Decidin' 2014

Scott Hardie | November 1, 2014
Tuesday is Election Day. Here in Florida, there are two races too close to call. The first is Rick Scott vs. Charlie Crist, aka current governor vs. former governor, aka former Tea Party extremist turned current Republican vs. former Republican turned pretend Democrat, aka huge slimeball vs huge slimeball. My preference is for economist Farid Khavari, who has an appealing platform with something for everybody, but he may as well buy a lottery ticket on Tuesday because he'll have better chances of winning that contest. The other big item on our ballot is an amendment allowing medical marijuana, both sides of which are seeing surprisingly intense campaigning underwritten by corporations. I have a disabled friend who relies on pot to ease his constant pain, and I'd like him not to go to prison for it, so there's my stake in the matter.

How do you feel about the candidates or issues on your ballot? Do you have any predictions, for your own races or others across the nation?

Samir Mehta | November 2, 2014
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Scott Hardie | November 2, 2014
Yeah, I feel the same waning interest in the 2014 election season nationwide. Weak candidates are part of the problem, but mostly it's the way that Obama-bashing has taken over to the point where Democrats join in on it. I like Obama, I think most of the accusations about him are way off base, and I think he's been a much better president than he gets credit for; in fact, he's been in most ways the very president that I had hoped he would be. He governs like an adult, and the endless baseless bashing of him, attempting to provoke anger simply by mentioning his name, is childish.

Something that I've been wondering and can't find online: Is it necessary to fill out the entire ballot when voting? I always feel weird voting whether to retain each of a long list of circuit court judges that I've never heard of and don't care to research.

Steve West | November 2, 2014
You may leave sections blank completely if you wish and even when it says "vote for 3" you may vote for any number from 0 to 3.

Scott Hardie | November 12, 2014
I'm glad that the election and the attack ads and the general hateful negativity is over (although overall Obama-bashing will continue for many months to come). Electing is dirty business: Due to having some medical procedures done, I had been unable to bathe for 40 hours, plus I had bandages all over me, plus I had slimy smelly goop on my chest under my shirt, plus I parked in a dirty dusty field at my precinct's polling place and got dirt blown all over my pants. By the time I walked in the door, I felt filthy -- exactly the right frame of mind for the election of huge slimeball vs. huge slimeball. What do you know, huge slimeball won!

Erik Bates | November 12, 2014
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Samir Mehta | November 12, 2014
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Erik Bates | November 12, 2014
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Scott Hardie | November 22, 2014
I don't like changing constitutions so lightly either, but I at least appreciate that (in Florida if not elsewhere) it requires at least 60% of all voters to pull it off. It can't just be a simple legislative majority or act of governor. That said, requiring 70% or 75% might be an even better threshold.

How long will it be until voting online is as common as absentee voting by mail is today?