Election Day

it is illegal for me to serve in the military; my government will not allow me to marry the person I love; I can be discriminated in employment, housing, credit and education, but you know what, I CAN VOTE (and I just did, on Row E).

A lil email to friends

Dear Friends:

Tomorrow, as I'm sure you've heard, is election day. If you've talked to me in the past few weeks (or ever), you know how passionate I am about elections (and voting) and particularly what is at stake in New York this cycle. I know that many of us live in districts that might not be "in play," but the reality is that we all can play a role in the outcome of tomorrow's election.

There are two statewide races in which neither candidate has the majority, the Attorney General's race and the Comptroller's race. I implore you to vote for Eric Schneiderman for Attorney General and Thomas DiNapoli for Comptroller. Votes for these candidates will be votes for government reform, economic justice, women's rights and LGBT equality.

You can learn more about Eric Schneiderman here and Thomas DiNapoli here

The New York State Senate has a slim democratic majority and while tomorrow's results might not see an increase in that majority, we will hopefully see victories for democrats who are better on issues such as marriage equality, if every one plays their part tomorrow same-sex couples could come 4 votes closer to winning this critical right.

In many cases, the most critical outcome of these elections will be the party in power will redraw district lines, which occurs after every census. There is a reason that Republicans had control of the NY State Senate for so many years, they drew their districts. The catch here, this year is that NY is likely going to lose at least 2 Congressional seats throughout the state, therefore the redistricting will also hugely impact our representation nationally. It is critical that democrats maintain control of the Senate, that we retain our super-majority in the Assembly and the Governorship.

Nationwide, New York is viewed as a beacon of progressive values, a conservative or tea-party victory across the state will give huge weight to these platforms and put us in quite a fight in 2012, more so than we are in presently. Mid-term elections always see losses at a national level - Clinton lost about 50 seats in the house, FDR somewhere near 70. It is estimated that tomorrow, the House will lose anywhere from 40-80 seats, and the Senate anywhere from 4 - 9. We've spent the last 2 years with a Democratic controlled White House, Senate and House of Representatives, tomorrow we could see that change.

Tomorrow's election results hold in the balance issues that I know are important to many of you. I know we are all very busy people, but please take the time to go vote tomorrow.

You can find your polling place here

Not sure who to vote for? Check out this tool or ask me!!!

I will be voting on Row E tomorrow, the Working Families Party line, I encourage you to do the same. But honestly, I'll be happy if you just get out and vote!

Here's to democracy and 4am mornings in its name.

Talk soon,

Erin

so the costume ideas didn't work out this year, but a nice dinner with the gf and friends following some serious election work was a lovely trade-off. i'll tuck the brilliant costume idea in my back pocket for next year :) Expect some posts in the coming days regarding the election, and the importance of getting out and voting.

xoxoxo

GOTV for Tony Avella

Working on a Saturday to make sure that Tony Avella wins in the New York State Senate!!! Get Out the Vote because this one is going to be close. GO TONY!

Olberman on Freedom

Why I'm Voting on Row E

But more importantly than Matt Damon wearing a Yankees hat, I support the Working Families Party and their platform.


You can still vote for your candidates, just do it on Row E. Don't know much about the Working Families Party? Well, check out their website. This party pays particular attention to the issues that impact, yup, you guessed it, working families. But beyond that, the issues that they focus on, impact all of us: affordable housing, green jobs, education, healthcare, infrastructure, good jobs, a living wage, equal rights and so much more!!! The more voters who vote on this line, the more candidates will pay attention to these issues! Your vote will still go to your candidate of choice, so don't worry about that. One thing to note: with NY's new paper ballots, only vote for your candidate of choice on one party line. DO NOT vote for a candidate on both Row A (Democrat) and Row E (Working Families Party), if you do this, your vote will not count. Only fill in ONE row!

Don't forget to vote on Nov. 2, 2010. If you aren't sure if you are registered to vote, go here.