Comment by Deas

October 29, 2008 @ 4:27 pm

Don’t be dissuaded from voting absentee if you, like me, are a McCain supporter, though. Vote if you’re informed and convinced that your choice is well made. If you’re unsure, don’t hand your vote to peer pressure (for any candidate).

Pingback by Americans abroad can still vote | BLACK TOKYO

October 29, 2008 @ 5:45 pm

[…] There’s less than a week to go until the U.S. presidential election, but Americans living in Japan can still cast their votes! Check out Trans-Pacific Radio for more details on absentee ballots. […]

Comment by Garrett DeOrio

October 30, 2008 @ 2:07 am

Vote if you’re informed. . .

Even if your party’s candidates aren’t.

(I meant that, though. And I’m still a registered Republican.)

Enough of my bias. What I sought to point out in the post is the well-documented fact that new registrants, people under 30, and registered Democrats (all groups that favor Obama) are historically less likely to actually turn out and vote than retirees and registered Republicans (groups that favor McCain, albeit not by much. It’s health care, stupid!)

My former roommate (registered Dem, NC) has been getting the e-mails and robo calls reminding him to settle any outstanding warrants and make sure his taxes are in order before showing up to vote and to bring his valid tax receipts from last year. This also happened in 2000, when I lived in SC. Wonder who those calls were from.

There are and will be dirty tricks all around, so the point is for all sides to remember that voting happens independent of all else. Send in those provisional ballots, dot your i’s, corss your t’s, do all you can to get the proper information in order, follow the instructions to the letter, and understand that there’s still a very good chance that your ballot won’t be counted.
Nonetheless, you have to try.

And if you’re undecided, toss a vote the Socialists’ way - they’ll be really excited to get it, they’ve never had one before and McCain’s had lots.