My voting recommendations/information, 2024!
From Omni friend Leslie Oelsner
Sat, Oct 19 2024 at 2:20 PM
From Leslie: My voting recommendations/information, 2024!
Many people have seen this informative post from Leslie Oelsner, and been appreciative of her thorough research. We’re sharing it to Omni’s list for your information however you want to use it. I doesn’t reflect a recommendation about who to vote for from Omni. It’s thoughts from an informed Omni member and observer of the political atmosphere of our time.
Hello friends,
Here are my recommendations on the “how-to’s” of voting plus some opinions on who to vote for, including where to easily research further. As you’ll see below, I’m doing a lot of copying and pasting from other very informative emails I’ve received, and am passing helpful info along to you. I bet many of you already know a lot of it! There’s some repetition of similar info here, so read through it all, then choose the sites you want to go to for further research.
More than ever this year: Vote blue — vote Democratic!! — all up and down the ballot. From Harris/Walz down to our Justices of the Peace. (The latter do have party identification.) I’ve read that many people vote for president and then ignore the rest of the ballot. I bet none of YOU do that! but please remind your friends and family how very important these state and local races are. And though we are not a swing state, your vote for Harris/Walz is still important, to add to the popular vote total. Please vote!
Here’s some good info sent out by a good friend of mine, to start us off. I’m adding my own comments to my friends email, in blue:
Early Voting starts Monday October 21 ( see below for more specific info on early and election day voting)
Elections (excluding all the extraneous candidates):
– President (the narcissistic predator vs the voice of sanity; you know
who to vote for) ( Of course many are upset about the wars in the Middle East and other concerns re the current administration. If this is you and you are considering not voting, please remember: Trump would be WAY WORSE for everyone in the Middle East, plus he and the right wing people propping him up would slash the rights of women (including our body autonomy), people of color, LGBTQ people, immigrants, eliminate the Dept. of Education, take over colleges and universities — etc [see Project 2025]. He’d eliminate Medicare, ObamaCare, Social Security. He’d stop ALL efforts to halt climate change and environmental repair, and the oil companies are already salivating and making plans for massive drilling and destruction of protected land. In addition, the people behind Project 2025 are focused on making the U.S. a Christian Nationalist country, ruled by an authoritarian leader — goodbye to our rights for liberty and justice.
– House District 3 (Womack and Draper) (Not only is Caitlin Draper the Democrat, she is an exceptional candidate, a strong leader, and a tireless advocate for the welfare of children, among other excellent qualifications)
– AR Treasurer — Thurston was Sec’y of State – terrible record, Pagan is the
one to vote for
– AR Chief Justice (vote Karen Baker, NOT Rhonda Wood; Baker was the
primary dissenter vs the AR supreme court decision to exclude the
abortion ballot measure)
Ballot Issues:
ISSUE NUMBER 1
A constitutional amendment to provide that lottery proceeds may be used
to fund or provide scholarships and grants to Arkansas citizens enrolled
in vocational- technical schools and technical institutes.
What is being proposed?
Arkansas legislators are asking voters to expand the types of
educational institutions that qualify for state lottery scholarships.
Currently, lottery scholarships can be used at private and public
non-profit two and four-year colleges and universities in the state.
Issue 1 would also allow students to use lottery scholarships at private
and public vocational-technical schools and technical institutes. (I’m voting Yes)
ISSUE NUMBER 2
An amendment requiring local voter approval in a countywide special election for certain new casino licenses and repealing authority to issue a casino license in Pope County, Arkansas
A FOR vote means you are in favor of changing the state constitution to remove the Pope County casino gaming license from the Arkansas Constitution and, should any future amendments authorizing additional casino licenses be approved by a statewide vote, requiring a special election and approval of voters in the county where that casino would be located to approve it.
Addendum below has an updated review. (Everyone agrees it’s worded in a very confusing way. I was convinced by others to vote NO — but I can’t explain it to you!)
ISSUE NUMBER 3
The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2024
A FOR vote means you are in favor of changing the Arkansas Constitution
to prohibit legislators from changing or repealing any constitutional
amendment without another vote of the people, and you are in favor of
expanding the state’s existing medical marijuana program with regards to
who can qualify for the program, the types of health care professionals
who can certify patients for the program, and to allow patients to grow
marijuana at home, among other changes. (I’m voting yes)
Back to me (Leslie) more info for you:
1. Here’s a link to a free event at our Fayetteville Public Library, on this coming Wednesday, 10/23. This event will provide voting info, sample ballots, info on the AR ballot measures, and more (including pizza for those who register in advance!). I think but don’t know for absolute sure that you can show up without pre-registering; but perhaps that will depend on how full it is? So if you want to go but don’t pre-register you could check that out.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/circles-big-view-make-a-plan-to-vote-tickets-1009967850027
2. Here’s 2 links to 2 articles in the Fayetteville Flyer about the 2 candidates for City Clerk Treasurer: Kara Paxton, the incumbent, and Lorinda Smith, the challenger. I currently don’t have enough info to know who I support.
Also they each have a website, you can google them.
3. Here’s a link to the U of A pamphlet about the AR Ballot measures with more info.
4. Here’s a handy voting info site (others cited below):
“For comprehensive, nonpartisan election information, visit Vote411.org. Whether you need to check your registration, find your polling location, or review what’s on your ballot, Vote411 is your go-to resource. Make sure your friends and family know about this valuable tool—spread the word!”
5. Here’s a link to our Washington County election info — sample ballot and general info available:
https://www.washingtoncountyar.gov/government/departments-a-e/election-commission/sample-ballots-for-the-november-5-2024-general-election-nonpartisan-judicial-runoff-and-special-elections. More options below for other sites for this data.
6. I apologize that I have nothing to say about the elections for our Fayetteville City Council — my district is not involved this year, and I have not gathered the necessary info to say anything.
7. I also am not expressing an opinion about our Fayetteville mayoral race: I know smart, caring, progressive people for both major candidates: (Molly Rawn, challenger https://www.mollyforfayetteville.com) and (Lioneld Jordan, incumbent https://www.lioneldjordan.com)
8. Helpful info from the League of Women Voters: Make a Plan to Vote – and Encourage Your Friends!
Creating a voting plan makes a big difference! Here are three steps to make sure your vote counts:
Plan Your Voting Time: Will you vote early, or on Election Day? Mark your calendar!
Get Friends Involved: Ask your friends if they’ve made a voting plan and share resources to help them.
9. Remember, early voting not only helps you avoid long lines, it also smooths the process for the election workers and (perhaps) helps reduce chaos on election day.
Early voting days/hours for anywhere in WA County — here’s a very handy chart: I tried multiple times to copy the link, and when I pasted it, it kept pasting the wrong link — (the one for March primary elections). So, to find this helpful chart, simply paste into google or whatever search engine you use:
“Early vote sites for the Nov. 5, 2024 General Election” and it should open a page with links to sites all over WA County, plus days and times, and also another link for info about Election Day, Nov. 5th, specifically.
10. From the Washington County Democrats — here’s some info, and for LOTS more good info and recommendations, go to their website at https://washcodems.org:
“Thank you League of Women Voters for the Candidate forums last week. They were great. The Candidates’ visions and personalities were really exemplified. A few words come to mind: Education and Health Advocates. Articulate and knowledgeable. Compassionate. Experienced. Community and Common Sense Problem Solvers. Government accountable and transparency. I encourage you to watch the forums here!
· JP 4 & 15 candidates Vladimir Lopez and Chad Brekelbaum
· House 9, 11, 18, 19 & 25 candidates Diana Gonzales Worthen, Rey Hernandez, Billy Cook and Caitlin Oxford
· JP 6,7,10 & 14 candidates Shannon Freas, Sherry Main, Amanda Foster and Ashlee Hicks
Ballot Initiatives: Issue 2 is confusing and is about a casino in Pope County. The Extension Office explains here then decide. (note from Leslie — the same link I already gave).
Absentee Ballots & Sample Ballot
Absentee Ballots: If you cannot make it to the polls for specific reasons, you can request an absentee ballot application. Call the County Clerk at 479-444-1711 or email absentee@washintoncountyar.gov. You can request these now.
See your Sample ballot at Voterview.org and find the most convenient voting site for your schedule. Enter your name and birthdate and it takes you to the page with this info. You can vote at any voting site but locations and times may vary.There are 21 early voting sites and 42 sites on election day.
Almost everyone has a cell phone. Checkout Voterview.org After entering your name and birthday, it will show you what candidates you can vote for and will list all the voting sites! If someone asks you where to vote, show them how to lookup Voterview.org on their cell phone so they can look it up! They’ll appreciate it!”
Issue 2 addendum
Addendum to voting letter: one change to my recommendation
Leslie Oelsner
Sun, Oct 20, 7:32 PM
Hi everyone —
Thank you for writing, and you’re welcome! to those of you who have written to thank me for my voting info letter.
In some of my letters over the years I have had to correct at least one item, hard as I try to get it all perfectly
and this year I’m changing my recommendation about Ballot Measure # 2.
I received feedback from 2 people (thank you!) who advocated for voting YES on Ballot Measure # 2.
After reading their comments, re-reading the U of A pamphlet section about it (the link that is in my letter), and reading additional info, and conversing again with the original person who’d explained it to me, I’m now leaning YES instead of NO. Please check out this additional link one person sent: https://www.uaex.uada.edu/business-communities/voter-education/issue2.aspx , I think it explains the for and against sides better than anything else I’ve read so far. I still see some good arguments on both sides, but I couldn’t in good conscience neglect to send out this information, and my hesitation in voting NO.
(The information in this new link is put out by this group: “The Public Policy Center has provided neutral information on statewide ballot issues since 2004.”)
And below are a few more arguments on the YES side, from one of my letter recipients. I do encourage you to read the new info (at the link I just sent). And for yet another twist, another friend told me that the Democrat running for AR State Treasurer recommends voting NO.
I’ll leave the topic now, and leave it to you to decide for yourself. (No more addendums!) Happy voting!
— Leslie
According to the Arkansas secretary of state’s office, back then, 60% of voters in Pope County voted against the casino measure.
“Issue 2 is based upon a really, a very, very simple premise that local voters, the people within the communities that are potentially affected by casino projects, those are the people who should have the final say on whether the casino project goes forward or not, and it really is that simple,” Hans Stiritz, with Local Voters in Charge, said.
The organization Local Voters in Charge is behind the ballot initiative.
According to financial filings with the Arkansas Ethics Commission, the Choctaw Nation is behind Local Voters in Charge, with donations totaling more than $5.6 million to the organization trying to stop the fourth casino from opening in Arkansas.
“There are folks that want to say that this is just about Pope County, but really, it is a much bigger issue than just Pope County,” Striritz said.
Other groups in Arkansas oppose legalized gambling. The Arkansas Problem Gambling Council has seen a 22% increase in calls for help this year, according to KATV, the ABC affiliate in Little Rock.
THAT’S ALL, FOLKS! Thank you for voting! Leslie