Voting Can Be Easier Than You Think

How would you like a cup of coffee with that ballot? How would you like to vote in your morning robe ... or out of it? How would you like to cast your ballot after your eggs and before your bacon? And how about a refill on that orange juice while you cast your vote?

What, they don't serve breakfast with the ballots at your polling place? Then you should use an absentee ballot.

We just voted. We did it at the kitchen counter over a cup of coffee. We discussed each candidate and ballot issue. We read the local newspaper's Election Guide by the League of Women Voters, which outlined each candidate and each issue. We even had our laptop there, to do any last minute googling. I was expecting to be out of town and requested an absentee ballot, (never did that before).

Every vote was thoughtful and we didn't forget which way we wanted to vote on Issues 4 and 5 either. Those are Ohio's confusing and competing non-smoking measures. Issue 4 is actually supported by the tobacco industry while Issue 5 is not but both are worded to make it sound like they are a vote against the tobacco industry. Thank goodness we had time to read about them and figure out what was really going on --- something we couldn't do if we were standing in private little voting booths while someone else was waiting to get in right behind us.

Anyone is allowed to vote with an absentee ballot. You don't even need a reason. Lots of people use it to avoid long poll lines. Some people use it because they just don't trust electronic voting machines. After all, if Robin Williams can get elected President, there is some reason for doubt (and a lot of reason for humor). A quick google for "don't trust voting machines" shows that there is no shortage of news articles and web sites that have pointed out why easy it is to rig the computers and the results. The machines have even been banned in some places. A little caution can be a healthy thing.

But for me, what was the best part about how we voted this year? I had my slippers and robe on. Now, that's easy voting. If you didn't use an absentee ballot this election, remember to request one next time. But don't wait until it's too late. Do it early. Check out some Election Tips on how to vote so you can be sure you do it "legal" too because voting is the most important legal right you have.

Who you vote for is your own choice. Who did I vote for? Well, obviously Marc Dann for Ohio Attorney General. Why? Partly because I remember very well what his opponant did, and more importantly did not, do for Ohio consumers when she was Ohio's AG before, and I don't want to see that happen again. And, others have also recalled how The AG's office has been used, some say misused, in order to protect and even promote big business interests at the expense of Ohio's consumers.

Mostly, though, I voted for Marc Dann because I think it's time we got rid of the professional politicians who have been running Ohio (into the ground) for the last eight years. It's time we had an Attorney General who cared about children and consumers again.

We have a Lemon Law and other Consumer Protection Laws. What we need now is an Attorney General who wants to enforce them. That's Marc Dann.