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9/13/2004 |
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My big mouth I don't know if I have the sarcasm gene or what but that seems to be my tact for opening small talk conversations. Like today, when I walked in to the Board of Elections office at the Old County Courthouse and bumped into Sheriff Barnes and Linda Shaw (from behind) standing there as they were asking some questions about "district 7." The first lighthearted thought that came to mind and I of course blurted out was, "Hey, you guys plotting something?" As we all shook hands, Sheriff Barnes responded with something like, "No," while Linda Shaw showing a better flair for small talk answered in the joking vein my question was intended, "If we were plotting something, we wouldn't be doing it in public." In any case whatever they were working on was apparently finished and they left me to handle what I had come to the BOE office for...my own campaign strategy move, which I quickly learned was not workable. That is, I could change the form my name would appear on the ballot after receiving my sample ballot for review of spelling and format. State law. No way around that. Changes are only made in the case of error by the BOE. I think the seasoned candidate may have showed the prowess of meticulous campaigner to his lesser experienced challengers. Everyone knows Mike Barber as Mike Barber but on the ballot is name is going to appear as "Michael L (Mike) Barber." Of course this could just be a fortuitous result, but here is how the bottom of page 3 of the electronic screen is now going to look for District 7: You may vote for ONE Michael L (Mike) BARBER ....... Dem [ ] Mike WINSTEAD, Jr ............... Rep [ ] Jim CAPO ............................. Lib [ ] Previous Page Now I have not been able to figure how how to type a new line here without skipping a line, but just imagine all of the above scrunched together with no space between the lines. My first reaction to quickly scanning this, as many voters will do if they don't just hit D or R on the first page, was that it appears the choices for District 7 are: BARBER, Jr. and -blank- ...or possibly "previous page." My BOE assistant saw my point, but the law is the law. No name changes after you file. Can't go with "James R (Jim) Capo" to get the length of my moniker up to the stature of my rivals. It's partly a man thing but, I fear I may have come up short in the battle for electoral selection on this point. Later, BOE Director George Gilbert as an extended courtesy (greatly appreciated) called to cheer me up. "Take a look how the Presidential candidates appear. Short names that people know you by work best on the ballot. Getting fancy just confuses people." I would like to agree. But, after leaving downtown I stopped by Muggs on West Market St. to order my favorite Admiral sandwich. (Hadn't been in that part of town for lunch in a long while.)
My point is simply that if you need to be told to register in Spanish, might you also be confused enough with the ballot not to make good elections on your own? What service to the democratic process do poorly informed voters make? (This goes for native English speaking ones as well.) Of course sporting one of only two non Anglo names on page three of the ballot, and a Latino sounding one at that, I suppose I should just stop bitchin. 8:50:54 PM
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Here is the sign on the Fast Cash store next door. I would have taken a picture with better focus but even trying to be discrete and quick with my camera, for some reason one of the staffers inside the store came running out to query me with great concern on why I was taking pictures. I said was taking pictures of the building but was not with the landlord. My first retort not being sufficient, I added that I was making up a report. My interrogator went back inside seemingly unsatisfied, but at a loss for what else she could do.