Checking absentee ballots

Those of you who vote by absentee ballot may have sent your ballot in a week or more ago. The election seems slow in coming to people who have already voted. The Dept. of Elections is already processing absentee ballots and if you are worried about whether yours arrived safely at City Hall, you can check on their website to see if they have it. Go to Dept. of Elections and enter the number of your house, your zip code and date of birth and you will quickly be told whether or not your ballot has reached them. It's good to know your choice is getting through and you will have some impact on the city. For those of you who haven't voted yet--only a few more days to go. Be sure to get your ballot in by Tuesday, November 6.

How's the Constitution?

The United States Constitution has been the governing document of the country for more than 200 years. Hundreds of government officials and judges have tried to figure out exactly what the authors of the Constitution meant and how their rules should be applied to laws and regulations in the modern world. Professor Larry Sabato, in today's S.F. Chronicle offers a radical suggestion, instead of struggling to align current realities with constitutional law, we should hold a new constitutional convention and rewrite portions of the original document. His suggestion is breathtaking in its boldness, and is unlikely to be implemented soon, if ever. Many people agree with a companion article, which maintains that changing the Constitution would be dangerous and misguided. Withoug taking sides on the issue, thoughtful citizens should be grateful to Prof. Sabato and the Chronicle for raising the issue. Politicians are prone to tinker with difficulties, accommodating to difficult constitutional mandates like the allocation of Senatorial seats and the Electoral College. Every once in a while it is good to think about the fundamentals and at least consider the possibility of radical change--just as our Founding Fathers did all those years ago.

Setting new records

San Francisco may be poised to set new records during this year's quiet November election. According to an article in the S.F. Chronicle, this may be the first year in which absentee voters outnumber voters who go to the polls. The reason for this is that people who register to vote absentee are far more likely than other registered voters to actually cast a ballot. They have a range of times when they can sit down and make out their ballot at their convenience, whereas in-person voters may get caught up in events on Election Day and never get to the polls at all. Whether this change in voting patterns is good or bad is a matter of opinion. If the pattern holds, campaigning schedules may have to shift their focus to earlier in the fall because many absentee voters have made their choices weeks before Election Day. This year, however, the city may set another record, which is surely undesirable. November 2007 may have the lowest voter turnout ever in San Francisco. This prediction is based on the slow rate at which absentee votes are coming in, far more slowly than in the last two mayoral elections. Why is this? No one knows for sure, but the candidate races are not exciting. Everyone claimed to know who the winners would be before the first vote was cast. And ballot measures rarely excite voters enough to get them out to the polls. Add to that the debates over aging voting machines and the fact that returns are likely to be very slow in coming, and you get a situation in which only the most devoted civic activists will think it worthwhile to get out and vote. This is not good for anyone. The habit of voting grows with practice and the simple act of casting a ballot makes a citizen an active participant with full rights to complain and try to change government actions. If anyone needs encouragement to vote, they might turn to the League's clear and objective statements on the pros and cons of each ballot measure for the November election. The statements are published today in the Entertainment section of the Chronicle. Read them, decide on your position, and then you can relax and choose your weekend movie.

Understanding our world

Parents have ambitious goals for schools. They hope their children will learn the skills needed to work and live in a fast changing world, but worry about whether there is time for them to learn all they need to know. A report in today's S.F. Chronicle gives a discouraging picture of how little little they are learning about the basic principles of how the world works. Science education has almost disappeared from the lower grades of elementary schools as the mandatory tests in reading and math take up more and more time in classrooms. Eighty percent of teachers report they spend less than an hour a week teaching science, yet it is studying science that develops a child's curiosity and sense of wonder about the world. Most scientists working today report that they learned to love science as children. Our need for well-trained scientists is growing, but will our children be able to fill that need if they never hear about science while they are young? Parents and other adults need to keep their eyes on the schools and encourage them to teach the skills and knowledge children will need for the difficult future they face.

It really has changed our lives

People keep saying that the Internet has changed our lives, but many of us don't think much about that as we go about our lives. It is only when something dramatic happens--like the wildfires racing through Southern California--that we realize how differently we experience events now. In years past we grew accustomed to television coverage of major fires, but watching an event on TV is different from listening to someone on a small video on your computer talking about his experiences. We can watch and listen and send the video link to friends in the East or around the world who don't understand how involved everyone in California feels. And for other distant friends who think San Francisco is likely to be lapped by flames any day now, we can send an interactive map of exactly where the fires are. As volunteers rush to the scene to help displaced people, we all somehow feel part of a community, brought together, not separated by technology.

Sorting out the candidates

The run-up to the 2008 presidential election already seems the longest campaign in memory. Week after week goes by with more statements by candidates of both of the major parties, an occasional candidate dropping out (Brownback the latest) and even new candidates joining the ranks. There are rumors of a third party candidate sponsored by conservative Republicans, and Michael Bloomberg has his bankbook ready in case he is called. How are voters going to sort out all the possibilities? One new initiative by the National League of Women Voters is preparing voters guide to candidates for the presidential candidates:
At Council 2007 a number of Leagues signed a petition, initiated by the Maryland, National Capitol Area and the Virginia Leagues, asking LWVUS to produce a Voters’ Guide for the 2008 Presidential candidates. The LWVUS Board accepted this proposal, and, with the help of these three Leagues, will undertake this crucial voters' service project. Only candidates that meet the LWVUS criteria will be invited to provide answers to the LWVUS questionnaire.
This will be a helpful tool for League chapters all over the country. Citizens from Tampa to San Francisco can look forward to having balanced, objective information available in time for them to decide how to mark their ballots. Once again the League is offering a practical service to make voting easier and help keep democracy flourishing.

State League talks about voting

Belva Davis, who hosted the SF League's forum with candidates for sheriff and district attorney last week, is hosting a Special Edition of her "This Week in Northern California" on Friday, Oct. 19 on KQED, Channel 9. The topic is Voting and Voter Confidence guests include former mayor, Willie Brown, Henry Brady Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at UC Berkeley, Carla Marinucci, Political Reporter with the S.F. Chronicle and the League's own Susan Clark, Founder of the EasyVoter Guide. The program promises to be a fascinating exploration of why many California voters are disillusioned with politicians who seek to represent them and are suspicious of the voting process itself. If you cannot watch tonight, the program will be repeated on Channel 9 on Sunday at 4 am and 4 pm. It will also be available on FM and digital radio, check the listings.

How do they manage?

The most often read news story in the SF Chronicle this morning, according to its website, is a report on how a family of four are struggling to live in the city on $53,000 a year. Despite each parent having a job, this young family finds it difficult to raise their two daughters and avoid credit card debt. Most people who live in the city will not be surprised at the difficulties they face, despite having found an apartment for a reasonable $750 a month. When we listen to Congressional leaders argue about whether children from "middle class families" ought to be eligible for state-supported health insurance, we should ask whether they are talking about children in expensive coastal cities or in rural Nebraska. Life in the Bay Area is different from life in other regions and many of our problems have to be addressed locally. What can we do about supporting affordable housing, childcare, and healthcare? The first step is to elect leaders who understand the problems and then to keep tabs on them to make sure they do something. As the League recognized many years ago, "Democracy is not a spectator sport" and unless we vote in every election and make our voices heard, we shouldn't expect to solve many problems.

Is this what we need?

The latest plan for solving California's budget woes and easing the health care crisis seems to be to privatize the state's lottery operations. California is only one of many states that are considering selling their lotteries to large financial institutions who would operate them. According to an in-depth New York Times article this morning, states would get several billion dollars immediately while the private companies would earn longterm profits from the lotteries. As in all these privatization schemes, the idea is that private firms would advertise more effectively (billboards on the Golden Gate Bridge? on your local Little League field?) to attract new customers to buy lottery tickets. Although they don't say so, they would probably cut costs by firing civil servants with pensions and health benefits and hiring cheaper employees without benefits. Before Governor Schwarzenegger takes any position on this, he ought to think long and hard about the longterm consequences of putting one of our chief sources of school funding into the hands of private investors. Don't let this become a stealth move. Now is the time for citizens to use their power and let legislators know what they think. Perhaps the public will accept this idea, perhaps not, but at least our voices should be raised loud and clear on the issue

Biggest election year ever

If you think we've been having too many elections recently, just wait till next year. 2008 is going to be the heaviest election year most of us can remember. Somehow it seemed like a good idea, a few months ago, to move the presidential primary election from June to February, but no one thought to move the Congressional primaries ahead. Voters will be going to the polls on February 5, and again on June 3, and all of this is just working up to the BIG ONE on November 4, 2008, when we will be voting for Presidential and Congressional plus Supervisors in half of San Francisco's districts (the odd numbered ones) as well as other local officials. For help in keeping up with all this, visit the Department of elections website to see a calendar of upcoming elections through 2010. The League will be working hard next year to bring information about candidates and ballot measures to voters, but it won't be easy. Why not think about joining the League and helping in the effort?

Are we having an election?

After plowing through the weighty Sunday newspapers, readers might have been confused about which year this is. There is plenty of news about elections in 2008, but we're not there yet, are we? What about the election that's coming up next month? Does San Francisco really have to go to the polls again? The answer is yes, but if you still don't know which offices we are filling, or who is running, you're not alone. This is a time when the League shows its value by letting citizens learn about the candidates and ballot measures they are asked to decide about. On Tuesday, October 9, potential voters will have a rare chance to see the two candidates for Sheriff answer questions from the community and also hear an interview with District Attorney Kamela Harris, who is running unopposed. The forum will be held at the San Francisco Public Library at 100 Larkin Street at 6:00 PM. If you can't make that that event, you'll be able to view reruns on SFGov TV later this month. We'll keep you posted on the schedule for that, so visit www.sfvotes.org frequently over the next few weeks.

Who is running for mayor?

San Francisco has an important election coming up in November, although not too many people are excited about it. A number of candidates are running for mayor, but the media agrees that Mayor Newsom will be reelected, so they seldom bother telling us about the others. Some candidates have picked up endorsements, such as one from the Bay Guardian , but few people have heard of them nonetheless. The League of Women Voters is one organization dedicated to allowing citizens to hear the views of candidates for public office. On Thursday, October 11, there will be a forum for mayoral candidates. Details are given elsewhere on this page (http://www.sfvotes.org). You can submit questions to be asked at the forum and listen to the candidates' responses. The League never endorses candidates, but it is dedicated to giving them a chance to express their views.

But where can I park?

Salon.com starts its article about America's parking problems with the news that in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, there are 250,000 more parking spaces than there are cars registered, yet still people complain they can't find a place to park. Even though more and more of the urban and suburban landscape is filling up with concrete parking lots, no one is happy about parking. People's tolerance for the distance they will walk from a parking place to their destination is very short. Cars circle the closest parking lot hoping for a spot even though other lots stand empty a few blocks away. People in San Francisco are familiar with the struggle over how much downtown parking should be provided. Is raising the fees on parking meters a solution? Only if the meters are monitored and tickets given regularly. Would short-haul buses circling downtown stores and taking people to more distant parking lots help? Many solutions have been proposed, but success appears far off. It is a problem we will have with us for years to come until Americans adjust their livestyles.