While the elections I took part in didn't pay off for me, there were some shining moments throughout the rest of the country. First off, let me tell you about me. So, I live in southern Mississippi in the 4th and final voting district, in Lamar County. I registered to vote as soon as I was eighteen. I live in between things locally. My address is Hattiesburg and the county line is right there; a hop, skip, and a jump from my property. But because I'm over the line I can't vote for anything Hattiesburg related. No mayor, no zoning, no school items, nothing, though this is my city. The nearest city in Lamar County to me is Purvis. I can't vote for their city things either, not that it would effect me, but I do vote for other Lamar County related items like judicial and school items (but not school board apparently). But I had to drive to Purvis to register to vote on that September day back in 1998. I didn't realize that I would have to choose a political party upon registration and since I had never voted I didn't want to align myself with any one party yet. But you had to choose one and at the time it did not matter. I chose Republican because that is what my parents had on their cards and The Sister as well. Which incidentally the first time I ever voted, it might not have even counted. It's a funny story and really, even if it didn't count, that was twenty years ago, so why worry over it. Once I registered I was slated to vote at the retirement home next door. I could walk to it! (and did!) My parents kept asking if I was sure, because they've always voted at the old Volunteer Fire House that you have to drive to. They all trooped over next door with me and my name was on the books but there's weren't. The ladies figured that if we'd all lived in that house for eighteen years and my name was on the books that they could vote too, so they did. The next time of voting I was sent a notice and told that my voting place was the firehouse. I also missed out on, to me, real voting. Where you go inside a curtained booth and pencil in on paper who you're voting for. I remember going to the old firehouse with mom and standing inside of these booths with her while she voted when I was really young, but by the time I was allowed to vote, we were using machines. Bummer. I was also excited to take typing class in high school because I'd be learning on a typewriter, but I missed that too as they were computers by the time I came around, but we'll get back to voting. Luckily this party affiliation still doesn't matter in my state, because during primaries I'm allowed to go to which ever political party table that I wish and I don't have to choose what is on the registration books. Which is good, because I have never, not once, voted Republican. If this does change, in that it matters, you can bet that I'll be going and changing my party affiliation. During the last primaries, I went to vote with my parents. I trooped over to the Democrat line and they just followed suit. I could have been a mean person and let them vote Democrat (but I just couldn't, besides they would have just told a poll worker that it wasn't the right ballot, caused a kerfuffle, and still voted the way they wanted). So, I turned around and said, "This isn't the line you want." They just stared at me like I was some random person they didn't know speaking some Martian language. "No, really. This isn't the line you want. You want to be over there." and I motioned with my head towards the other table. They were still staring at me like they didn't understand. Then recognition dawned and their faces contorted into horrified shock (but toned down because we were in public). 'Our baby is voting... Democrat!' was their very non-verbal response. They went to their line and it wasn't spoken of after that. Still makes me laugh! Like if my mom was a clutching at her pearls type of woman, that's exactly what she would have done. So, yesterday I voted Democrat down the line. Mainly because the Republicans who were being opposed have held that office for some time now and I don't like them (and thankfully they're not in office because of me in years past) and because the Democrats, I liked their platforms. Sometimes I have voted 3rd party because even then Democrats were too strict in some policies. But I don't like the 3rd party candidates the last few years, so I haven't been voting them. This is because I actually do research on all of the candidates and am an informed voter when it comes time to visit the polls. One person that I voted for did win. Chancery Court District 10 Place 4: Vanessa Jones. This has only happened one other time when I voted for my old Speech teacher/High School Counselor to be the Lamar County School Superintendent. It was between her and my old High School Principle incidentally. So, I voted David Baria, Mike Espy, Jeramey Anderson, Vanessa Jones, Bob Marshall, (would have voted for Carol Jones Russell - but am not allowed to, but she won again anyways), & Douglas E. Miller. It was (& still is a close race) between Cindy Hyde-Smith and Mike Espy. Cindy Hyde-Smith is the Devil. No seriously. Her political campaigns were nothing but hate. She hates Jewish people, Immigrants, Black people, Gay People. She's this twisted mess of evil in an old lady body and I don't trust anyone that likes her. Whereas the re-elected Roger Wicker and Steven Palazzo, they're not twisted evil. I don't like them at all (especially Palazzo), but they're not in the same league with Hyde-Smith. I really hope, since it's so, so close that Espy will indeed beat her. I don't think any of them need to be in office, but out of the three, she really doesn't need to be in office! She's like the worst person ever, next to our current Governor. Who I also didn't vote in. That was a sad voting day. I had to vote the lesser of two evils in something really important. Our former mayor, I supported him before he was elected (because I can't vote for him), but he really was rubbish at running a large (for Mississippi) city. If he can't handle a city, how can we expect him to handle an entire state? However, Phil Bryant is The Devil. He and Hyde-Smith seriously spent some time in Hell, if that were a real place, cavorting together. He's a terrible governor all the way around, not even just for marginalized people like women, people of colour, immigrants, or the LGBT community (though he's absolutely abysmal for these groups!). I'm actually not surprised that Mr. Baptist the Beautiful won in the County Court Judge division. They're Baptists, and not only that, but they belong to the mega church Temple Baptist. Most people here are Baptist and belong to either this mega church on the one that stole the Windows PC logo, I don't know their name. But look at them!?! They look like they belong in the southern version of Stepford. They're just too pretty and perfect and posed and it's all fake and I can't deal with that. Judiciary posts are never party affiliated but you just know that these people are Republicans. The other guy was more than likely a Republican too with his views that he stated. But I chose the lesser of two evils... I chose the Methodist. The Methodist is the more "evil" to most people here and thus why this Mega Church (Republican) Baptist Stepford Family Man won over the "lowly" Methodist. So, while there was really nothing positive to write of from home, there were tremendous leaps and bounds elsewhere in the country. The Democrats won back their place in the House with 218 seats and well as 90+ women filling those seats, which is the most women ever in The US House of Representatives. There were a lot of awesome firsts for other states. Minnesota: Ilhan Omar is one of two of the first Muslims voted into Congress yesterday. She is also the first Somali-American voted in. She won the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2016 and was the first for that state. Michigan: Rashida Tlaib is one of two of the first Muslims voted into Congress yesterday. She is also the first Palestinian-American voted in. She is the second Muslim, but first Muslim female, to serve in the Michigan State House of Representatives and she is the second female Muslim to serve in a state legislature nationwide, after Jamilah Nasheed of Missouri. Colorado: Jared Polis is the first openly Gay governor elected in the entirety of the US, and the first one for Colorado. He is also the first Jewish governor of Colorado. Also of note is that Proposition to Prohibit Slavery passed in Colorado. Seems ridiculous, but some people still have this on their books. You would think they wouldn't have to go through a dog and pony show to get it off the books, but you do. At least it passed with little opposition (but come on! the 35% of you who voted to keep it on the books?! What is wrong with you?!) Kansas: Sharice Davids is one of two of the first Indeginous Americans elected to Congress yesterday. She is of the Ho-Chunk Nation. She is also the first openly gay women elected to Congress. New Mexico: Deb Haaland is one of two of the first Indeginous Americans elected to Congress yesterday. She is of the Laguna Pueblo Nation. Tennessee: Marsha Blackburn is the first female from Tennessee elected to the US senate. Though a staunch conservative, she's still the first woman from that state. Incidentally, she was born in Laurel, Mississippi, where my parents were raised and a place I just (re) visited yesterday, so that is weird. Maine: Janet Mills is the first female governor of Maine. Prior to this she was the first female Attorney General of Maine and before that served in the Maine State House of Representatives. Massachusetts: Ayanna Pressley is the first African American female to represent Massachusetts, elected to Congress yesterday. Also of note is that the Proposition for Gender Identity Rights passed yesterday. Connecticut: Jahana Haye's is the first African American female, to represent Connecticut, elected to Congress yesterday. New York: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest person elected to congress (she will be 29 when she takes her seat in 2019). Iowa: Abby Finkenauer is the first woman, to represent Iowa, elected to Congress yesterday. Awesome Propositions that passed from other states: Florida: Restore Felon Voting Rights Arkansas: Increase Minimum Wage Missouri: Raise Minimum Wage New Hampshire: Right to Privacy. Not Awesome Propositions that passed (one that didn't, but should have) from other states:
Alabama: Allow Ten Commandments Right to Life West Virginia: No Right to Abortion Alaska: Protect Wild Salmon & Fish (didn't pass) Those women issue rights from Alabama and West Virginia are heinous and I feel for those women in those states, I truly do. What a sad outcome..
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AuthorA girl from South Mississippi who finds herself in exploration. Archives
November 2019
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