12 August 2008

Vote Today!

Colorado's primary election is today. Polls are open until 7 p.m.

In Denver there are two issues on the ballot that you can vote on, even if you are unaffiliated. Go to the polls and vote no on both. One of the measures (Issue 100) is a deceptively titled anti-immigrant measure described as a car impoundment measure.

The other is a proposal (Referrendum 1A) to change the way citizen initiatives get on the ballot in hte City that doesn't fix the flaws in the process, will sometimes result in unnecessary expenses for the city, and removes an opportunity to get city council members on the record about the measure. The city ballot initiative process is flawed, but this is the wrong solution.

As a Democractic Party of Denver official I will make no recommendations for the primary in Democratic races. I urge Republicans to vote against Carol Chambers, against the incumbent D.A. in El Paso County, and against Doug Bruce.

One of the most fateful races is the race for the 6th Congressional District. The front runner is Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman. If elected to Congress, Coffman would leave his post and allow Governor Bill Ritter to appoint a replacement, probably a Democrat. Coffman has done a miserable job as Secretary of State, so this would be a plus for the state, and Coffman would be hard pressed to be worse than his predecessor, Tom Tancredo, in Congress. On the other hand, there is no reason to believe that Coffman would be any better as a Congressman than he would as a Secretary of State.

Coffman face the Colorado voters again in two years (unless he runs for some other state office), and can't serve more than six in his post. A Congressman can and often does serve for decades in a safe district like the 6th Congressional District of Colorado. A better Republican in the seat could do the state a great deal of good over the years.

2 comments:

Dex said...

i feel like a bit of nitwit for asking, but weren't we supposed to get ballots in the mail for the citywide referenda?

Andrew Oh-Willeke said...

Nope. Only if you ask for one.

I dislike the fact that ballot issues can even be considered at primary elections, which many people don't realize are relevant to them.