Comments on Advance Indiana™: Now Mayor Peterson Supports Election Reform

advance search find Here's some useful info on adv...

2006-11-22T03:45:00.000-05:00

advance search find

Here's some useful info on advance search find which you might be looking for. The url is:
http://www.jaldisearch.com/

Hilarious, 11:52. Just hilarious.Believe me, it d...

2006-11-21T12:17:00.000-05:00

Hilarious, 11:52. Just hilarious.

Believe me, it doesn't happen.

Or we'd have kicked the Republicans' ass out of the City County Building long before this.

"Democrats resist the long-held temptation for pay...

2006-11-21T11:52:00.000-05:00

"Democrats resist the long-held temptation for paybacks"

You mean dead voters voting Democrat isn't payback enough?

I heard Beth White on Abdul's radio show this morn...

2006-11-21T10:31:00.000-05:00

I heard Beth White on Abdul's radio show this morning, re-tell the Mayor's 2000-01 attempt at precinct reform. Apparently the 2-1 Republican local election board, as well as the state election commission, which is evenly divided, saw evil in the mayor's plan, and could not muster a concensus.

Ever since I arrived in Marion County almost 35 years ago, Republicans have done almost anything possible to control the election process and subdue the vote. It's just a fact.

Slowly, but surely, the tide is turning. I hope the Democrats resist the long-held temptation for paybacks, and take the high road.

She also indicated the incumbent clerk's call for reform in 2004-5 was just that: a call, with no action plan accompanying it.

Wilson's post about each precinct having to have its own staff may not be correct. I'm told the lawyers are researching that. Lord help us. (Just kidding, Gary)

At my poll place, four precincts vote. The lines wouldn't be any longer if five or six voted there, and they would not need more staff, unless statutorily required.

The Mayor attempted to reduce the number of precin...

2006-11-21T09:46:00.000-05:00

The Mayor attempted to reduce the number of precints in Marion County in 2001 or 2002 but it was blocked by Republicans on the State Election Commission.

Agreed, Jeff. That was the reason for my comment a...

2006-11-21T08:15:00.000-05:00

Agreed, Jeff. That was the reason for my comment about the Republican councilors' opposition to the mayor's consolidation plans.

"If a Republican proposes a change, oppose it rega...

2006-11-21T08:03:00.000-05:00

"If a Republican proposes a change, oppose it regardless of the merit in the change. If a Democrat proposes the same change, embrace it wholeheartedly."

Couldn't you switch the parties and it would also be a true statement? I think this is what people are truly disgusted with these days (I know I am).

It seems ideas and proposals can never be judged on their own merits. If the other side proposed it, well, we have to oppose it. One party is as guilty as the other of having this attitude.

I'd like to thing this past election was a referendum on this partisan bullshit, but I'm not hopeful we'll see much change.

Consolidating voting places is trivial as long as ...

2006-11-20T20:01:00.000-05:00

Consolidating voting places is trivial as long as the voting place is within 1/2 mile of a boundary of a precinct. However, each precinct must still vote separately with its own separate crew. As I recall, the Childrens Museum has 5 precincts voting there already but each precinct has its own machines and staff. Maybe some rent would be saved by consolidating voting addresses but the real expense is in the election day staffing. About 300 precincts need to be eliminated by combining them with another. My own precinct 2-1 used to be 2-1 and 2-5 until 1991 or so...

Just after the 2000 Census results came out, the M...

2006-11-20T19:55:00.000-05:00

Just after the 2000 Census results came out, the Mayor's crew tried to effect a rational precinct consolidation - Phil Bayt drew up the proposed maps - the local GOP bristled and suspected skullduggery or something and blocked it totally. The drive was to consolidate precincts before the reapportionment process (which draws up electoral districts) would start. Center Township had been very quick to redraw our districts but we then redrew them to conform to the new expected precincts - those new precincts got shot down by the GOP. The proposed precincts were simply consolidations of existing precincts in Center - out in the doughnut newly-densely populated precincts were split up (cornfields had been replaced by apartment complexes).

I think the clerk's call two years ago was for com...

2006-11-20T19:35:00.000-05:00

I think the clerk's call two years ago was for completely redrawing precincts, which is more difficult. I beleive Ms. White's idea is to combine polling places, but I could be wrong.

I think she also plans to ask for studies on early voting, which would be a godsend.

You're off the mark, AI, on the election law politicking. But you're dead-on with regard to the Brizzi jail overcrowding rebuff. It was shameful and blatantly political. Juice, indeed.

The ES&S vendor really can't be changed now without a huge pricetag. They never should've been chosen in the first place.

Making the best out of a bad situation is really our only choice.

The best news about your post: I had forgotten the Ms. Harris is history. What a complete moron. Thanks to her, there are still about 14,000 2000 votes in Broward County that were never counted.

Oh well.