Not-so-Super Tuesday
Super Tuesday, the date when a large number of states host primaries, has in the past been a time when political junkies follow multiple updates with hopes of learning who the presidential candidates will likely be, for one or sometimes both parties. This year, there is less drama in that regard.
The main thing I’m looking for in the presidential race is on the Republican side: how well does Haley do, and what might that say about Trump’s support right now? But with so long to go until November, I believe this Super Tuesday, while still important, is less exciting than most. However, I’m looking forward to Thursday’s State of the Union which I wrote about a few weeks ago in “Come on Joe, Throw Us Guys a Bone.” I think this is one of the most important moments for Biden in the race to date.
California - Information Overload?
California, on the other hand, has a lot going on. But even as an engaged citizen, I feel overwhelmed with information. At some point, I was receiving so much junk mail I decided to start saving it. Keep in mind this isn’t nearly everything I received:
The City and County of San Francisco know I’m a registered Democrat, so they kept the Republican Presidential primary off of my ballot to avoid confusion. Thankfully, my US Congressional seat is simple — 1 Republican vs. 1 Democrat.
From there, though, things get more complicated. The state voter guide alone is 107 pages, and that doesn’t include local races. At the top of the ballot, we have a US Senate primary with Adam Schiff, Barbara Lee, and Steve Garvey running, among many others. But to make it more confusing, there is one 6-year term, and the remainder of the current term for the seat vacated by the passing long-time Senator Dianne Feinstein, as well, which lasts for the next 10 months. This is sure to be a source of confusion — will some voters be confused as to whether or not you can vote for the same candidate on each one? Some candidates are listed twice, some once. Schiff, Garvey, and Lee all appear twice. So theoretically, one of them could be elected for the next 9 months, and then be replaced by whomever wins in November.
Next, we have a state-wide ballot proposition to raise a $6.4 Billion bond for mental health and substance abuse facilities. This is expected to pass. My state Senator and Assembly races are both also in the primary.
My local voter guide is an additional 152 pages! My ballot also informs me I can choose up to 10 out of 21 candidates for the County Central Committee, as well as two non-partisan (officially) judicial seats. And in addition to the state proposition, there are seven additional San Francisco ballot propositions. These include a $300,000,000 housing bond (Prop A) and Prop G:
“Shall it be City policy to encourage the San Francisco Unified School District to offer Algebra I to students by their eighth-grade year and to support the School District’s development of its math curriculum?”
As a math major in undergrad, this one jumped out at me. Do we really need a ballot measure to teach basic math to our children? That doesn’t speak well for the current state of our education system.
On the one hand, I am grateful to live in a country with open elections. Not everyone is so fortunate. However, it feels the current system could use some adjustments. For one, a higher threshold for ballot initiatives and recalls. In addition to advertisements being a waste of paper, this feels like information overload by having so many things on the ballot.
Come November, the San Francisco Mayor and my local supervisor seats will also be up for grabs. I and those in my district will be voting for: President, US Senate, US Congress, State Senate, State Assembly, Mayor, City and County Supervisor, and there is talk of a recall vote for Governor. Plus an entirely new slew of state and local ballot measures, often backed by special interests and written with deliberately confusing language.
Wow. That’s a lot to digest! While voting in person is encouraged, with this much information on a ballot, I don’t know if it’s reasonable to think a person could just show up on election day in the booth and have a grasp on all of these issues and candidates. As soon as I finish voting, I’m going to look ahead to Thursday’s State of the Union.
How are things in your neck of the woods? I would love to hear from you in the comments. Happy Voting!
The measure about offering Algebra 1 in 8th grade is meant to dumb down curriculums. Some students are capable of Algebra 1 in 8th grade, so that makes other students feel bad. The answer? No one can get Algebra 1 in 8th grade.
And the tv commercials, robocalls, texts etc...