Vote!

I'm already back from my citizenship ritual, which took even less time than usual this time around.

The poll workers were very sweet as always, thick spectacles and wrinkled sweaters were in their usual abundance. I liked very much that the plain manila folder in which my ballot was handed to me was transformed via the sympathetic magic of democracy's ceremonial into what the workers insisted on calling "a secrecy sleeve." So cute!

The poll workers outnumbered voters eight to three, and when Eric and I slipped our ballots into the scanner the digital counter went from "7" to "8" and then to "9." I know primary elections for mid-terms aren't exactly expected to be thronged with voters, but do people realize that the Propositions we are voting on this time around represent an attempted corporate power grab that will affect their lives more than many of the splashy candidate contests that apparently otherwise enthuse them more?

For more on why these propositions matter so much, click here, and then follow the links provided there for more information. Do you really think PG&E should be able to throw millions of dollars into misinformation ads to impose scarcely surmountable two-thirds majority requirements on efforts to provide public renewable energy alternatives to their profitable corporate stranglehold on energy provision -- an effort being peddled disgustingly deceptively as giving consumers "a vote"? Well, do you?

I mean, we live in what is designated a highly active highly informed highly progressive neighborhood as these things are tracked by voter registration, campaign contributions, and education attained. Where the hell is everybody? It's truly upsetting and scary.

Please, go and vote if you can and were feeling like giving it a pass.