From: b645zaw@utarlg.uta.edu (Stephen Tice)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc
Subject: -= I Voted Today =-
Date: 16 Oct 92 23:19:00 GMT
Organization: The University of Texas at Arlington
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

The new Texas Early-Voter rule lets me and fellow Texans vote
for President without having to try to work around the crunch
on November 3rd. We're making progress here, there's still a
long way to go to see that every American has a voice and a vote.

First off I had to find out where to go, different place than
where I voted in the primaries. So I called the county court
house and got a recording which said the phone would ring until
someone could help me. I waited 47 rings, and hung up.

Next I called the local campaign office for this district's US House
Rep., Martin Frost (D). That office is located only about 3/4 mile
from where I live, and the phone number was handy since they had
literally dropped of a package of campaign notices on my door step.
I asked where I could vote early, and was directed to a Sub-Court House
which is about a mile away, but still closer than my regular voting
place. I was encouraged to just to mark the straight Democratic block,
to which I chuckled and said goodbye.

After pulling out my clippings and reference file, with the League
of Women Voters' flyers and other info which I'd dug up at the library,
I put together a tentative list of who to vote for besides President
and Congress Rep. Well armed with facts, I set out for the Sub-Court
House, preferring to walk for the exercise. The path I selected took
me straight through the middle of a grave yard a few blocks over, and
within sight of the Court House.

A lot of the stones there stood witness that the person remembered
had served in war time -- Corporals, and Sargeants, and a Fleet Officer
-- their ranks all abbreviated. Most lay side by side with their
wife. Many other markers had Crosses and Masonic emblems. A few had
epitaphs. Before I left the graveyard, the last graves I passed over
were those of the babies and young children. I prayed that all the
good spirits who's bodies were put to rest, would share with us the
struggles of these times -- God willing, (all of them... those who
protected us and those who gave us birth and nurture, and those who
had never had our chance to dream).

On arriving at the Sub-Court House the signs for Early-Voters were
well laid out. I went up two flights of stairs, passed a notice prohi-
biting electioneering beyond, and took my place at the back of the
line. The couple in front of me were talking to each other. After
reading the sample ballot on the wall, He said, "I wish I *could* vote
straight Libertarian." Then He told Her, "I still don't know who I'm
voting for even now. My gut tells me to vote Bush, but I want to vote
Perot." They were called in to have their registrations checked,
standing at the counter marked "Undeclared." I was motioned down the
next counter, to wait for a moment while a lady ahead received her
ballot. The line stayed pretty much constant, about 25 people, all
during the time I was there, (counting people at the tables and at
the stands).

The attendent looked over my registration card, entered my name and
address on the roll, had me sign, and then walked over to a filing
cabinet to get my ballot out of the file. I took it, thanked her and
walked over to the empty stand on the end farthest from the door.

The ballot was much larger than legal size paper, perhaps 17"x11".
After reading the instructions a second time, which told about how any
other party votes made, would still be counted if you voted straight
ticket, and showed how to blacken the appropriate center blank of each
"arrow" which pointed to the candidate desired, I marked the arrow for
Perot/Stockdale. And for the Libertarians listed on the ballot, and
the challenger for US House, a Republican named Masterson (who one
of the local leftist papers had spent a good deal of ink trying to
color black as sin). After marking a few others I know something of,
I took out my notes and looked for the incumbents, so I could vote
for the challenger.

My votes went like this (please pardon the abbreviations)...

     President/Vice President        Ross Perot/James Stockdale
     US Repr. #24                    Masterson  (r)
     Railroad Commissioner           Draheim    (l)
     J. Supr. Ct. #1                 Adask      (l)
     J. Supr. Ct. #2                 Spector    (d)
     J. Supr. Ct. #3                 Montgomery (r)
     J. Ct. Crm. Ap. #1              Devany     (r)
     J. Ct. Crm. Ap. #2              Lagarde    (r)
     J. Ct. Crm. Ap. #3              Meyers     (r)
     Board Ed. #11                   Barthel    (l)
     State Senator                   Left Blank (No challengers/write ins)
     State Representative            Left Blank (No challengers/write ins)
     J. 2nd Ct. Crm Ap #3            Weaver     (r)
     Distr. J. #17                   Gabert     (d)
     Distr. J. #48                   Holman     (r)
     Distr. J. #67                   Left Blank (No challengers/write ins)
     Distr. J. #96                   Cox        (d)
     Distr. J. #153                  Curry      (r)
     Distr. J. #213                  Gill       (r)
     Distr. J. #342                  McGrath    (r)
     Distr. J. #352                  Reyes      (d)
     Crm Distr. J. #2                Utt        (d)
     Family J. #360                  Canas      (d)
     Sheriff                         Williams   (r)
     Tax Assessor                    Corthay    (d)
     Constable #2                    Left Blank (No challengers/write ins)

My duty done, I headed on up the street for lunch since it was about
that time. Later, back on my walk and almost at home, I noticed a lot
of the mistletoe branches were laying on the ground out around the trees.
The mistletoe infests many of the great trees in this area, and though
pretty itself, the trees often succumb to other blights having been
weekend by the parasite. Last night we'd had a heavy hail storm, which
battered cars and roofs and the trees. I'd never thought anything good
could come from a hail storm before, but it somehow seems a fitting sign.

And today I am at peace. 

/                        Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it
  Stephen D. Tice        are the issues of life. Put away from thee a fro-
  Arlington Texas        ward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
                  /      Let thine eyes look right on, an let thine eyelids
                         look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy
                         feet, and let all the ways be established. Turn
                         not to the right hand not to the left: remove thy
                         foot from evil.
                                             -- from Proverbs Chapter 4.
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