[Vision2020] Voting in Idaho

Thu Nov 20 10:35:23 PST 2014

Maybe people feel disenfranchised from the process and have become cynical about any chance for change in Idaho. Idaho is ruled by the iron fist of the Republican party. The Republican party scoffs at the average voter's intelligence. They nominate people such a incoming Sec of Public Instruction Ybarra just to see how gullible the voters of this state are. Someday I think they will nominate a rock for statewide office just to see if they can get away with that...
      From: "vision2020-request at moscow.com" <vision2020-request at moscow.com>
 To: vision2020 at moscow.com 
 Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2014 9:59 AM
 Subject: Vision2020 Digest, Vol 101, Issue 105

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Today's Topics:

  1. Re: Well, this certainly explains things . . . (Shirley Ringo)
  2. A tribute to . . . (Tom Hansen)

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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 10:07:32 -0700
From: "Shirley Ringo" <ringoshirl at moscow.com>
To: "'Tom Hansen'" <thansen at moscow.com>, "'Moscow Vision 2020'"
    <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Well, this certainly explains things . . .
Message-ID: <00b601d004e4$79972eb0$6cc58c10$@com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

So ? why are the major networks failing to air Obama?s address on immigration reform?

Shirley

From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] On Behalf Of Tom Hansen
Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2014 5:12 AM
To: Moscow Vision 2020
Subject: [Vision2020] Well, this certainly explains things . . .

Courtesy of today's (November 20, 2014) Spokesman-Review.

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Idaho voter turnout ?abysmal? at 38 percent

BOISE ? As Idaho certified its election results Wednesday, it became official: This year was the first time that less than 40 percent of the voting-age population cast ballots in a general election.

?Frankly, it was disappointing,? Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa said. ?We broke through a barrier that we didn?t want to break through.?

The previous low ? 40.21 percent of the voting-age population ? came in the midterm election in 2010, as Idaho has continued to see declining voter participation, a trend that?s been steady since 1980.

Idaho?s not alone ? Ysursa said the national average turnout this year was 38 percent of voting-age population. 

?It?s abysmal,? he said, ?and we need to turn it around.?

Voter turnout was low in Washington as well, largely because of a lack of competitive races at the top of the ticket. 

But voter turnout in Washington generally has been on the upswing in recent years, especially since the advent of voting by mail. Washington dipped below 40 percent of its voting-age population in midterm elections in 1978 and 1990, but it hasn?t happened since then. 

?Generally, it?s robust,? said David Ammons, spokesman for the Washington secretary of state?s office.

Michael McDonald, a University of Florida professor who heads the United States Elections Project, said turnout lagged across the country in states where there weren?t competitive races at the top of the ticket, like hot races for U.S. Senate seats. 

?That said, Idaho usually does better than other states that might have lack of competition,? he said. One factor that tends to work in Idaho?s favor is that it?s one of just eight states that allows voters to register at the polls on Election Day. 

Final turnout figures showed that 56.1 percent of Idaho?s registered voters participated in the election. That translates to just 37.59 percent of Idaho?s voting-age population.

In Washington, 53.5 percent of registered voters cast ballots. The state still is calculating the percentage of the voting-age population, but early estimates put it at roughly 40 percent. In Washington?s midterm election in 2010, 72 percent of registered voters cast ballots, which was 50 percent of the voting-age population.

Ysursa has led efforts to make voting easier in Idaho, from Election Day registration to no-excuse absentee voting and early voting. He has led moves to let 17-year-olds serve as poll workers, and runs a statewide mock election for high school government classes.

?And yet our voting participation has gone down,? he said. 

?We?re building a cycle of nonvoting. We?ve got to reverse that trend. I don?t know what the magic answer is ? I?ve been trying for 40 years.?

Ysursa is retiring this year after four decades in the Idaho secretary of state?s office. 

Kootenai County had the fourth-lowest turnout in the state this month, at 52.1 percent of registered voters.

Idaho?s voter turnout rises in presidential years and hit 74 percent of registered voters ? 57.6 percent of the voting-age population ? in 2012. But it?s still declining overall.

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Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)

 <http://www.moscowcares.com/> http://www.MoscowCares.com

Tom Hansen

Moscow, Idaho

"There's room at the top they are telling you still.

But first you must learn how to smile as you kill,

If you want to be like the folks on the hill."

- John Lennon

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Message: 2
Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 09:59:10 -0800
From: Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com>
To: Moscow Vision 2020 <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Subject: [Vision2020] A tribute to . . .
Message-ID: <064AED3B-97B1-499F-AC0B-05782973E6A2 at moscow.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

. . . IMMIGRATION

http://www.TomandRodna.com/Songs/Immigration/Huddled_Masses.jpg

"Are We a Nation" by Sweet Honey in the Rock
http://www.TomandRodna.com/Songs/Immigration/Are_We_a_Nation.mp3

"Deportees" by Arlo Guthrie
http://www.TomandRodna.com/Songs/Immigration/Deportees.mp3

"I Pity the Poor Immigrant" by Bob Dylan
http://www.TomandRodna.com/Songs/Immigration/Pity_the_Poor_Immigrant.mp3

"These Shoes" by Andrew McKnight
http://www.TomandRodna.com/Songs/Immigration/These_Shoes.mp3

And my personal favorite . . .

"Coming to America" by Neil Diamond
http://www.TomandRodna.com/Songs/Immigration/Coming_to_America.mp3

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FYI, V-Peeps:  President Obama will be making a publicly televised announcement . . . at 5:00 pm today . . . concerning executive action regarding immigration reform.  So . . .

Stay tuned, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)
http://www.MoscowCares.com

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

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