The paid signature gatherers have started deploying around the county to circulate petitions for I-25, the initiative to fire the lying bastards make the King County Elections Director a separately-elected non-partisan office.
This is a popular initiative. People are eager to sign. Polling shows that if the measure makes the ballot, it WILL pass. The opponents have no sensible counter-arguments, except that they want to keep control of the elections office. The only serious risk is if the money runs out before enough signatures are collected. The campaign needs to keep raising money while gathering signatures.
I'll be blunt: If you don't want Ron Sims to run the 2008 election, then it's up to you to make a contribution to the campaign for change. Freedom isn't free, but it's a better deal than trusting Ron Sims and his lying bastards to count your vote.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at April 03, 2007 01:24 PM | Email ThisHey Willis you got a copy! (-:
Posted by: Army Medic/Vet on April 3, 2007 02:14 PMThere is an obvious counter-argument: Elections make sense for positions where political positions and skills are most important. Appointments make sense for positions where professional competence is most important. The director of elections is in the latter category.
Admittedly, those appointments should be made without regard to politics. Since that's not the way the real world works, you could argue that we'd might as well have an election. But you can argue it both ways.
Anyway, I and my fellow undecideds await your answers to some obvious questions: Why do most counties (9 out of 10 according to an earlier post) the size of ours have appointed election directors? Have other counties switched from appointed to elected or vice versa? What were their experiences before and after the switch?
Posted by: Bruce on April 3, 2007 02:17 PMCan you say conflict of interest.
Posted by: JCM on April 3, 2007 02:20 PMThe State and county don't give a lot of time to gather signatures. In the old days when there weren't that many people, it was relatively easier (since they don't have as many signatures to get).
Posted by: swatter on April 3, 2007 02:25 PMNice twisting of his words... don't you mean "why do you have to pay people to gather signatures?"
Because some of us have jobs that don't allow a lot of time to collect signatures, that's why.
I'm making my donation right after I post this.
Posted by: Mike H on April 3, 2007 02:41 PMSo who has been appointed that has been competent?
Posted by: TrueSoldier on April 3, 2007 02:44 PMPeople on different threads seem to be arguing that Gonzalez is competent. Are you saying he's not? =P
BINGO!
Posted by: Michele on April 3, 2007 03:38 PMI seem to recall a lot of people on here bitching about the "non-partisan" elected judges down in Olympia. What makes this office any different?
First of all, quid custodiet ipsos custodes? #6 is right, there's an obvious conflict of interests.
Second, elected elections supervisors in Florida are a big reason why the elections in that banana republic are as bad as they are, which is to say they make King County look the model of probity. Just because they've mostly broken in favor of Republicans down there doesn't mean that it's good that the elections are broken in the first place.
Posted by: gotta disagree here on April 3, 2007 03:56 PM