More Than the Presidency

The sad fact of every election is drop off. No, it's not that disease that happens when your arm falls off. Drop off is when people only vote in the presidential race, ignoring everything else on the ballot. Many people each election either don't know who the other candidates and propositions are, or don't feel they are educated enough to make a decision.

This has to stop. What good is it to only focus on the presidency and ignore the local issues and politicians who have a day-to-day impact on your life?

So some folks at the ACLU Foundation in California have started a non-partisan campaign to connect with young voters and ask them to pledge that they will "go all the way" (no pun intended) on November 4.

This week the ACLU Foundation launched a Facebook Application that I am a big fan of, as well as a website and SMS campaign where people can text their pledges to friends.

The best part is the chance to win a free Nintendo Wii if you recruit tons of people to the application.

Onward Oregon, in conjunction with the Bus Project, is also encouraging folks to Fill Out Your Whole Ballot by asking for a pledge:

"As excited as we all are by the Presidential and Senate races, here in Oregon we have some very important local races, the outcomes of which are likely to have a profound impact on the direction our state takes. Each of your votes is important, and participation becomes critical the further “down” the ballot you look."

At their website Whole Ballot, anyone from any state can sign up to pledge to vote the whole ballot online.

The same is true for the League of Conservation Voters in Oregon who published this recent video assuming success for Obama and reminding voters that the new president will need "a team behind him":


Also, in a poem to young voters, vlogger Jay Smooth recently admonished folks against getting overwhelmed by the pre-election excitement, only to drop the ball on election day:



I assume that ya'll know what you're doing because you read Wiretap. Therefore, you should pledge today! Friends don't let friends drop off.