We knew this race wouldn't be easy, but thanks to your hard work — by donating, phone banking and canvassing — we have been able run one of the most competitive congressional campaigns in our country.
When I head to the polls today, I know who else I'm voting for — Barack Obama and Tim Kaine. More importantly, I know what I'm voting for. I'm voting to help every Virginian get a chance to learn and work, turn a job into a career, provide for a family and save for retirement. That's the dream we share, which keeps us working harder and harder for more security and more opportunity, so that we, as fellow Americans, continue leading the world.
So I have a feeling that today will be a great day for America and Virginia, as long as we get out every vote. Then we'll have time to celebrate and get some rest, before we continue our work to help Virginia families get a fair chance at a better future.
Here are a few Virginia (and national) news headlines, political and otherwise, for Election Day, November 6, 2012. Go Obama (and Democrats everywhere)! Polls in Virginia are, as always, open from 6 am until 7 pm – go vote, and don’t let anyone you know forget to vote. For more motivation, check out President Obama’s emotional final rally of the campaign, before a huge crowd “where it all began,” late last night in Des Moines, Iowa.
*The trouble with Obama’s Silver lining (Michael Gerson – George W. Bush’s speechwriter, which really says it all! – gets the award for most absurd, most insipid, most idiotic final column of the 2012 election season — and that’s really saying something! Check out the top comments, which begin: “So when Gerson writes a spiteful and hate-filled column about the president every few days, that’s considered part of a ‘noble enterprise’? Spare me. Nate Silver at least doesn’t have a raging moral superiority complex.”)
*The only poll that matters (“Voting remains the single most important means to support our democratic republic, the single biggest civic obligation of its citizens.”)
Someone pulled aside or asked for something you don’t have? If you are at your normal polling place and have one of the forms of identification listed here, not to worry. But first time voters require a different standard. Know what you need so you don’t have to vote provisionally.
Don’t go righteous if you hear a photo ID being suggested as a form of ID. Understand that each voter is an individual case and a photo ID satisfies a special situation. There is no evidence the people working inside the polls, the election officials, are a source of voter suppression.
Remember that the voter registration card is everything you need. Don’t cast a provisional ballot. (But if you must, make certain you validate your vote by this Friday.) Some odd situations: If you requested an absentee ballot and didn’t vote absentee, you’ll have to go through a drill. But you can vote. If you didn’t change your registration after a move, you can still vote in your old precinct if you voted there last general election. In either case, vote.
When someone requests an absentee ballot and a ballot was mailed to them, they will be marked on the rolls as already voted. If they did not cast their absentee ballot they can either present the ballot at the polling place and say they want to vote, or, if it was never received or it was lost, they can go to the central absentee precinct to vote.
The election officials at the polling place will have a record that tells them whether an absentee ballot has been a voted ballot, nothing’s been received, or if an unmarked ballot has been returned. The registrars, with rare exceptions, are reliable arbiters in these cases and election officials have been trained in this drill. So if you failed to vote absentee, you can vote tomorrow.
The trend during absentee balloting was that voters were showing up with multiple forms of identification. Registrars are hoping that continues tomorrow. But it is not only identification that can cause an issue. There may be cases where the officials cannot find the voter on the poll book. Sometimes registrations don’t get changed. Often persons who changed their registrations at DMV find themselves in this situation for whatever reason. They can vote provisionally and the registrar will attempt to run down their registrations. But note this: If you moved since the last general election and forgot to change your registration, you are allowed to go back to your former precinct and vote once.
Another nuance is for persons who registered through third parties or through the mail, where no official has ever seen them in person. Federal law requires these first time voters to offer specific identification in order to vote. Fortunately the voter registration card which they should have received works as the necessary identification. If not, here are the acceptable types of ID:
Special Federal ID Requirements for Certain First Time Voters
A current and valid photo ID (for example a driver’s license);
or a current utility bill, bank statement, government check or paycheck that shows name and address;
or another government document that shows name and address (for example a voter card).
Note that a social security card which satisfies Virginia does not satisfy federal ID requirements. So don’t be surprised if there is some confusion tomorrow. OFA has promised a lawyer or voter protection representative at every precinct. Unless you are trained, if you observe something, find out the facts and seek out assistance if the explanation doesn’t satisfy you. Unnecessary disruptions inside the polls will will suppress the vote.
I do not usually mix faith and politics on Blue Virginia. Today is different. It should go without saying. But instead it needs to be said. Faith is not a one-party notion. But Paul Ryan bashed this President on faux religious charges. His closing argument was to trash the President’s religion. This is not acceptable.
In Romney-Ryan’s simplistic view of our nation, you either think like the on-your-ownership/kick-em-when-they-are-down Romney-Ryan, who think a 10th rate novelist is more important than the charge to love one another, or you are accused of being the anti-Christ. But there is another way, as the video illustrates.
There is the more complex view. It is worth mentioning that nearly every faith has its own conservative, moderate and liberal factions. But too often the US media plays along with the supposed equating of ultra-conservatives as the voice of faith. The video above was the winner of a national competition to illuminate the voice of liberal religion. This video was produced by a young man who used to attend my former Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Blacksburg, VA.
As I have said before, it all boils down to the belief that:
*telling the truth matters.
*everyone is important, from the new baby, to the school child, to the home-schooled child, to the working parents, to the stay-at-home mom (or dad), to the unemployed, to the old, to the sick, to the frail.
*we are all one, no matter the ethnicity or skin “color.”
*we look beyond whether another is Christian, Jew, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, believe in earth-based religions or any other faith.
*we want our fellow countrypersons to be able to marry the one they love.
* our politics and our faith foster inclusion, tolerance and love.
* together we can accomplish great things.
*every person for himself is a barbaric way of viewing our fellow citizens.
*we are all in this together.
*we believe that doing for others, not “every person for himself,” is what life is about.
*everyone who is legally registered should be able to vote without harassment.
*vote suppression has no place in America. (There is only one party which practices that.)
Let us not forget that those with no faith are part of us too. They are most definitely a welcome part of my faith and my politics. Most of us supporting the President believe in both the politics and faith of inclusion. We want others to be happy. Their being so does not detract from us. It only makes us better…because they are us.
In the final analysis, we know that faith and politics intersect when we reach out to those who are hurting. And at that intersection, we know that we are at our best when more people are doing well. We will not exclude the 47% Mitt Romney would exclude, no matter what party or candidate they vote for. We may not appreciate the untruthfulness of their current political leaders, we may even despise their leaders’lack of candor. But their supporters are still part of us.
I do not speak for the entire Blue Virginia Editorial Board. But I think it is safe to say all of us here strongly support a politic that recognizes and embraces all of our country’s people. When there is a Hurricane Sandy or Katrina, they are us, every last one. Helping them is not optional. It is something we as a nation must do. When they are hungry, that is our business. And when they do not have work, that is our concern as well.
I support this president because he appeals to our better “angels,” not the politics of greed or the purported “gospel” justifying it. He supports one nation, indivisible, which is a holy calling. When the election is over, he will once again unite this country. He will offer his hand to the pols on the other side of the aisle. Whether they join to make this a better place is out of our hands.
Regardless of what they do, I expect that our president, President Barack Obama, will have all of our (the voters’) backs. And that is why I have his back, as I will tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that. I have proudly voted for President Obama in early voting. I look forward to tomorrow when the rest of America can do so as well.
It should go without saying. Faith is not a one-party notion. Nearly every faith has its own conservative, moderate and liberal factions. But too often the US media plays along with the supposed equating of ultra-conservatives as the voice of faith. That is so far from what’s true, you would think they would know better by now.
This video was the winner of a national competition to illuminate the one liberal religion’s voice. There are many others, including that of President Obama. As I have said before, it all boils down to:
* whether everyone is important, from the new baby, to the school child, to the home-schooled child, to the working parents, to the stay-at-home mom (or dad), to the unemployed, to the old, to the sick, to the frail.
* whether we embrace everyone, no matter the ethnicity or skin “color.”.
*whether we look beyond whether another is Christian, Jew, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, believe in earth-based religions or any other faith.
* whether or not we believe that we are all in this together.
* whether we reject writing off nearly half of this country (47%), or even more so the 1% can return to the robber-baron era.
*whether we believe in a in a gospel that whatsoever you do for these …brethren, you have done unto Him, or believe in a so-called prosperity gospel (in which we tell ourselves “God wants a few to be wealthy”).
* whether we believe we really are charged with the mission of basing our politics and our faith on inclusion, tolerance and love; or whether we do not believe in those things.
* whether we believe that together we can accomplish great things or whether we believe in every person for himself.
Most of us supporting the President believe in the politics and faith of inclusion. We want others to be happy. Their being so does not detract from us. It only makes us better…because they are us.
Let us not forget that those with no faith are part of us too. They are most definitely a welcome part of my faith and my politics. In the final analysis, we know that faith and politics intersect when we reach out to those who are hurting. And at that intersection, we know that we are at our best when more people are doing well. We will not exclude the 47%, no matter what party they vote for. We may not appreciate the untruthfulness of their current political leaders, we may even despise the lack of candor on their current leaders’ part. But they are still part of us.
I do not speak for the entire Blue Virginia Editorial Board. But it is safe to say that all of us here strongly support a politic that recognizes and embraces all of our country’s people. When there is a Hurricane Sandy or Katrina, they are us, every last one. Helping them is not optional. It is something we must as a nation do. When they are hungry, that is our business. And when they do not have work, that is our concern as well. I support this president because he appeals to our better angels, not the politics of greed or the purported gospel justifying it. He supports one nation, indivisible. When the election is over, he will once again unite this country. It will be the GOP Congress’s decision regarding whether to continue down their path of hostility. Congressional Democrats did not do that to President George W. Bush. Regardless, I expect that our president, President Barack Obama, will have all of our (the voters’) backs. And that is why I have has his back, as I will tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that.
Tommy is a wood carving artist who lives in Mecklenburg, VA. He is a Ron Paul supporter who is reluctantly voting for Romney.
Story of America: A Nation Divided is a web series to be developed into a full-length documentary that engages Americans from across the country in a dialogue about the deep divisions that exist in America today and how we can bridge them to achieve greater unity, democracy and prosperity as a nation.
On our website, share your stories of what it means to be an American today and find solutions to how we can heal the divide in our country. On instagram and twitter, use #thisismystory
Are the stories about “voter fraud” seen in conservative media outlets based on actual cases of fraud, or speculation of what could occur if a large number of individuals decided to try to vote more than once? Are organizations like Tea Party affiliated True the Vote and Virginia Voters Alliance designed for partisan advantage, or are they only interested in a fair process? Interviews with Reagan George of Virginia Voters Alliance, Tom Perriello, former Congressman from central Virginia who was voted out after a fierce battle that included death threats to him and his family in 2010 during the height of Tea Party activism, former Congressman Rick Boucher from southwest Virginia who was also voted out in 2010 after 28 years of service as a representative, Congressman Elijah Cummings of Baltimore, Maryland who is calling for an investigation into True the Vote, and Sonali Chitre, an activist volunteering for Obama.
Story of America: A Nation Divided is a web series to be developed into a full-length documentary that engages Americans from across the country in a dialogue about the deep divisions that exist in America today and how we can bridge them to achieve greater unity, democracy and prosperity as a nation.
Join our journey http://www.storyofamerica.org. Share your stories of what it means to be an American today and find solutions to how we can heal the divide in our country.
On our website, share your stories of what it means to be an American today and join the dialogue. On instagram and twitter, use #thisismystory
