Voter Guide for Michigan primary

[SharonRB]

http://michigandems.com/Guide.pdf

[MaineDem]

1. Important: Supporters of Biden, Edwards, Obama and Richardson should vote "Uncommitted"

Supporters of Joe Biden, John Edwards, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson are urged
to vote “uncommitted” instead of writing in their candidates’ names because write-in
votes for those candidates will not be counted.

[SharonRB]

2. Exactly!

As well as those of us who are still hoping for a Gore(mir)acle on the floor of the convention.

[Windy]

3. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

Mark me as "uncommitted"

[SharonRB]

4. You're welcome

I'm right there with ya.

[UrbScotty]

5. That makes three of us

[JNelson6563]

6. Make that four

and I know of some other Dems planning to do same. :toast:

Julie

[SharonRB]

7. We need to spread the word far and wide

that this is the best solution if your candidate is not on the ballot. We cannot let Hillary take the state without a fight. Tomorrow night is our Oakland County Dems holiday party -- I'm sure this will be a topic of discussion.

[noamnety]

8. I am not sure about this.

It's fine for me; I'm voting for Kucinich (or Gravel if Dennis pisses me off between now and then, which is possible). However, if I were supporting one of the nonlisted candidates, I am not sure I'd go for this:

A vote for “uncommitted” is a vote to send delegates to the Democratic National Convention who are not committed or pledged to any candidate. Those delegates can vote for any candidate they choose at the Convention."

How do you know an uncommitted delegate isn't going to decide to vote for Clinton?

[SharonRB]

9. If a delegate wanted to be a delegate for Clinton

they would run as a delegate for Clinton, not as an uncommitted delegate. In my case, I'm planning to run as an uncommitted delegate and try to get selected from the 12th district as such. I doubt there would be uncommitted delegates who would vote for Hillary. I was going to vote for Dodd, but I think there's a better chance that we'll have at least 15% uncommitted than that we'll have 15% for Dodd. My vote will mean more as an uncommitted vote.

If you're supporting Dennis, then you should vote for him. It's all those Edwards, Biden, Richardson and Obama people who should definitely vote uncommitted. I was torn, since I could vote for Dodd, but I'm going with uncommitted. It's also to allow for the very, very outside chance that no one will have enough votes at the convention and they'll need a consensus candidate -- and Gore could be drafted from the convention floor. I know this is probably not going to happen, believe me, but there is that one in a million chance.

Of course, if our delegates really don't get seated, none of this will matter anyway.

[livvy]

10. How does one become a delegate?

I probably should know this, but I don't.

I'm glad you posted this. It's really important for people to know. I think without this knowledge, most people would write in their candidate, and I don't mean Ima Voter or Mickey Mouse.

on edit: Nevermind....Google is my lazy-arse's friend.

[SharonRB]

12. I assume you found the delegate selection plan

at the MDP site. I'm planning to "run" for delegate in our district. I think applications will be available next month. The information you need to provide is pretty basic.

The Gore folks, I believe, are going to be starting a more visible campaign to get people to vote uncommitted. I've removed myself from the movement, so I don't know the details.

As maddog says below, though, the miniscule possibility of Gore being drafted on the convention floor really entices me. Other than that, anything to keep HRC from getting all of our delegates works for me, too. Spread the word: VOTE UNCOMMITTED IN THE JANUARY 15 PRIMARY IF YOU DON'T HAVE A CANDIDATE ON THE BALLOT.

:hi:

[maddogesq]

11. It's the Big Al chance that wets my whistle here.

Gosh, what a great thing ifn he were to jump into this thing. I am not counting on it, but I did grow up with "When You Wish Upon A Star." :)

[SharonRB]

13. The best, albeit unlikely, scenario would be

that no one is the clear winner at the convention -- votes are pretty evenly split among Hillary, Obama and Edwards, or some such thing. Then a back room deal is cut to make Gore the consensus candidate and he comes riding in on his white horse.

A girl can dream, can't she?

[GigiMommy]

14. Once again, thanks for the information (n/t)

[ray of light]

15. Is the Repbublican Primary the same day as the Democratic one?

Also, are we still allowed to vote in either?

PS. I currently can't download pdfs. Can you post relevant dates for me?

[SharonRB]

16. Yes, it is, and here is the full content -- it's only one page

Voter Guide On The January 15, 2008
Michigan Democratic Presidential Primary
1. Voters will vote at their regular polling places between 7 A.M. and 8 P.M.
2. Voters can vote by absentee ballot if they meet one of the requirements – out of town,
age 60 or older, disability, etc.
3. The deadline to register to vote is 30 days before January 15, 2008 or December 17,
2007.
4. In order to vote at a polling place, a voter must show a photo ID or sign a statement
that they do not have a photo ID with them. Absentee voters do not have to produce a
photo ID.
5. Voters will be asked whether they want a Democratic or Republican ballot, and a
record will be made of which ballot they take.
6. The voter’s choice of candidate will be secret as in all public elections.
7. The Democratic ballot will have 6 choices:
Hillary Clinton
Christopher Dodd
Mike Gravel
Dennis Kucinich
Uncommitted
Write-in
8. A vote for “uncommitted” is a vote to send delegates to the Democratic National
Convention who are not committed or pledged to any candidate. Those delegates can
vote for any candidate they choose at the Convention.
9. Supporters of Joe Biden, John Edwards, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson are urged
to vote “uncommitted” instead of writing in their candidates’ names because write-in
votes for those candidates will not be counted under state law.
Paid for by the Michigan Democratic State Central Committee, 606 Townsend, Lansing, MI
48933, 517-371-5410 and not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.
12/12/07

[ray of light]

17. what difference does it make to vote in the Dem primary IF they are not allowing the delegates to

count?

[SharonRB]

18. I know what you mean

Brewer and everyone else in power doesn't think the DNC will actually follow through and that in the end we'll get seated. I'm not so sure, but I suppose we need to be prepared and have delegates ready to go if that happens. I really like Chris Dodd, but I'm going to vote Uncommitted. You need 15% of the vote for a candidate, including Uncommitted, in a district in order for them to get any delegates. I think Uncommitted has a better shot at getting 15% than Dodd does and I think it's important to have uncommitted delegates at the convention if we get seated. I really don't want to see Hillary run away with all of our delegates.

[ray of light]

19. I am uncommitted. I am considering writing in Colbert or voting Kucinich

[SharonRB]

20. Voting Kucinich is fine if you support him

Writing in Colbert is just a waste of a vote. But if you're truly uncommitted or like someone who is not on the ballot, then uncommitted would be the way to go, in my opinion.

[ray of light]

21. I like Kucinich and so maybe...but I also considered voting on the R ballot and writing in Colbert

Basically, I like Kucinich better than the rest of them. But I happen to like the people not running better!

[SharonRB]

22. LOL -- I'm a Gore girl myself

But it appears my dream is not going to come true.

[MaineDem]

25. I bet the delegates will be seated in Denver

The nominee will want it and everyone will agree to it.

[SharonRB]

26. If we have a nominee already, it won't really matter

It's more important if the convention is deadlocked and there's no clear winner. Then who will seat our delegates?

[PassingFair]

27. Where did the content for that notice come from, Sharon?

We had a meeting for our local club, and
a new "member" was there to tell us that
"Mark" wanted us to change the language!

Also "unbold" the last paragraph, as it gave
too much attention to Biden, Edwards, Obama
and Richardson!

I was GOBSMACKED!

As if the RAILROADING wasn't bad ENOUGH!

[SharonRB]

28. You've GOT to be kidding me!

It came from the MDP, if I recall. It was from a link in an e-mail I got from the MDP on whatever date I originally posted it.

[PassingFair]

29. Nope.

Specifically she wanted the word "urged" removed.

We replace "are urged" with "should".

:crazy:

She comes in and says, "I want you all to know,
I'm a Hillary supporter!".

[SharonRB]

30. Gee, I'm shocked I tell you

Just shocked!

That she's a Hillary supporter. As a new person at your meeting, what kind of authority did she have to tell you that you had to change the wording? Did she identify herself as being from the party and that she was bringing orders down from on high?

[PassingFair]

31. She is a friend of Brewer's (I think)

She kept saying, "Mark said this"
At one point, someone said, we can't speak
for Biden, Edwards, et al, and she said,
and I am NOT MAKING THIS UP...

"Yes we can"
"How can we", says I.
"Mark told me" says she!

"That is NOT EVEN FUNNY", I told her.

She thinks it's a JOKE!

We ended up changing "are urged" to "should" :crazy:

and bolding BOTH the candidates on the ballot (No.6) AND Paragraph No.8 (Pertaining to write-ins not counting)
as a compromise.

[SharonRB]

32. Unbelievable

This just keeps getting more and more absurd.

I'm going to be at Dem club meetings in Royal Oak, Berkley and Birmingham/Bloomfield over the next couple of weeks. It will be interesting to see if they try to pull this at every meeting.

[PassingFair]

33. Let me know is she's an anomaly...

or part of a group!

I'd HATE to think it's a plot or something.

It's bad enough that we are even proceeding with
this TRAVESTY of a primary.

I wish the other candidates would come out with
a STRONGLY worded statement about party rules and
why THEY have honored their pledge to not participate.

[noamnety]

23. I want to thank you again for posting this

I passed it onto the inlaws at a get together, and they asked me to email links to them. I think a whole lot of people have no clue about this. (I sure didn't.)

Are people writing ltte's on this, do you know?

[SharonRB]

24. You're welcome, lw

I don't know if people are writing or not, but I wish the papers would publish this information over and over again as we approach the primary.

[TahitiNut]

34. So, it's an "open primary"??

5. Voters will be asked whether they want a Democratic or Republican ballot, and a
record will be made of which ballot they take.

As an adamant independent (unaffiliated) liberal, does this mean that I can go in and vote in either primary? (Indeed, does it mean that the voter can choose which party's primary they wish to vote in, irrespective of their registered party affiliation?)

I ask this only because, from what I've read over the past year or so, there was an attempt to close the primary to only those whose registrations indicated the party affiliation - with some minimum number of days to make such a registration change.

Anyone know for sure?

[SharonRB]

35. You can vote in whichever party's primary you like

just by asking for either a Democratic or Republican ballot. You do not have to register with a party in Michigan. In some states you have to register as a member of a particular party in order to vote in a primary, but not here.

Just remember that your name will go down as having in voted on a ballot for one party or another and then you will start receiving mail from whichever one you voted on. So, if you're thinking of crossing over and voting for a Repuke, be prepared to get lots of mail from them.

[PassingFair]

36. It might be fun to vote for Ron Paul ...

just to fuck with them.

The option IS open here!

[TahitiNut]

38. It'll be more fun to vote for Dennis Kucinich. At my age (64), it might be my last chance ...

... to vote for a true liberal. :shrug:

I find myself more and more immune to the 'People Magazine' superficials.

[Festivito]

37. A law demanding NOT TO COUNT our votes.

The audacity of NOPE.

What's the punishment for counting the vote of a citizen in our land?

Did they effect a law that stops us from voting in a law to put a noose around the necks of those who put this no-count-the-vote into effect?