Saturday, November 1, 2008

Tuesday: Election Day

Polls are open 7 a.m.-8 p.m.

If you still haven’t mailed your absentee ballot, it may be best to hand-deliver it to any L.A. County polling place on Election Day. Mail-in ballots must be received – not postmarked – by 8 p.m. on Nov. 4 to count.

The L.A. County Registrar-Recorder website provides everything a voter needs to know (except who to vote for).

On that note, here are some sources of nonpartisan information about the national and local elections:

FactCheck.org, the Annenberg Foundation’s “nonpartisan, nonprofit ‘consumer advocate’ for voters”

PolitiFact.com, by the St. Petersburg Times and Congressional Quarterly

The Sprint, UCLA professors’ blog about the presidential election

League of Women Voters California Easy Voter Guide and L.A. County voter information page

L.A. County Bar Association
judicial candidate ratings

Los Angeles Times election page, with stories on the state propositions and analysis and “backstory” of local propositions

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"THE 1972 GAY RIGHTS PLATFORM
(Formulated in Chicago, Illinois.)

FEDERAL:

1. Amend all federal Civil Rights Acts, other legislation and government controls to prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations and public services. (1972 Federal-1)

2. Issuance by the President of an executive order prohibiting the military from excluding for reasons of their sexual orientation, persons who of their own volition desire entrance
into the Armed Services; and from issuing less-than-fully-honorable discharges for homosexuality; and the upgrading to fully honorable all such discharges previously
issued, with retroactive benefits. (1972 Federal-2)

3. Issuance by the President of an executive order prohibiting discrimination in the federal civil service because of sexual orientation, in hiring and promoting; and prohibiting discriminations against homosexuals in security clearances. (1972 Federal-3)

4. Elimination of tax inequities victimizing single persons and same-sex couples. (1972 Federal-4)

5. Elimination of bars to the entry, immigration and naturalization of homosexual aliens. (1972 Federal-5)

6. Federal encouragement and support for sex education courses, prepared and taught by Gay women and men, presenting homosexuality as a valid, healthy preference and
lifestyle as a viable alternative to heterosexuality.
(1972 Federal-6)

7. Appropriate executive orders, regulations and legislation banning the compiling,
maintenance and dissemination of information on an individual's sexual preferences, behavior, and social and political activities for dossiers and data banks.
(1972 Federal-7)

8. Federal funding of aid programs of gay men's and women's organizations designed to
alleviate the problems encountered by Gay women and men which are engendered by an oppressive sexist society. (1972 Federal-8)

9. Immediate release of all Gay women and men now incarcerated in detention centers, prisons and mental institutions because of sexual offense charges relating to victimless crimes or sexual orientation; and that adequate compensation be made for the physical and mental duress encountered; and that all existing records relating to the incarceration be immediately expunged. (1972 Federal-9)


STATE:

1. All federal legislation and programs enumerated in Demands 1, 6, 7, 8, and 9 above should be implemented at the State level where applicable. (1972 State-1)

2. Repeal of all state laws prohibiting private sexual acts involving consenting persons;
equalization for homosexuals and heterosexuals for the enforcement of all laws. (1972 State-2)

3. Repeal all state laws prohibiting solicitation for private voluntary sexual liaisons; and laws prohibiting prostitution, both male and female.
(1972 State-3)

4. Enactment of legislation prohibiting insurance companies and any other state-regulated
enterprises from discriminating because of sexual orientation, in insurance and in bonding or any other prerequisite to employment or control of one's personal demesne. (1972 State-4)

5. Enactment of legislation so that child custody, adoption, visitation rights, foster
parenting, and the like shall not be denied because of sexual orientation or marital status.
(1972 State-5)

6. Repeal of all state laws prohibiting transvestism and cross-dressing. (1972 State-6)

7. Repeal of all laws governing the age of sexual consent.
(1972 State-7)

8. Repeal of all legislative provisions that restrict the sex or number of persons entering into a marriage unit; and the extension of legal benefits to all persons who cohabit regardless of sex or numbers. (1972 State-8)”

Anonymous said...

Proposition 8 places into the California Constitution the same language that voters already passed by 61% of the vote in 2000. This is necessary to overturn an outrageous California Supreme Court decision that overturned Proposition 22.

About Proposition 8

Proposition 8 is simple and straightforward. It contains the same 14 words that were previously approved in 2000 by over 61% of California voters: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”

Because four activist judges in San Francisco wrongly overturned the people’s vote, we need to pass this measure as a constitutional amendment to restore the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman.

Voting YES on Proposition 8 does 3 simple things:

• It restores the definition of marriage to what the vast majority of California voters already approved and what Californians agree should be supported, not undermined.

• It overturns the outrageous decision of four activist Supreme Court judges who ignored the will of the people.

• It protects our children from being taught in public schools that “same-sex marriage” is the same as traditional marriage, and prevents other consequences to Californians who will be forced to not just be tolerant of gay lifestyles, but face mandatory compliance regardless of their personal beliefs.

http://www.protectmarriage.com