On March 5, 2010, the Virginia Senate voted (39-Y 0-N) to pass the Charter change that will move Christiansburg Town elections to November beginning in 2011. Read the rest of this entry »
(Revisiting the past: this blog article was originally published on 4/27/08. Things haven’t changed much. When changes have been suggested, they have either been shot down or shifted into the “Let’s study it until it dies!” file. Visit http:myvaresources.com/blogs/depotdazed and look at the list unter “Hot Topics” on the right hand side. There you will find the results of some of the searches I have done of the Minutes, Town Code, Town Charter, and Comprehensive Plan concerning some of the “Hot Topics” in the Town of Christiansburg.) Read the rest of this entry »
(ORIGINALLY POSTED ON OCTOBER 10, 2009. WITH MAY ELECTIONS AROUND THE CORNER, THEN MORE AGAIN IN NOVEMBER, I THOUGHT IT WORTHWHILE TO REPOST FOR ANY WHO MAY HAVE MISSED IT.)
Given the current political climate, is it any wonder that rumors of acts of intimidation and coercion of voters at ALL levels of government are running rampant? People watching the State elections are hoping to be able to use such issues as voter turnout and how people vote as a barometer of how will the 2010 elections will go. Locally, people are watching to see how things are likely to go concerning future growth, economic development, and if special interests groups prevail. Oh, yes! We have our special interest groups at the local level as well as the State and National level. Take a look around at signs and where they are located, see who is coming out to support a candidate or referendum, take the time to watch some of the videos of candidate forums and voter guides that can be found that the LWVs of Montgomery County website. Try to determine if there are patterns that would indicate a particular bias. (By the way, a special interest group can be comprised of one person striving to obtain or keep control, or to push a specific agenda, or it can be a group of people.)
However, no matter what gets said or done, when you step into that voting booth, you are the only one who will know how you vote. You are the determining factor of whether or not YOU want things to stay the same or if you want things to change. If you choose change, then you are the one to decide how you want that change to occur. Those are some of your rights as a citizen who is a registered voter.
A lot of people fear change, and that is most often the tool that is used to intimidate people. “Keep things the way they are or else things will be a lot worse!” The first question I ask myself when I hear such comments is … “worse for whom?” … because there is some motivation behind the original statement. People don’t just go around spouting such comments because they have some extra oxygen to use up! They have a reason. As a voter, I want to know what that reason is in order to evaluate the argument.
While there are very few limiting factors to keep people from forcing their version of truth on other people publicly, or from intentionally misrepresenting issues in order to sway your vote, there is nothing to prevent you from doing your own evaluation and voting your own conscience when you step into that voting booth. In fact, there are certain protections to which you are legally entitled.
The Virginia State Board of Elections provides a good overview of the Rights and Responsibilities of Voters. Within this document, you will find a section “Acts of Election Fraud and Misrepresentation” that includes a full list of issues that are violations of that law, and which you, as a voter, have a right and a responsibility to report. Tow of the examples found on that list are:
The Virginia Code offers this as well:
§ 24.2-1005. Bribery, intimidation, etc., of person receiving ballot.
Any person who (i) by threats, bribery, or other means in violation of the election laws, attempts to influence any person in giving his vote or ballot or by such means attempts to deter him from voting; (ii) furnishes a ballot to a person who he knows cannot understand the language in which the ballot is printed and misinforms him as to the content of the ballot with an intent to deceive him and induce him to vote contrary to his desire; or (iii) changes a ballot of a person to prevent the person from voting as he desired, shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
This section applies to any election and to any method used by a political party for selection of its nominees and for selection of delegates to its conventions and meetings.
(1970, c. 462, § 24.1-271; 1993, c. 641.)
This section of the code is what caused the uproar over businesses giving away free items to those people who came in with proof that they had voted during the ‘08 election. In that case, there was never any evidence to indicate that there was a relationship with any specific voting pattern, simply acknowledging how important it was to go vote!
What would happen in a situation where workers gave their employees time off with the understanding that the employees would vote a certain way? It’s happened in the past and it could happen again. This would be a clear violation of voting laws.
These regulations/laws did not just magically appear as laws one morning. Rather, they were laws devised AFTER these very types of behaviors had occurred. Laws develop as a need to control human behavior when people are unwilling or unable to control themselves. The State of Virginia also provides a means for citizens to report such activities:
How to report violations of election laws & your Rights:
IF YOU FEEL YOUR VOTING RIGHTS HAVE BEEN VIOLATED OR THAT YOU MAY HAVE WITNESSED AN ELECTION LAW BEING BROKEN, IMMEDIATELY contact the State Board of Elections at 1-800-552-9745 or info@sbe.virginia.gov, or use the Instant Polling Place Feedback report on the SBE website to contact SBE and your local voter registration office at the same time.
IF YOUR PROBLEM REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ATTENTION, DO NOT DELAY REPORTING IT. SOME ISSUES CAN ONLY BE ADDRESSED BEFORE THE POLLS CLOSE.
The only protection you have from threats, intimidation, and lies before election day, is to do your own research and form your own opinion of what is right or wrong for you and what you perceive as being right or wrong for your community. Do not allow yourself to be distracted by individuals/groups with ‘hidden agendas’. If someone or group is pushing you to vote a certain way, try to figure out why it is so important to that person/group. Try to figure out how your voting a certain way is likely to affect that person or group. But, most of all, remember that NO ONE but you knows how you vote when you go into that voting booth.
Music is the universal language, helping others is the universal ‘feel good’ thing to do. Now, you have an opportunity to make the best of both of these. “Appalachian Music Masters in Concert”! Read the rest of this entry »
I couldn’t say it any better than this:
http://www.thinkchristiansburg.com/confoundedinchristiansburg/foia-potential-abuse.aspx
While driving around town, I’ve noted that there are note these little rivers of gravel, mud and debris that have been pushed over to the sides of the road. It appears that this is the residue left from trucks trying to keep drivers safe on icy roads. A good thing! Yes! However …. Read the rest of this entry »
Well, thank goodness. We are going to have places where people can stop on the interstate to go to the bathroom again. Whoever wanted to close those in the first place must not have realized what an inconvenience that was to have people get off the interstate and spend money in localities. Heaven forbid we should encourage people to get off the interstate and create tax revenue, create jobs, generate new businesses. Read the rest of this entry »
I’ve been busy working on a few little special projects for the myvaresources.com/blogs/depotdazed site. It looks a bit different because there are now four links across the top: Home, Blogs, VA Bill Watch, and Christianburg, VA Issues. Read the rest of this entry »
On June 2, 2009, at the Christiansburg Town Council Meeting, a presentation was done by the Christiansburg High School Photography Club. This group had volunteered to generate photographs of Christiansburg for use on the new town website. Unfortunately, these photos have not been displayed on the Town’s website as promised. Read the rest of this entry »
Blacksburg Mayor’s Blog Brad Stipes, Christiansburg Town Council Roanoke Times Virginia Coalition for Open Government Bacon’s Rebellion New River Valley News Think! Christiansburg New River Journal A Tale of Two Burgs
CAMBRIA DEPOT MUSEUM