Election Today - Please Vote

I just voted.  Took all of 10 minutes from leaving the house to voting to returning home.  Process was quick and easy.  Please get out and vote today if you haven't already voted by mail.


Thanks, Ms. Crystal.  Heading out right now ...


Just voted at the Woodland.  Line was not very long. 


I mailed my ballot Saturday.

Go vote!


I think of the precious right won for all of us at Lexington and Concord............of those who stood their ground at Bunker Hill.  I think of Gettysburg and those who lost their lives in the blood and the sands of Iwo Jima

I imagine my fellow towns people who hesitate to vote because it is raining.   We owe them ,   we owe our children and we owe ourselves to honor them and vote.


Short line just now at Clinton School - they said it was 45 minutes earlier in the morning.  I was #215


joan_crystal said:
I just voted.  Took all of 10 minutes from leaving the house to voting to returning home.  Process was quick and easy.  Please get out and vote today if you haven't already voted by mail.

 When you get there at 6:00 AM it should be quick. It certainly was not that quick at 9:00 AM. This is the first time I have ever encountered an actual Line of more than one or two, and those others were almost certainly in Presidential Elections. 


Voted at the Woodland this morning with our 3rd grader. No "I voted" stickers  LOL  but nevertheless a great feeling to share democracy in action with him.  grin 


Thank you to all the election staffers at the various locations. I just voted over at the town hall and while it was hectic IMO they kept things moving and were as helpful as possible.


Just got back from voting at Clinton school and it was VERY brisk and busy even in this crappy weather. Great to see.


I became a naturalized US Citizen six years ago. There are so many levels of governance in the US (no this wasn’t covered when I was studying for the citizenship test) that I have to be honest, I’m still really confused as to what some candidates actually do! 

 I will definitely vote for the positions of Senator and Congress/House of Representatives.

Votes are being sought for ‘County Executive’, for ‘Sheriff’ for ‘Surrogate’ and for ‘Committee’. My instinct is to vote for the Democrats, but when I asked a doorstep representative for the Dems and asked her, she admitted that she didn’t really know either!

I’m still undecided whether or not to vote at all for these other candidates......




The County Executive, Sheriff, and Surrogate are County offices.  A number of our services are provided at the County rather than municipal or State level.  A simple internet search will give you a definition of what each of them does.  By Committee, I assume you mean the Township Committee in Maplewood.  This body combines the executive and legislative functions at the municipal level.  There is also a school board election and a question on the ballot.  Try going to the League of Women Voters (lwg.org) for information on each of the candidates and a non-partisan explanation of the pros and cons on the ballot question.


The Township Committee is the Governing Body for the Town. They hire and Supervise the Police and Fire Department, the Department of Public Works and some other things. Take your time learning about this. Even a person born in the United States in a different City or State would have to learn these things.

The Board of Education supervises the schools. That should be obvious.

The County Executive is the top person, like a President, Governor or Mayor for the County. We are in Essex County. Frankly I've been studying American Politics all my life and have lived in Essex County over 30 years and I'm not sure what the County Executive does other than put his name and picture on signs. There are County Parks that the County has jurisdiction over.

As to the Sheriff and Surrogate they are administrative positions. The Sheriff has a number of functions including supervising local prisons, providing security for the Courts and serving legal papers.

The Surrogate is head of the office that  deals with Wills and the Estates of people who die.


LOST said:


joan_crystal said:
I just voted.  Took all of 10 minutes from leaving the house to voting to returning home.  Process was quick and easy.  Please get out and vote today if you haven't already voted by mail.
 When you get there at 6:00 AM it should be quick. It certainly was not that quick at 9:00 AM. This is the first time I have ever encountered an actual Line of more than one or two, and those others were almost certainly in Presidential Elections. 

 It wasn't quick for District 3 at Town Hall even at 6am (according to my spouse who was there then.)


LOST said:
 Frankly I've been studying American Politics all my life and have lived in Essex County over 30 years and I'm not sure what the County Executive does other than put his name and picture on signs. 

 Whats up with that?  I've lived in a number of places around the country and I have never seen ANYTHING like that.  


Who's staying up late?

-s.


soda said:
Who's staying up late?
-s.

Me. Of all the candidates I’m cheering for Beto and Stacey Abrams the most. I can’t sleep until these are settled. 


ApplePie said:
I became a naturalized US Citizen six years ago. There are so many levels of governance in the US (no this wasn’t covered when I was studying for the citizenship test) that I have to be honest, I’m still really confused as to what some candidates actually do! 
 I will definitely vote for the positions of Senator and Congress/House of Representatives.
Votes are being sought for ‘County Executive’, for ‘Sheriff’ for ‘Surrogate’ and for ‘Committee’. My instinct is to vote for the Democrats, but when I asked a doorstep representative for the Dems and asked her, she admitted that she didn’t really know either!
I’m still undecided whether or not to vote at all for these other candidates......




 I usually vote Democrat across the line with the exception of county races. Those are usually a shoe-in (easy win). This time it was across the board without exception. 



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