The 2012 Race for the Presidency

Map, courtesy of the Washington Post.  You can click on the map and it will take you to a wonderful interactive experience.  Double-click your state, and you can see how your county voted in the last election.  Check it out.

Politics 101: Primary Elections Explained

For those who have no idea how Primary Elections work, I introduce you to CGPGrey.  Once again he educates us through video, and informs of the confusion between Primaries and Caucuses.  And how the nomination of a President comes to be.

So without further ado, the man who brought us Coffee: The Greatest Addiction Ever, Daylight Saving Time, Pennies Should Be Abolished, and "2012 & The End of The World" comes the second educational video of the year, "Primary Elections Explained."

Student Voting Laws by State

In a really sad turn of events, Student voting laws are changing for the worse.  If the laws go through, it will definitely change the outlook of the 2012 election... pretty much what the Dark Side (Republicans) are looking forward to, in excitement.

The following chart pretty much tells the story...

click to enlarge

I Voted Republican...

Everyone knows I didn't vote Republican this past November...

But had I voted I definitely wouldn't be wearing this shirt. Then again, maybe I should.

The 2012 re-election campaign of President Barack Obama was kicked off today.  And while many people have their doubts, there is no doubt in my mind that progress WAS made.

A lot more was done the past 3 years that wasn't done over the previous 30 or 40 combined, and I wouldn't let anyone tell me otherwise.  Well they can try, but it's pointless if they did.

Feel free to share this post with anyone, and remember, who we vote for matters.  Even if you're state is predominantly RED, it's our duty as Americans to take voting seriously, and help turn it BLUE.

Romney Wins 2012 N.H. Strawpoll

 

The Presidential race is about to kick off and the GOP has their first straw poll winner, former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney.  He  has taken the trophy in New Hampshire, the first state in the Union to hold their primary.  The good news; Mike Huckabee, the religious fanatic, is way down in the poll.

Final results of ABC News/WMUR/New Hampshire Republican Party Straw Poll.

• Mitt Romney - 97 (35.14%)
• Ron Paul - 29 (10.51%)
• Tim Pawlenty - 21 7.61%)
• Sarah Palin - 19 (6.88%)
• Michele Bachmann - 14 (5.07%)
• Jim DeMint - 14 (5.07%)
• Herman Cain - 11 (3.99%)
• Chris Christie - 9 (3.26%)
• Rick Santorum - 9 (3.26%)
• Mitch Daniels - 8 (2.90%)
• Newt Gingrich - 7 (2.54%)
• Mike Huckabee - 7 (2.54%)
• Mike Pence - 7 (2.54%)
• Rudy Giuliani - 6 (2.17%)
• Judd Gregg - 5 (1.81%)
• Gary Johnson - 5 (1.81%)
• Other - 5 (1.81%)
• Donald Trump - 3 (1.09%)
• Henry Barbour - 2 (0.72%)
• Jon Huntsman - 0 (0.00%)
• John Thune - 0 (0.00%)

Why vote?

Originally posted on November 7, 2006 on Peter's old MySpace Blog. Used as a reference in commemorating Blog 3000 on April 16, 2013

 

Did you know...

• That several of our states, including California, Idaho, Oregon, Texas and Washington, became states by just ONE vote?

• That in 1948, Lyndon B. Johnson, our 36th president, became a U.S. senator by a ONE vote margin?

• And that same year, if Thomas E. Dewey had gotten ONE vote more per precinct in Ohio and California, the presidential election would have been thrown to the U.S. House of Representatives, where Dewey enjoyed more support than his rival -- incumbent Harry S. Truman? In fact, Dewey was expected to win the general election by a landslide, so most Republicans stayed home. Only 51.5 percent of the electorate voted in 1948, and Truman defeated Dewey.

Not convinced?

• In the 1960 presidential election, ONE additional vote per precinct in Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey and Texas would have denied John F. Kennedy the presidency and put Richard M. Nixon in office eight years earlier.

• In recent years, the outcomes of many state and congressional races have been reversed as recounts have shifted a handful of votes from one candidate to another.

• Each and every vote is the voice of a citizen of the United States of America. One voice speaking out can change the course of history.

WHY VOTE?

...Because it is your fundamental right as an American, and the most basic means by which you have a voice in how your government works. By voting, you participate in a process that determines who will represent you, your family, and your neighbors in your community, your state, and your country.

Most states require that you register to vote, and aside from registering at your local election office, you may register by mail, when you get or renew your drivers' license, when you apply or are recertified for benefits in public assistance agencies, and in agencies serving people with disabilities.

States must also conduct registration in an agency system of their choosing, such as libraries or unemployment offices. In addition to these places, many civic organizations and political parties sponsor voter registration drives at colleges and universities, shopping malls, work sites, fairs, and other community events.

While the number of individuals registered to vote is at an all time high, we have yet to see a corresponding rise in active voting. In the last presidential election in 2000, 51.3 percent of the voting age population turned out to vote. The numbers tend to fall during the off-year elections for Congress: in 1998, only 36.4 percent of the voting age population made it to the polls.

Why don't more Americans register and vote? The most likely reason–they don't think their one vote will make a difference. But what if just one person on every street or in every voting precinct thought that way? We might find that the course of history would change.