Primary Election Day

Today is Primary Election Day in Maryland.  I had a sample ballot.  The top decisions were easy, but who knows anything about School Board or County Commissioners?  I couldn't name a one.

I'm analytical.  I want information.  The League Of Women Voters used to send out letters where all the candidates could describe themselves in a few paragraphs but apparently that was stopped by one of those Supreme Court decisions saying "information was sort of unfair".

I found their website last week, though.  They can still ask candidates to talk about their qualifications.  I went through every candidate down to the least of offices and marked my choices on my sample ballot.  

I did my homework.  Some candidates immediately disqualified themselves (in my personal view).  Too weird, too unqualified, too fanatical.  Sometimes, it is good to just get the crazies off your list and hope for the best among the rest.

At least I go to the voting booth knowing not only "who" but "why" I am voting for particular people.  I wish more people did.  And in a Primary Election...

Local Elections

All votes on Election Day are not about Presidents, Senators, and Representatives.  Sometimes it is about local judges, Board Of Education members, and ballot referendums.

It is very hard to find out much about Board Of Education member candidates, for example.  But there is a source.  Do a search for League of Women Voters and your State "League of women voters Maryland" for example.  They don't make endorsements.  But they do invite resumes in a structured set of categories.  You can learn a lot from the candidates there.

Some resumes include code phrases.  If you don't like extremely religious people, home schoolers, or conspiracy theorists, you can often detect that in their resumes.  So it gives you people to cross off the list.  Equally, if the resumes mention years of public school experience, analytic professional work, and education from legitimate colleges and universities, you know they have a good background.

The League of Women Voters also provide a very good but neutral review of ballot referendums.  They give the arguments for both sides briefly. 

If you want to know about the local issues, they are the right place to go.

I have my sample ballot all marked up to the lowest level of choices.