Election Scorecard (aka I don't think I really belong here)
This makes me pretty depressed.
FederalU.S. PresidentMy vote: Bob Barr, Libertarian party.
Washington State's vote: Barack Obama (D)
Bob Barr's percentage: something like 0.34, whatever it doesn't matter. Probably about the same as his national percentage in the popular vote
U.S. Representative, District 7My vote: Steve Beren (R)
Justification: I agree with him on pretty much everything except the Iraq war, and I disagree with Jim McDermott (D) on pretty much everything except the Iraq war. McDermott gets bonus points for being the only U.S. Representative who voted *for* the bailout the first time around, and *against* it the second time. But he still voted for it once.
District 7's vote: Jim McDermott by a gigantic margin.
StatewideGovernorMy vote: Dino Rossi (R)
This one is still up in the air. Probably won't know until tomorrow at the earliest, several days or weeks from now at the latest.
LATE EDIT: Gregoire (D) wins in a close-but-nearly-as-close-as-2004 race.
Lt. GovernorMy vote: Marcia McCraw (R, although a very liberal R)
Washington State's vote: Brad Owen (incumbent D) by a decent margin
Secretary of StateMy vote: Jason Osgood (D)
Justification: A former software developer (!), who opposes the barcodes incumbent Sam Reed (R) put on ballots in some counties. Heavily skeptical of electronic voting machines, and seems like the smarter and more capable candidate.
Washington State's vote: Sam Reed by a decent margin
Initiative 985: Open carpool lanes during non-peak hours, new red-light cameras, new timing of traffic lights, a bunch of stuff that should reduce congestion on roads, etc. etc.
My vote: No
Justification: I actually like transit (I really do), I just don't like how ST Prop 1 wants to fund it. So I think this is stupid and just encourages more drivers
Washington State's vote: NO. !!??
This vote has the very real possibility of being the only measure or candidate on which/for which I voted which actually passes/is elected.State LegislatureDistrict 37, Position 2My vote: Ruth E. Bennett, Libertarian
Justification: She's pretty much a straight up Libertarian (on taxes, social policy, fiscal policy, etc.) who happens to have an emphasis on Gay rights activism. Yes please.
District 37's vote: Incumbent Eric Pettigrew (D), by a huge margin so far. This one really surprised me...Bennett got 7% of the popular vote for Lt. Governor in 2000, and 2% for Governor in the hotly contested 2004 race. I thought that she might have actually connected with some local voters here...I guess not.
Seattle propositionsProposition 1: tax dollars to renovate/support Pike Place Market
My vote: No
Justification: PPM is a tourist trap. Sure it's fun to walk down there and enjoy the crowds, but seriously, how many Seattlites go there to do ANYTHING (or buy anything) on a regular basis? Very few. If it needs renovating, charge more for business tenants' rent. Institute a market-wide sales tax. Do something that gets the money from the people who actually go to the damn place and spend money - not everyone in Seattle. Blargh.
Seattle's vote: Yes
Proposition 2: tax dollars for Seattle parks.
My vote: no.
Justification: Yeah, I'm an Ultimate player, I was supposed to support this thing. More fields! More turf! Sweet, right? Except the money, again, comes from everyone in Seattle. If I'm using the fields and the parks, I don't mind paying more for league fees if it means my taxes (and everyone's) are lower. Fund the projects through usage fees on the people who use them, not through taxes on everyone, when none of us have a choice.
Seattle's vote: Yes
Sound Transit Proposition 1: TRANSIT NOW!!1!1!!1one
My vote: no
Justification: Pretty much see above. Blah. I'm getting tired of typing this. I love transit as much as the next guy (I take the bus almost every day), but again I disagree with the tax structure used to pay for the proposed projects. Transit should be funded by the people who use it, and if it's not cost-effective compared to other means of transportation, then it shouldn't be successful. Fuck more sales taxes.
King/Pierce/Snohomish Counties' vote: Yes.
AppendicesSeattle measure resultsMost state-wide results/state legislative resultsSound transit resultsNote: I called most of these races without all of the votes counted, just like CNN. If I prematurely admitted defeat for myself, then sweet! I'll correct it in the morning.