Ant's Voter's Registration Card Received!

[antda 13]

Hi Everyone,

Just to let you all know that I received my Voter's Registration Card yesterday...

Not too long of a wait there....About 42 days or so....(Registered on November 25, 2009...Received card on January 6, 2010)

And co-incidently too, I received my property tax bill this week..Go figure..they want be to vote, so that I pay my taxes...(though I will pay, regardless)

Basically my Voter's Registration Card was just a small postcard, with my name, mailing address, voting district name, county name, voting dates, polling place to vote in, something about party enrollment rules/guidelines, and a line for my signature (I guess I sign that when I go vote)....

Now what I found funny was that in my particular situation...

- I live in Town A (where my house is located)

- The postcard had my mailing address of Town B (where my mailbox is located)

- I vote in Town C

- The county Board of Elections is in Town D

Weird...

Lol..It's a miracle that my card and registration did not get lost somehow in all this confusion!

No wonder they took so long to get back to me....lol...

By the way, stupid questions time...

1) What is the difference between a primary election and a general election?

I have two dates listed on the card...(one for primary in September 2010, the other for general in November 2010)..

Why do I have to vote twice? Huh?

2) And how does the voting process in the USA work exactly?

By paper and pen? (lol..that's how it was in Canada when I voted there..we had to mark boxes with an "X"....)

Hole punch card?

Pulling levers?

Electronic machines?

Something else?

3) I also tried looking up my voter's registration online.....And still, "no matches found" there...

Is it because their databases are not updated?

Or is it because of my confusing information that messed up their system..lol...

4) What other identification or anything else do I have to bring on election day, besides my voter's card?

Driver's license?

Will it also be a problem too, that my driver's license has one address, and my voter's card has another address?

5) Anything else I need to know about the voting process here in the USA?

I can't wait to vote for the first time here in America!...But I think I need more info before I do such...

I still have time though...But yeah..it's good to know more about that anyways!

Now if only I can get my USC husband to vote too (he's never voted before, despite being a USC by birth)...Lol...there's still time for him to register....

Good luck with all your journeys too.

And yes, I'll let you all know how my voting experiences go later on...(if you're interested in reading about such here..lol..)

This should be interesting...lol....

Ant

Edited January 7, 2010 by Ant+D+BabyA

[Richard90027 1]

Hi Everyone,

Just to let you all know that I received my Voter's Registration Card yesterday...

Not too long of a wait there....About 42 days or so....(Registered on November 25, 2009...Received card on January 6, 2010)

And co-incidently too, I received my property tax bill this week..Go figure..they want be to vote, so that I pay my taxes...(though I will pay, regardless)

Basically my Voter's Registration Card was just a small postcard, with my name, mailing address, voting district name, county name, voting dates, polling place to vote in, something about party enrollment rules/guidelines, and a line for my signature (I guess I sign that when I go vote)....

Now what I found funny was that in my particular situation...

- I live in Town A (where my house is located)

- The postcard had my mailing address of Town B (where my mailbox is located)

- I vote in Town C

- The county Board of Elections is in Town D

Weird...

Lol..It's a miracle that my card and registration did not get lost somehow in all this confusion!

No wonder they took so long to get back to me....lol...

By the way, stupid questions time...

1) What is the difference between a primary election and a general election?

I have two dates listed on the card...(one for primary in September 2010, the other for general in November 2010)..

Why do I have to vote twice? Huh?

2) And how does the voting process in the USA work exactly?

By paper and pen? (lol..that's how it was in Canada when I voted there..we had to mark boxes with an "X"....)

Hole punch card?

Pulling levers?

Electronic machines?

Something else?

3) I also tried looking up my voter's registration online.....And still, "no matches found" there...

Is it because their databases are not updated?

Or is it because of my confusing information that messed up their system..lol...

4) What other identification or anything else do I have to bring on election day, besides my voter's card?

Driver's license?

Will it also be a problem too, that my driver's license has one address, and my voter's card has another address?

5) Anything else I need to know about the voting process here in the USA?

I can't wait to vote for the first time here in America!...But I think I need more info before I do such...

I still have time though...But yeah..it's good to know more about that anyways!

Now if only I can get my USC husband to vote too (he's never voted before, despite being a USC by birth)...Lol...there's still time for him to register....

Good luck with all your journeys too.

And yes, I'll let you all know how my voting experiences go later on...(if you're interested in reading about such here..lol..)

This should be interesting...lol....

Ant

Im very happy to hear that you are excited about voting, People that don't vote have no right to complain about anything.

Thanks for being a good American

[Lansbury 19]

Im very happy to hear that you are excited about voting, People that don't vote have no right to complain about anything.

The right to abstain from voting and show your dissatisfaction with any of the candidates is just as an important right as choosing one over the others. It is part of the process. It is not being a bad anything to do so.

[lucyrich 20]

Congrats on getting registered!

1) What is the difference between a primary election and a general election?

I have two dates listed on the card...(one for primary in September 2010, the other for general in November 2010)..

Why do I have to vote twice? Huh?

A primary is where Republicans vote for who they want the Republican nominee to be, Democrats vote for who they want the Democrat nominee to be, Libertarians vote for who they want the Libertarian nominee to be, Communists vote for who they want the Communist nominee to be, etc.

A general election is where all voters choose from among all the nominees, to decide who gets put into office.

The exact procedures in primaries will vary from one state to another. Sometimes you have to be registered as a Democrat to vote in the Democratic primary, or as a Republican to vote in the Republican primary. Democrats and Republicans may each have their own ballots.

2) And how does the voting process in the USA work exactly?

By paper and pen? (lol..that's how it was in Canada when I voted there..we had to mark boxes with an "X"....)

Hole punch card?

Pulling levers?

Electronic machines?

Something else?

Yep, I think pretty much all of those are in use somewhere or another in the US. Different states and different precincts have different methods. Where I live now, we have paper ballots with little circles, and we fill in the circle with a dark felt tip pen. Then we run the sheet of paper through a computerized scanning machine, which electronically records the vote (or spits the paper back out without counting it if you marked it wrong, like for example voting for two candidates in one race).

4) What other identification or anything else do I have to bring on election day, besides my voter's card?

Driver's license?

Will it also be a problem too, that my driver's license has one address, and my voter's card has another address?

I have never been asked for any form of ID when voting, and I think (but I could be wrong on this) that they can't require ID. Some citizens don't have ID, and we wouldn't want to disenfranchise those voters.

Remember how they asked on the N-400 if you'd ever registered to vote or voted? At your next election, you'll find out that it would have been surprisingly easy for a non-citizen to vote, if the non-citizen had wanted to do that (the non-citizen would have messed up his/her chances to become a citizen by doing that, and would have become deportable). They usually take people pretty much at their word as to whether they're citizens, and whether they are who they say they are.

[Ted46 2]

You may want to investigate registering as voter by mail, it sure beats standing in line to cast a vote.

[lucyrich 20]

You may want to investigate registering as voter by mail, it sure beats standing in line to cast a vote.

It may be more convenient, but it seems a bit sterile for my taste. I like going down to the polling place, seeing my neighbors, getting an "I voted" sticker, and the rest of the ritual. I've voted absentee before, but it's just not the same, at least for me.

Regardless of how you do it, it's good to vote. Of course politicians don't have a record of how you vote, but they definitely know how many people in your neighborhood show up at the polls each election. When it comes time to allocate funds for fixing potholes, or to decide where to put the next fire station or garbage dump, you can bet they're aware of which neighborhoods have high voter turnout and which don't. If you show up and vote each election, almost regardless of who you vote for, you help to show the politicians that they need to treat your neighborhood well.

[NickD 202]

It may be more convenient, but it seems a bit sterile for my taste. I like going down to the polling place, seeing my neighbors, getting an "I voted" sticker, and the rest of the ritual. I've voted absentee before, but it's just not the same, at least for me.

Regardless of how you do it, it's good to vote. Of course politicians don't have a record of how you vote, but they definitely know how many people in your neighborhood show up at the polls each election. When it comes time to allocate funds for fixing potholes, or to decide where to put the next fire station or garbage dump, you can bet they're aware of which neighborhoods have high voter turnout and which don't. If you show up and vote each election, almost regardless of who you vote for, you help to show the politicians that they need to treat your neighborhood well.

What I found to be completely absurd, just check that you are a USC for a drivers' license at our DMV, any illegal can get a drivers' license that way. Need proof of who you are. Just bring in a utility bill. Basically our state is leaving the proof of being a USC or a LPR to the private employers in the state. If the state gets around to checking it, they do that once in awhile, that employer can get some very stiff fines. The reason why the state got involved without even knowing what they are doing is because the federal government isn't doing anything about it. Local police have found illegals, stick them in the county jail and wait even several months until federal agents come to escort them out of the country. Confiscate all of their possessions, and dump them on the other side of the border with not even a buck in their pocket.

The main target is the supporting father, leave the mom alone to take care of the kids that even though both parents are illegal, their kids are USC by law. They have no means to support their USC children. We don't make the laws.

Just this last Tuesday night, wife and I were grocery shopping and she met a woman working in social services she hasn't seen in three years. Same old madness she said, young single girls that got pregnant are getting benefits for their illegitimate kids. If they do get married, would lose all benefits, it's the law!

This has to be the same USCIS we are dealing with!

Did go in with my wife for her to register to vote, they didn't even want to see her USC certificate, just check the box. I did ask for myself to be checked in the database, was a minor error in it. Not my error, whoever transferred the data from my form to that computer database. She asked me also to fill out the form again so it can be corrected. I did, but again with no proof. Did bring this to the attention of my governor and state senator. They argued about it for a couple of weeks, but didn't do anything. Guess they depend on those illegals to get elected.

Just made me wonder why I spend thousands of dollars, with stress and grief to do everything legally. When you do apply legally for immigration, they do know about you. When we vote, I give my name, then they ask me for a test question, my address, if I give the correct answer to knowing my address, I can vote. It's not like I can't get any of this information from any phone book.

This also has be wondering about our national security, feel it deal more with hiding the naughty things our politicians are doing.

[Sand 5]

Wow Congrats Now u need to take a long vacation for going to the mail box twice a day checking for your immigration ... Letters, Biometrics, Cards, Appointments, Passport

Edited January 9, 2010 by Sand

[antda 13]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for your quick and helpful replies here!...

Now here are my replies to your replies...

Richard90027-Thanks for the congrats . And may you get excited about voting when your turn comes too, after you get citizenship and be a good American that way too. I agree, if one doesn't vote, then they can't really be "seen and heard" here in America. It doesn't mean that they can't have an opinion though, as everyone has the right to free speech, regardless. But it's just that those opinions can't necessarily be made into reality, without some political help, which can be done, by simply going out to vote...

Im very happy to hear that you are excited about voting, People that don't vote have no right to complain about anything.

Thanks for being a good American

Lansbury-Likewise, my USC husband felt the same way too, and hence, he never voted all these years, despite being a USC by birth. And the truth is, that's is how I felt about the last presidental 2008 election..I couldn't decide...but that doesn't matter now, as that I wasn't a USC back then. But if I could have voted back then, I would have went and voted anyways, just for the heck of it, to experience the voting process....lol...even if it means spoiling my ballot.... Though yes, I agree too, that not voting is just as fine as voting. As US Citizens, we have the right to vote, or the right not to vote. And if you have the right...use it or lose it or so be it, I suppose...lol...

The right to abstain from voting and show your dissatisfaction with any of the candidates is just as an important right as choosing one over the others. It is part of the process. It is not being a bad anything to do so.

Ted46-Yes, I've head of the "absentee ballot" situation, and could consider such, if there is a snowstorm, or other situation, or medical issue, or emergency that I can't make it to the polling station on that particular election day. It is better to vote this way, than to not vote at all, right? On the other hand, there aren't too many people in my small town/rural area, so there isn't too long of a lineup (at least I hope not anyways). And besides, it is more interesting to "experience election day in-person" than it is to just send some piece of paper in the mail, especially since this is my first US Election that I will get to vote in...(lol..though I might not be thinking this way when I'm elderly and can't get out of the house...lol...that's another story...). So yeah, in the meantime, I'll go vote in-person instead of doing the absentee ballot.

You may want to investigate registering as voter by mail, it sure beats standing in line to cast a vote.

Sand-Thanks for the congrats.. Lol..True, there is no need for me to check for immigration-related stuff at my mailbox anymore...but there is still a need to go to my mile-away mailbox, regardless! Oh well, at least I can wait a few days in between checkings for bills and junk mail....Would save a lot of gas and time that way too. As for the US Passport..I haven't applied for that yet...Don't want to risk such in losing my citizenship certificate and whatever else...lol...I still can't totally trust the DHS or USPS at this point..lol...Meanwhile I still have my EDL..that's good enough for travel for now....

But yeah, I now have a USCIS-free mailbox! And I'm done with everything else post-citizenship too (again, except for the passport thing..), now that I have my voter's card! I'm sure there are other things I can think of to do then checking my mail frequently..lol.....

I definitely need a vacation from mailbox, indeed!

Wow Congrats Now u need to take a long vacation for going to the mail box twice a day checking for your immigration ... Letters, Biometrics, Cards, Appointments, Passport

Edited January 10, 2010 by Ant+D+BabyA

[antda 13]

Lucyrich-Thanks for the congrats.. And thanks too, for answering my questions about voting, and for explaining the voting process a bit more to me. Ahh..Now I understand the voting process here in America better! And yes, it is certainly different than what I've experience before in Canada. In Canada, there is usually just one election, no one needs to register for a party beforehand, and all party nominees are already appointed from the political party members themselves, so no need to vote again there. But I guess it is different here in the USA, where one has to vote for everything, including the members in the party who they want to nominate. Oh well, that's democracy to the extreme, I guess. And if I can vote twice in a year, then why not? It should be interesting for me, come September and November for me this year...lol...Primary=vote for members in the party, General=vote for all from those who are nominated...Got it!...Good to know that each party had their own election day for the primary elections. I wonder if they do this to avoid conflicts or mistakes? But I find it funny that each party has their own primary election day, as whoever showed up that day, you would know what party they belonged to, which kind of ruins the "secret" part about voting in private. Hmm..I wonder if anyone else has ever thought about this...and assumed.."Hey, my friend such and such didn't show up on this primary day election, so they must belong to the other party, therefore I don't like them anymore"..lol..more conflicts in this instance, I suppose? Interesting too, that your state has paper colour fill-in ballots that go through a machine. Lol..It reminds me of the tests that I did in high school and college, where it as the same way too. They were called "scantron" sheets back then....and I remember having to colour the circles precisely, or there would be errors in such. I wonder what would happen if you voted wrong this way? Would your vote not count if is is done incorrectly and the machine spits it back out? So lesson there...colour the circles carefully for voting! I wonder if it will be the same way here in NYS when I go to vote too. I wonder they they don't ask for ID when going to vote? Yes, it's true that some citizens wouldn't have ID (though most would, somehow), but by not asking for ID, isn't that easier for people to falsify and/or commit fraud during the voting process? Seems kind of flawed here, indeed! And yes, this does make it easier for non-citizens to vote, which would be illegal in that case, and they could be deported without even knowing it, like you said. Perhaps they should find a better system to prevent fraud like this, as not all can vote, and this would definitely mess up the election results too. How can the election people be so trusting like that? I guess they just want high voter turnout, and don't care otherwise. Sigh. I agree, that voting by absentee ballot may be convenient, but it just isn't the same as in-person voting. And yes, I would like to meet my new neighbours (especially since I just moved into this new area) and get a "I voted" sticker (cool...I never knew we get those...defiintely good to scrapbook that!). And besides, it is more interesting to "experience election day in-person" than it is to just send some piece of paper in the mail, especially since this is my first US Election that I will get to vote in...(lol..though I might not be thinking this way when I'm elderly and can't get out of the house...lol...that's another story...). So yeah, in the meantime, I'll go vote in-person instead of doing the absentee ballot. True, that nobody knows who I vote for, so in that sense, it doesn't matter if I turn up or not. But as well, like you said, if high voter turnout means better funding and services for the town I'm in, and better for the politicians to get to know the people in the neighbourhood better too so that things can be done, and it does show them that we actually care about the place that we live in and want to make it better too...Then all the more reason to vote! Voting=Better Neighbourhood, indeed!...

Congrats on getting registered! A primary is where Republicans vote for who they want the Republican nominee to be, Democrats vote for who they want the Democrat nominee to be, Libertarians vote for who they want the Libertarian nominee to be, Communists vote for who they want the Communist nominee to be, etc.A general election is where all voters choose from among all the nominees, to decide who gets put into office.The exact procedures in primaries will vary from one state to another. Sometimes you have to be registered as a Democrat to vote in the Democratic primary, or as a Republican to vote in the Republican primary. Democrats and Republicans may each have their own ballots. Yep, I think pretty much all of those are in use somewhere or another in the US. Different states and different precincts have different methods. Where I live now, we have paper ballots with little circles, and we fill in the circle with a dark felt tip pen. Then we run the sheet of paper through a computerized scanning machine, which electronically records the vote (or spits the paper back out without counting it if you marked it wrong, like for example voting for two candidates in one race). I have never been asked for any form of ID when voting, and I think (but I could be wrong on this) that they can't require ID. Some citizens don't have ID, and we wouldn't want to disenfranchise those voters. Remember how they asked on the N-400 if you'd ever registered to vote or voted? At your next election, you'll find out that it would have been surprisingly easy for a non-citizen to vote, if the non-citizen had wanted to do that (the non-citizen would have messed up his/her chances to become a citizen by doing that, and would have become deportable). They usually take people pretty much at their word as to whether they're citizens, and whether they are who they say they are.It may be more convenient, but it seems a bit sterile for my taste. I like going down to the polling place, seeing my neighbors, getting an "I voted" sticker, and the rest of the ritual. I've voted absentee before, but it's just not the same, at least for me. Regardless of how you do it, it's good to vote. Of course politicians don't have a record of how you vote, but they definitely know how many people in your neighborhood show up at the polls each election. When it comes time to allocate funds for fixing potholes, or to decide where to put the next fire station or garbage dump, you can bet they're aware of which neighborhoods have high voter turnout and which don't. If you show up and vote each election, almost regardless of who you vote for, you help to show the politicians that they need to treat your neighborhood well.

[antda 13]

NickD-I agree, there is no consistency there, as to them verifying things as to who is a USC or not. And the USCIS is certainly not of help there in keeping track of things either, as there is a lack of co-ordination between them and other government agencies in terms of verifying things. So yes, like you said, it is up to the USC, LPR, employer, or whoever else to do the updates, instead of the government agencies themselves. And to think, we have to tell these agencies to do their jobs...Good grief, they get paid to do such...not us...lol....Oh well..hopefully things will change later on down the road, but in the meantime, I expect that there will still be immigration-related problems in society...So first on the agenda: Immigration reform! Definitely needed here in America! Now if only we can convince our politicans and government agencies that such changes are needed...lol...Wishful thinking..they just take our money and waste our time, for those who are legally here and are doing things the right way, while the illegals are getting away with gosh knows what...lol....So no surprise there, that when your wife went to go vote, that they didn't ask for anything to prove her USC status. How can the election people be so trusting like that? I guess they just want high voter turnout, and don't care otherwise. Sigh. That's good though, that you caught the mistake when you asked them to check the database, and glad that you got that sorted out, though they should have asked for your proof of identification before they did such a change. I guess not then. And yes, it's good that you brought that issue up to your political officials too, though it's too bad that they didn't do anything about it. Oh well, they just care about the votes, I suppose, and don't care how they get it. As for national security..I wonder about that too..They say that they are making things more "secure" but are they really? Lol..personally, I think they are just making things harder and more difficult for us who aren't a security risk, instead of going after the real risks out there. What a waste of money for security!

What I found to be completely absurd, just check that you are a USC for a drivers' license at our DMV, any illegal can get a drivers' license that way. Need proof of who you are. Just bring in a utility bill. Basically our state is leaving the proof of being a USC or a LPR to the private employers in the state. If the state gets around to checking it, they do that once in awhile, that employer can get some very stiff fines. The reason why the state got involved without even knowing what they are doing is because the federal government isn't doing anything about it. Local police have found illegals, stick them in the county jail and wait even several months until federal agents come to escort them out of the country. Confiscate all of their possessions, and dump them on the other side of the border with not even a buck in their pocket.The main target is the supporting father, leave the mom alone to take care of the kids that even though both parents are illegal, their kids are USC by law. They have no means to support their USC children. We don't make the laws. Just this last Tuesday night, wife and I were grocery shopping and she met a woman working in social services she hasn't seen in three years. Same old madness she said, young single girls that got pregnant are getting benefits for their illegitimate kids. If they do get married, would lose all benefits, it's the law! This has to be the same USCIS we are dealing with! Did go in with my wife for her to register to vote, they didn't even want to see her USC certificate, just check the box. I did ask for myself to be checked in the database, was a minor error in it. Not my error, whoever transferred the data from my form to that computer database. She asked me also to fill out the form again so it can be corrected. I did, but again with no proof. Did bring this to the attention of my governor and state senator. They argued about it for a couple of weeks, but didn't do anything. Guess they depend on those illegals to get elected. Just made me wonder why I spend thousands of dollars, with stress and grief to do everything legally. When you do apply legally for immigration, they do know about you. When we vote, I give my name, then they ask me for a test question, my address, if I give the correct answer to knowing my address, I can vote. It's not like I can't get any of this information from any phone book.This also has be wondering about our national security, feel it deal more with hiding the naughty things our politicians are doing.

Everyone-Good luck with the rest of your journeys too! And to those of you who are going to vote...May you enjoy this experience to be seen and be heard here in America! Enjoy these rights and freedoms as an American Citizen, when you go cast your ballot on election day!

Ant

Edited January 10, 2010 by Ant+D+BabyA

[lucyrich 20]

Good to know that each party had their own election day for the primary elections. I wonder if they do this to avoid conflicts or mistakes? But I find it funny that each party has their own primary election day, as whoever showed up that day, you would know what party they belonged to, which kind of ruins the "secret" part about voting in private.

Sorry if I misled, but it's not quite that way. Each state has a different date for its primaries (though some states share the same dates -- for example, a lot were on Feb 5 for the 2008 presidential elections). But within a state, the primaries are all held on the same day. It's not like the Republicans have primaries on one day and the Democrats have them the following week. So you can't tell a person's party affiliation based on the date they go to vote. However, in some states you may be able to check voter registration rolls and see which party, if any, a voter has registered with.

There are a lot of subtleties and complications that have evolved over time in the US election process, particularly regarding presidential elections. I'm sure that, if people got together to design a voting process from scratch, they wouldn't have designed it the way ours is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_elections

[NickD 202]

Sorry if I misled, but it's not quite that way. Each state has a different date for its primaries (though some states share the same dates -- for example, a lot were on Feb 5 for the 2008 presidential elections). But within a state, the primaries are all held on the same day. It's not like the Republicans have primaries on one day and the Democrats have them the following week. So you can't tell a person's party affiliation based on the date they go to vote. However, in some states you may be able to check voter registration rolls and see which party, if any, a voter has registered with.

There are a lot of subtleties and complications that have evolved over time in the US election process, particularly regarding presidential elections. I'm sure that, if people got together to design a voting process from scratch, they wouldn't have designed it the way ours is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_elections

Until this last primary, Wisconsin's primaries were so late, wasn't even worth going to vote, the candidates for the parties were already selected. But still voted for a loser so at least I could say, I didn't vote for that idiot that won. The parties know the system well, and plan that accordingly, so their candidate will win by picking the states with the greatest electoral votes. Feel it's a system that really needs a major overhaul.

[antda 13]

Lucyrich-Thanks for re-explaining about that and for posting that extra link with more info about the primaries (ahh..now I understand it). Lol..Sorry that I got confused there. I agree, there are a lot of confusing things about the US election process, so there is a lot to learn here, indeed. I agree too, that there should definitely be a better voting process (or at least with better explainations, anyways)...Hmm..Now I wonder...who designed this US voting process anyways....????

Sorry if I misled, but it's not quite that way. Each state has a different date for its primaries (though some states share the same dates -- for example, a lot were on Feb 5 for the 2008 presidential elections). But within a state, the primaries are all held on the same day. It's not like the Republicans have primaries on one day and the Democrats have them the following week. So you can't tell a person's party affiliation based on the date they go to vote. However, in some states you may be able to check voter registration rolls and see which party, if any, a voter has registered with.

There are a lot of subtleties and complications that have evolved over time in the US election process, particularly regarding presidential elections. I'm sure that, if people got together to design a voting process from scratch, they wouldn't have designed it the way ours is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_elections

NickD-Lol...Voting for someone is better than not voting for anyone at all, I suppose. Hmm...maybe it's all fixed in some way or other. Definitely a major overhaul needed there....

Until this last primary, Wisconsin's primaries were so late, wasn't even worth going to vote, the candidates for the parties were already selected. But still voted for a loser so at least I could say, I didn't vote for that idiot that won. The parties know the system well, and plan that accordingly, so their candidate will win by picking the states with the greatest electoral votes. Feel it's a system that really needs a major overhaul.

Ant