And no, I didn't vote yesterday...

Taking a peek at Nick Anderson's political cartoon from Monday I laughed because it offers up a rather simplistic view of voting, elections etc. It's easy to say "If you don't vote you can't gripe" etc. but sometimes it's not that black and white.

For example: Me.

I didn't vote yesterday for three reasons:

1. I already voted in the primary

2. I live outside the City limits and could not vote on the propositions

3. I live in the most conservative district in America. CD-7. There was no serious Democratic opposition to any candidate in my area. Once I voted in the primary, my selections had either won or lost.


So I did vote, and when it appeared that all of the races I was concerned with were well in hand (Lite Gov, Attorney General, Ag Commissioner, Land Commissioner etc.) there wasn't any reason to go vote a second time. Dan Patrick, my Texas State Senator, won with 88% of the vote. Eighty-eight percent. I would've skipped that race anyway because I'm unhappy with him, I wouldn't have voted for Culberson and I wouldn't have voted for TX Governor because I don't like either candidate.

In Cy-Fair, the school board fight was insider baseball and I don't have children....

Understand?


Such is the problem with "safe" districts. Once you vote in the primary the election is, for all intents and purposes, over. Had I lived inside the Houston City Limits, where things were much more up in the air, I would have been at the ballot box putting in my 1/2 cent. As it was I stayed home knowing that I had already won or lost the argument in the primary.

In many districts that's the most important election anyway.