2 of 13
10/16/08 at 12:36pm
I didn't get one from my county, perhaps because there's only one proposition (infrastructure project) on the ballot, or because I live abroad, but I got an email from a state representative in another district (who probably had my addy because of a state puppy mill bill), and also read about it in a few (online) newspapers and at the state legislature's site. So, yeah, I do research that sort of thing before deciding how to vote.
post #3 of 13
10/16/08 at 12:58pm
Our county posts the ballot proposition topics on their website with an explanation of what it means. I already read thru the ones that are relevant to my part of the world.

I suspect that a lot of people don't do it, and its a shame because all you need to do is goggle the information these days.
post #4 of 13
10/16/08 at 5:16pm
around here we have to digg to find it.
post #5 of 13
10/16/08 at 5:31pm
They have ours at the library, right as you go in. Along with voter registration forms, a sample ballot, info sheets about where to mail your registration, etc. So yes, very easy to do here.
post #6 of 13
10/16/08 at 7:18pm
I read the booklets and research online. I don't want to vote for or against something just because I don't understand it.
post #7 of 13
10/16/08 at 10:17pm
My state has a few issues on the ballot this year. I went to the state's web site and printed out the whole text of the issue. I have studied them and know how I will vote on them come election day. The TV and radio commercials have no influence on me, because many can be so misleading.
post #8 of 13
10/16/08 at 11:24pm
The county keeps saying they're sending out the booklets, but I haven't gotten mine so far. Guess I need to go to the website and read the propositions there.

I do read through all the propositions, although sometimes they are so convoluted I can tell what is being proposed. Then I read the condensed version. I also read the "for" and "against" statements and check out who is making them. Sometimes you'll see a dozen statements either "for" or "against" but most of them will have been submitted by different members of a single organization.

In the end I try to use my own judgment based on the actual text of the proposition.
post #9 of 13
10/17/08 at 5:40am
I've read some of it, but I have some vacation time right before the election where I will print of everything from the state of Ohio's web pages and read it.

I've got my highlighter ready, and my friend who's a lawyer on speed dial.

It's going to be a long few days.
post #10 of 13
10/17/08 at 5:54am
I heard that there are so many issues on the ballot in Colorado that they expect the average voter to spend 15+ minutes voting this year. Could make for very long lines in that state.
post #11 of 13
10/17/08 at 8:24am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Momofmany View Post
I heard that there are so many issues on the ballot in Colorado that they expect the average voter to spend 15+ minutes voting this year. Could make for very long lines in that state.
Yeah, there's a bunch and not all are cut and dried (i.e. the one that makes it a Constitutional Amendment that life begins at conception). If people don't do their research ahead of time it could take quite a while to figure out where they stand while they are standing at the voting booth.
post #12 of 13
10/17/08 at 9:49am
Arizona has a couple that are really scary. They want to make constitutional amendments that would prevent any new legislation in certain areas.

On another one, it actually does the opposite of what the TV ads are saying. So if people don't read it carefully the measure could be passed by the ones who really meant to vote against it.
post #13 of 13
10/17/08 at 5:18pm
Where I live we don't get those. If we want to know the true meaning of propositions and amendments, we need to do some research. The wording listed on the ballots is often intentionally misleading. The League of Women Voters Voters Guides at my local library are often helpful.
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