I voted.

And I have a few beefs about the process.

First, I suppose this is my fault for preferring the absentee ballot, but the switch away from chads has made the ballot too cumbersome. The new ballots are printed on gigantic pieces of cardstock, but the font didn't get any bigger. The layout still sucks and it is difficult to orient yourself. This year's ballot required two pages and cost a whopping 3 stamps to mail. How does this make voting accessible? It's expensive and strains the eyes.

Second, the voter's guides (yes, plural in this great state) were not organized intuitively. The candidate statements and some measures were in one booklet, some more measures in another, and there was a third booklet describing two competing measures. The second booklet was so damn thick it made a satisfying thump when dropped on the floor.

Third, not all the candidates submitted statements. A large number flooded my mailbox with junk mail. As a result, my "to flog" list has gotten longer. It now includes candidates who don't bother with statements, candidates who send junk mail (and especially those who sent junk mail but wrote no statement), and candidates who submitted statements littered with grammatical errors or failed to make their point.

Fourth, statements about measures and propositions should be concise. To the school district, I say that I don't want to flip through endless double-spaced pages wherein you tell me about every single little flaw in every school building. So there is a crack in the wall. Tell me once. Do not tell me once for every school in the district.

Thoughts on the latest presidential debate.

I missed the first half of it because I had to work late. The rest of it made me dizzy because the camera decided to follow the candidates. I had to give up and watch "The Simpsons". I might try to catch the next debate, but because its also a town-hall format it will probably make me dizzy again.

Last night's VP debate

A more general discussion that answers J's comment.

The debate was a pretty good one, I thought, especially considering I've never really sat through one before. It was interesting enough that I didn't end up flipping to "The Simpsons". Cheney had the calmer demeanor, but then, I would have liked to see more split-screen shots. Edwards took sips from his mug quite often; Cheney was a camel by comparison. I don't believe there was a clear winner. (I also don't particularly care about your politics; I will not let that influence my judgement about the quality of the debate.)

I still don't like either candidate. I still don't hate either candidate enough to vote for either one. I still don't hate both candidates enough to vote for Nader. At least there are plenty of local propositions to keep me occupied this election season.

Tonight's VP Debate

I will try to watch it, after all. I will probably flip to "The Simpsons" at some point, but I will do my best. All because of my favorite quote from last week's presidential debate:

"It's hard work."