Don't forget to vote Tuesday 7th......

If you live outside the USA - and you listen to any media - you for sure have heard we are having local elections - and you probably realise that we could end up with the Congress getting held by the Democratic Party and the Senate might also go Democratic. This would effectively lame duck the Republican President in his final two years in office. What is less well understood is that we are also voting for a number of other candidates for local offices and for a number of ballot questions - effectively referenda on different topics. In fact this election in Newport we are being asked to pick candidates for 10 offices plus 4 councillors at large for Newport and seven school committee members. Then there are no less than 9 state referenda and 2 town ones for Newport. To help you get it right on the day you are allowed to go to the town hall for an advance copy of the ballot paper so for those who wonder what its about - here we go............

This is the paper for candidates. The Senate Race (we have Lincoln Chafee desperately trying to hold a Republican seat in a traditionally Democratic State) could make or break the Senate depending on which way it goes. Then we have our representatives in Congress, then the Governor of the State. The present Governor is trying to win re-election having won last time on a "clean up local government" style agenda. He has and it has made him pretty unpopular with those who have lost their sweetheart deals. This one is being closely fought. Then we have Lieutenant Governor - effectively the Vice-Governor - but an otherwise pretty empty ceremonial role. Robert Healy of the "Cool Moose" Party (UK - think Screaming Lord Sutch) promises to not take office and to abolish the role so saving the state $1 million a year - he just might win! Then a rash of other state roles. Then our town councillor (running unopposed) and then pick 4 of 7 for Newport councillors at large. The councillor at large with the most votes gets to be mayor!. Then 7 of 8 for School Committee. If you look VERY carefully at the Ballot Paper you will see a line(s) under each post called "Write In". Guess why? In the old days US ballot papers were blank and you wrote in the name of who you wanted. Guess what? You still can! You don't have to vote for people on the ballot. You can vote for ANYONE who can hold the office - you can even vote for yourself. Don't think it would do you any good? In 1954 Strom Thurgood made it to the Senate by running a "write in" campaign and there have been Congressmen and Mayors elected from "write in" candidates all over America. It has been used succesfully by people who didn't make it onto the ballot in time and as recently as 2002 - Beverly O'Neil, won a third term as mayor of Long Beach, California as a write-in candidate. The Long Beach City City Charter has a term limit amendment that says a candidate can not be on the ballot after two full terms, but does not prevent the person from running as a write-in candidate - she won a third term as Mayor.

This section of the ballot is effectively referenda questions which require voter approval. Different states do it differently - some items are mandated in the state constitution (This year our Questions 1 & 2 - are changes to the State Constitution - it has to go to the voters). You can get a question on the ballot by getting 10% of registered voters to sign a petition for a question and a question doesn't have to be binding. Non-binding questions are used to gauge public opinion. Generally borrowing money for the state must be approved by voters (called "bonds") and then there are other issues. This year our Question 1 is to allow the local Indian tribe to run a casino. This is a constitutional amendment because our state constitution only allows the state to run gambling. This has been a long and dirty campaign with both sides accusing each other of lying and hidden hints of racism directed against the Indians. Question 2 is to correct a problem in Rhode Island where prisoners out on probation are not allowed to vote. Rhode Island is the only state in the union that still has this old and out of date policy and this constitutional amendment should correct this. Q 3 is in effect an inflation adjustment to the State's Reserve Fund and the rest are borrowing questions. It is pretty horrific that the bonds will cost double what was borrowed by the time they are paid off - and no one seems to care. This year - all our questions are binding.

Newport voters get to decide whether to borrow money to repair our dreadful roads in town and whether or not to ban any more hook ups to the sewer system till it gets repaired sufficiently to work correctly and not flood the summer beaches with emergency sewer overflows when it rains.

If you live in the area - don't forget to vote - voter apathy in the past has traditionally run rather high but this year little old Newport and The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (smallest state - longest name) could hold the key to the whole country. This year - your vote really does matter because if the Senate is hung - your one vote for Lincoln Chafee or Sheldon Whitehouse could make the difference as to which party holds the Senate. As we don't use punch cards in Newport we won't suffer from "hanging chads". Still make sure you remember to vote and use a firm unambiguious stroke to mark your candidate or your APPROVE / REJECT lines. We don't want to end up in the US Supreme Court like Al Gore did in 2000 because people's marks were not clear!

Moronic Television Advertising

Newport, Rhode Island, USA

At my recent US Citizenship ceremony we were reminded to register to vote. The judge commented that we should vote for representatives who do good jobs and not vote for those who do not. We seem to have a couple of pretty good Senators. One drives a fairly green car and works hard for the state. The other actually visits Iraq to form an opinion and offers workshops to help kids make it to college.

However this local election is turning into a national poll about the State of the Union on polarized party lines – only worse. Six weeks ago advertising was generally a summary of candidates proposed policies. Today it is repetitive back to back Republican/Democrat or Democrat/Republican spin on one distorted fragment of the opposing candidate’s voting record.

Fellow citizens – can I remind you that in this local election we also have to vote for LOCAL issues – and there is a large slate of candidates and posts. Then there is the raft of Rhode Island issues that made it onto the ballot amongst which are:

• A casino amendment on which I see a lot of “scare” advertising that rarely addresses the ACTUAL wording of the amendment and often plain does not.
• The return of voting rights to prisoners out of jail on probation.
• An increase in the state’s financial reserve.
• A number of bond issues to improve roads, schooling and housing – all of which will cost nearly twice as much as the principal once paid off. Shouldn’t we be worried about this?

For all I know there could be additional votes required on town issues that might be on the ballot – like the need to borrow to repair the town sewers! I found out by accident this morning that there is. Trying to get real information on which to make a decision is not so easy in the noise of “spin” and character assassination.

As H.L.Mencken said: “As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”

We have done that bit. Now – through the “noise” - we are likely to elect unknowns into local positions because we don't know anything about them and make some lousy bond decisions too. Can we rise above the morass?

With a week to go - I challenge voters to obtain some real answers and policy statements from our candidates and information from bond promoters. I never thought there might come a day I might be glad to welcome back those dumb car adverts on the TV…

"This post was paid for with my personal funds and one finger typing and I approve this message" - Graeme J W Smith - Campaign for a real campaign before it is too late!

This letter was carried by the Newport Daily News on Thursday 2nd November in a three page spread of letters. All other letters consisted of negative attacks on candidates by other candidates or their supporters. The letter was also featured on the BBC World Service Programme "Have Your Say" on Wednesday 1st November and Graeme was interviewed on the programme.