I, like many of you, went out a week ago and voted. I believe strongly in exercising this right of mine. I also believe strongly that if you don't know what you are doing when you step into the voting booth, you have no business being there.
When I stepped into my voting booth last Tuesday (3 year old in tow, wanting desperately to know how you vote, and can she vote, blabber blabber blabber....) there were 2 of 4 amendments on my ballot that I didn't feel I knew enough about to vote either way on. I skipped over these 2.
Now I find out that here in Wyoming, a skipped vote is a "no" vote. In other words, by choosing not to vote either way for those amendents, I was actually voting no on them.
I'm just outraged about this! No where on the ballot was I warned of this. My brother said he did notice something mentioned of this on the sample ballot mailed out 2 weeks prior to the election, but it was not on the actual ballot. I think this is dirty! Seriously, why even bother having a option for voting no? Just have a yes column!
Is this common practice, does anyone know? Am I wrong to feel this is just plain wrong?
It sounds wrong to me! What's the procedure for challenging a ballot after an election?
Hmmmm ... that would be a state statute so it's going to vary. still, there should have been some type of in-your-face notification.
-G
By 
DementedPhotographer, at
8:18 AM
Christine, I'm sorry! I don't think it's that way in Texas, but that's no doubt something that would vary from state to state. It should definitely have been made clear to you, though, and not just on the sample ballot. I'd be frustrated, too.
By Lisa @ The Plain-Spoken Pen, at
9:32 AM
Wow, here a blank vote isn't recorded as a vote...that's bullshit!
That's just wrong, You should be able to say yes/no/or abstain. A blank vote should never be a yes or no vote. I wonder how many other people did the same thing you did?
Now, lets think about this people. What does voting "for" something mean? It means that whatever you are voting "for" has earned your vote- the contest in an election is to "earn" votes. When I vote for, say, John Kerry, I'm not voting against Bush, I'm voting for Kerry. Thus if you don't vote on something it is still the same as a "no" because you aren't giving that measure a vote because it hasn't earned it. Think of "yes" and "no" as two cadidates.
