Jenn and I voted early. It\u2019s not that we are worried about ballots being manipulated or lost. And it\u2019s not because we\u2019re concerned about long lines at the polling place. Here in Pataskala, our polling place is very efficient. And for me, being \u201cat the polls\u201d is exciting, taking me back to my campaign days when election day meant months of intense work was, finally, on the line. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
No, we voted early this year because it takes a little bit of the pressure off. There is so much at stake nationally, America is at such an inflection point; that it was just good to \u201cdo our part\u201d as soon as we could. There are still things we can and will do to help our candidates, but the most important thing is done: we voted. And voting early allows the candidates that we support to \u201ctake us off the list\u201d. Voting lists are constantly updated, so candidates know that there\u2019s no reason to spend time or money on our house. We\u2019re in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve spent years writing about the top of this ballot; the Presidential election. For every reason I can think of, voting for Harris\/Walz is a \u201cno-brainer\u201d. I would have said the same about Biden\/Harris, though I too had concerns about Joe Biden\u2019s age. So when the great \u201cchange\u201d came, I was relieved: both that Biden wouldn\u2019t be an 86 year-old President, and that the Democratic Party found a way not to be \u201cDemocrats\u201d, and tear themselves apart in the process of nominating Harris. We did it right, from Biden\u2019s grace to Michelle Obama\u2019s speech, and Harris has been on a roll ever since. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harris is better for America: from the economy (Vote Your Pocketbook<\/a><\/em>) to foreign policy, to the Supreme Court. But most importantly, Harris is the choice that will allow the United States to continue the \u201cGreat Experiment\u201d of our representative democracy (or Constitutional Republic). I\u2019ve written a whole lot about that issue, including We Need to Play<\/a> <\/em> and Strange Bedfellows<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n But what about the races \u201cdown ballot\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I voted Sherrod Brown for US Senate. He\u2019s a very special kind of politician, one whose core belief is in the working folks he represents. Sherrod\u2019s demonstrated that belief over and over again in his years in office, and has earned the votes of Ohioans with almost every action. He\u2019s a rarity; like his Montana friend John Tester, he\u2019s actually cares. As Sherrod states: he\u2019s concerned about working folks; both the ones who take a shower before work, and the ones who take one after. His opponent is another rich guy who wants what his money can buy; power. That\u2019s something we\u2019ve seen way too much of already.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And for Congress, I voted for Jerrad Christian.\u00a0\u00a0Ohio is one of the most gerrymandered states in the Nation, and Christian has a long, long way to go to be competitive.\u00a0\u00a0But his opponent, incumbent Troy Balderson, is a \u201cfoot soldier\u201d for the Republican leadership, first Kevin McCarthy and now Mike Johnson.\u00a0\u00a0He\u2019s a \u201cpawn\u201d to be moved in the great Congressional power struggle, and done little to help the folks in the 12th<\/sup>Congressional District.\u00a0\u00a0Christian would be a fresh new face, though I\u2019m not holding my breath for his victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For State Senate and State Representative I voted for the Democrats, Hubbell and Smith. The gerrymandered districts means that my vote doesn\u2019t really matter in these races, but I still want my voice heard. However, I did pause on the Representative choice. A month ago, I followed the example of my old friend and boss Harry Gardner. I wrote an actual, \u201csnail-mail\u201d letter to the government leaders about the chaos in the State Teacher Retirement System. At best, I expected form letters in return, but heard only silence from the folks that represent me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That is, except for Republican Representative\u00a0\u00a0Thad Claggett, who actually called and talked to me about it.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I was impressed, almost enough to change my vote.\u00a0\u00a0But the Retirement System failures are huge, and I need more than just a conversation to earn my support.\u00a0\u00a0I hope I will have a reason to vote \u201cacross the aisle\u201d for him soon. (Yes, I have voted for Republicans, once in a \u201cblue moon\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0I voted for those who earned it).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ohio\u2019s government is corrupted, our leaders concerned mainly with maintaining power and money. That\u2019s because Ohio is so gerrymandered, that most district race outcomes are predetermined before the candidates are even nominated. Ohioans have tried to change that process again and again. We thought we succeeded, but the politicians and the courts have found a way to alter or ignore the changes. We are stuck with our current government, confirmed by ironclad district lines designed to enhance personal wealth and control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So my votes for the Ohio Supreme Court and State Issue 1 (redistricting reform) are all bundled together. State Issue 1 is the latest attempt to fix redistricting. It\u2019s a complex effort to keep the vested politicians out of the deal, and I\u2019m not sure it will work. But it\u2019s definitely worth a try; anything is better than what we have now. It\u2019s sponsored by the retired Republican Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, Maureen O\u2019Connor. She stood against her own party again and again to control redistricting while on the Court. Now she\u2019s put her prestige on the line with this reform measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And for that Issue to work, there needs to be a majority of the State Supreme Court that isn\u2019t vested in the current system.\u00a0\u00a0So I voted for three Democrats for Justice.\u00a0\u00a0And more importantly, I voted against Republican Joe Deters, the former Hamilton County Prosecutor, appointed by Governor DeWine to the Court mostly because he was the best friend of the Governor\u2019s son, Pat DeWine, himself a Supreme Court Justice.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s nepotism at its finest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And then were a series of \u201cunder-votes\u201d where I chose not to vote at all. Most were uncontested seats, where I didn\u2019t have a positive reason to vote for the candidate. I\u2019m not just checking the box because it\u2019s there, so I left those races unvoted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The one exception was the uncontested candidate for State Board of Education.\u00a0\u00a0Governor DeWine gutted most of the power of the Board last year, one more \u201cbrick in the wall\u201d of corruption.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But candidate Karen Lloyd is a long-time retired teacher, willing to return to public service and try to help education.\u00a0\u00a0Her service earned her the chance to make a difference, and my vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Judge David Branstool is running for re-election for Common Pleas Court. He\u2019s been a steady hand in Licking County for decades. We need his solid service on the Bench as our County develops and expands. And he\u2019s a good guy, I\u2019ve known him for years. Voting for Branstool was a \u201cno-brainer\u201d too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then there\u2019s a fire levy on:\u00a0\u00a0who thinks it\u2019s OK to vote against the fire department?\u00a0\u00a0When you dial 9-11 you need them, right now.\u00a0\u00a0In our growing community the department needs to grow to.\u00a0\u00a0I wrote a whole essay on that this week, (A Local Thing<\/a>).\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0And you just have to be cruel to vote against a tax for Senior Citizens (hey \u2013 that\u2019s me; not cruel, but a Senior!!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n So that\u2019s my ballot. After all the essays, and all the conversations, I figured I need to \u201cput my money where my mouth is\u201d. So here\u2019s the payoff \u2013 my votes. <\/p>\n\n\n\nDown Ballot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
State Legislature<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Gerrymandered<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
No Votes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Local Issues<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
My Ballot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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