Beau Babka Campaign Breaking the Law

I go to vote this morning, and what do I see parked in front of my polling place?

Tacky? Yes.

Illegal? Yes.

From the Salt Lake County Poll Worker Manual, page 48:

Campaigning or other activities that interfere with voting or influence voters is prohibited. Ask the offenders politely to stop or refrain from their activities. If the activity does not cease, call the Elections Division. Any threatening or dangerous behavior should be immediately reported to local law enforcement first, then to the Elections Division. Electioneering includes oral or written attempts to persuade voters to refrain from voting or to vote for or against a candidate or issue. No electioneering or campaigning is allowed within 150 feet of the polling place.

And that truck is definitely less than 150 feet from the polling place(the building right behind the truck).

To be fair, the truck was removed by the time we left our polling place.

LDS First Presidency Issues Annual Letter About Voting

Since we get this letter every election cycle, you'd think it would just be photocopied every time. However, the subtle changes are nice.

The Press Release:

SALT LAKE CITY 22 September 2008 The following letter was issued by the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on September 11, 2008, to be read to Church congregations throughout the United States:

Political Participation, Voting, and the Political Neutrality of the Church

As citizens we have the privilege and duty of electing office holders and influencing public policy. Participation in the political process affects our communities and nation today and in the future.

Latter-day Saints as citizens are to seek out and then uphold leaders who will act with integrity and are wise, good, and honest. Principles compatible with the gospel may be found in various political parties.

Therefore, in this election year, we urge you to register to vote, to study the issues and candidates carefully and prayerfully, and then to vote for and actively support those you believe will most nearly carry out your ideas of good government.

The Church affirms its neutrality regarding political parties, platforms, and candidates. The Church also affirms its constitutional right of expression on political and social issues.

Sincerely yours,

Thomas S. Monson
Henry B. Eyring
Dieter F. Utchdorf
The First Presidency

How this Democrat managed to vote in theRepublican Primary

Someone posted a comment to an earlier post that needs an answer.

As a registered Democrat, how do you plan on voting for Ellis in the Republican primary? Aren't their primaries closed?

OK, I'll tell you how in several easy steps. However, I do need to put a bit of an advisory in here. Since I will be in Provo on Election Day, I had to go to the COunty Clerk's to vote. Therefore, everything is in the past tense.

1) I am not a registered Democrat, have never been a registered Democrat, and won't be any time soon. I consider myself a Democrat, but keep my registration as unaffiliated for this very reason.

2) As a registered unaffiliated, I have the option of changing my registration at the polls to "Republican" for the purposes. I usually already have a voter registration form filled out to change back to unaffiliated that I drop into the mailbox the same day.

3) This didn't work for me in 2006, and so I was a registered Republican from June '06 until November 2007, when I changed back to unaffiliated to vote in the Democratic Presidential Primary.

4) No, this is not voter fraud, as I was accused of in 2006 after this post. They said in an email that they were going to report me to the AG's office. I'm sure I'll be hearing back from them on the complaint in 2010.

-Bob

Partisanship

The Third Avenue:

For some reason, I was a moderate Democrat when I lived amongst and worked for liberal Democrats in Massachusetts. I was also fairly moderate when worked for the DLC, although I strongly disagreed with their advocacy for the Iraq war. But living in Utah again has made me much more partisan, although I was pretty partisan from birth.

I think it is because the Republicans in power in this state--with a few exceptions--are really radically reactionary. All of the Congressional Republicans from Utah carry water for the radical presidency of Bush-Cheney, who has claimed an unprecidented [and unconstitutional] amount of executive privilege and power. Some--like Rep. Bishop and Sens. Hatch and Bennett--have placed this duty above those of their constituents. I dislike bootlickers of all stripes, and Clinton appologists are just as annoying to me [and dishonest] as folks like Hatch and Rep. Patrick McHenry.

For its part, the state legislature seeks to outdo their congressional counterparts in unconstitutionality, partisanship, and ideology over constituents.

I, too, have found myself getting more and more partisan over the years, but my views on most issues haven't changed significantly.

The first election I voted in (2000), my ticket was split 50%Republican/50%Democratic, including a vote for George W Bush. 2002 Saw me lean a little more Republican. 2004 saw me lean a little more Democratic (I wrote in Mickey Mouse for President). In 2006, I voted for exactly one Republican, and she lost.

I once considered myself a moderate Republican. Since early 2004, I've been a moderate Democrat.

-Bob

Horse Sense

Every major event in your life is accompanied by a piece of paper as proof that it happened.

Birth, graduation from high school, Learning to drive, buying a car or a house, death, taxes, they all have paper associated with them.

Shouldn't voting also have paper associated with it?

-Bob