Deadline nears for voter registration

[Doc]

The following news article appeared in our local paper the other night:

 

In order to vote in the September primaries you must register by August 15. To be registered, New York residents must deliver or mail their registration form at least 25 days before the election in which they want to vote. In order to vote in the September 9 state and local primary elections, applications must be postmarked no later than August 15 and received by a board of elections no later than August 20. In order to vote in the November 4 General Election, applications must be post marked no later than October 10 and received by a board of elections no later than October 15. Registered voters without a party affiliation may only vote in general and special elections.

 

This election has special significance for gun owners. If you are not registered to vote this would be the year when your vote may make a difference. If you know others that are not registered, try to get them registered. Do not procrastinate.

 

How to register: http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Voting/Register.shtml

 

Where to register: http://www.elections.ny.gov/CountyBoards.html

 

NYS Board of Elections: http://www.elections.ny.gov/

 

For further info check out the following thread: http://huntingny.com/forums/topic/17272-lest-we-forget/

[Culvercreek hunt club]

This should be pinned to the top

[mike rossi]

Should be pinned to the top or have its own site or at least its own forum that is strictly "ELECTIONS & Voting" - because "politics" is much broader.

 

Besides the governor's race, which I do not mean to trivialize and appreciate that this is important to Doc and others, but we have 213 legislators, of which 188 recently voted ANTI-DEC, leaving only 25, all in the assembly, that are not hostile to the DEC. Some of them are unchallenged, cant do anything except attempt to impeach them I guess. Some are being challenged in the September 9 primary and/or in the November 11 general election. Then a few are retiring. This leaves a bunch of people running in the primary and/or election we have no voting record to refer to in order to make an informed decision about them. That calls for somebody to draft up a questionnaire, mail or otherwise deliver it to the candidates, and then post their responses well before the primary and general elections.

 

Taking a step back, nobody has yet posted a list of the districts that will be challenged or vacated due to retirement. A lot of work, but if someone does not do it this year, I doubt there will ever be the motivation in future elections.

 

Another thing that is very important: The Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee Chairman is one of the lawmakers who is retiring. I think who takes over the assembly encon chair position is just as important as who becomes governor. Does anyone know the procedure for replacing him? I want one of the 25 assembly members who voted Pro-DEC to replace him, not one of the 125 other assembly members who voted Anti-DEC in that position. Another petition may be in order to try to influence this. I assume committee chairs are appointed by one of the party leaders or chamber leaders, speaker, or governor. What I do know about the encon chair is that he/she is the first gate. In 2012 or 2013, the assembly encon chair put the crossbow bill into the suspense file until it expired. In 2011, the senate encon chair put the mourning dove bill in the suspense file until it expired. (As a matter of fact that has happened with every dove bill in NY's history). Even if you don't care about doves or crossbows - who is the encon chair in each chamber is of key importance to processing pro hunting bills and not processing anti-hunting bills.

 

As far as me polling the candidates and posting the record, forget it. I already haphazardly posted some information I came across about who is running in the other thread. Feel free to organize that info and research the other candidates - perhaps the republican and democrat headquarters can make it one stop shopping.  Myself and the others behind NY Dove Hunting cannot drive the politics. We will give you the science, but it is up to the sporting community to drive the politics. We have been saying this over and over. We cant get a dove bill into the budget like the crossbow coalition did, but we can operate as the nature conservancy did for the crossbow cause.

Edited August 5, 2014 by mike rossi

[mike rossi]

To expand on what I wrote in post 3; here is how they play games with the BUDGET. Now we know what "playing politics" means.....

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRUDNcqBn_M

 

 

[Cabin Fever]

Thanks for the heads up! I picked up a voter registration form for my son (now old enough), but haven't been in any big rush to fill it out and mail it in! I'll get that done today!

[Waldershrek]

This is the first time in my life I've been excited about a governor candidate.

[Doc]

Taking a step back, nobody has yet posted a list of the districts that will be challenged or vacated due to retirement. A lot of work, but if someone does not do it this year, I doubt there will ever be the motivation in future elections.

Feel free to take on the project and post it here. It would be very useful info. In the mean time, that effort still remains the responsibility of each voter conducting that research in their own districts.

[mike rossi]

This might make it easier people register or encourage people to register:

 

http://www.triggerthevote.org/

[Culvercreek hunt club]

This might make it easier people register or encourage people to register:

 

http://www.triggerthevote.org/

Funny that they are missing some parties on the registration.

[mike rossi]

Feel free to take on the project and post it here. It would be very useful info. In the mean time, that effort still remains the responsibility of each voter conducting that research in their own districts.

 

If that was directed at me, instead of everyone, I already said I am not undertaking this one. Not only am I too busy, what me and others working on NY Dove Hunting are doing is educational outreach to the public and policy makers. Policy makers including politicians. We are not going to attack them in any way and we are going to assume every incumbent in office will be reelected while also assuming every candidate running for office will be newly elected. NYDH is not about influencing elections, it is about influencing people, including elected officials. As a matter of fact, I have went about as far as I am going to regarding suggestions about elections, so I suggest rather than forgetting about those suggestions, that they are acted on or retained for future use, because unlike other things you wont hear me harping about them over and over. I have my ideas and personal opinions, outside the realm of dove hunting and conservation, and I have expressed them. Also, NYDH is displeased with the 188 to 25 vote against the DEC conservation plan, and we launched a petition to VETO the new law which neuters the DEC, but that action is not the same as elections and voting....

Edited August 7, 2014 by mike rossi

[Doc]

If that was directed at me, instead of everyone, I already said I am not undertaking this one. Not only am I too busy, what me and others working on NY Dove Hunting are doing is educational outreach to the public and policy makers. Policy makers including politicians. We are not going to attack them in any way and we are going to assume every incumbent in office will be reelected while also assuming every candidate running for office will be newly elected. NYDH is not about influencing elections, it is about influencing people, including elected officials. As a matter of fact, I have went about as far as I am going to regarding suggestions about elections, so I suggest rather than forgetting about those suggestions, that they are acted on or retained for future use, because unlike other things you wont hear me harping about them over and over. I have my ideas and personal opinions, outside the realm of dove hunting and conservation, and I have expressed them. Also, NYDH is displeased with the 188 to 25 vote against the DEC conservation plan, and we launched a petition to VETO the new law which neuters the DEC, but that action is not the same as elections and voting....

That was directed to anyone who thinks they have the time and desire to take on such a project. However if anyone (yourself included) wants to take on the project that you suggested, I have no problems with letting them. As stated, I believe that such an effort is beyond what is necessary as that info is available to each individual voter and can be accessed specifically as regards their own district and candidates.

[bubba]

If people are really interested in who is running in their district, they will do the homework.  To gather all that data and post it here for a few to look at and others to complain it is here is way more than I plan to do.  You can spoon feed just so much.   getting them register by the dead line is tough enough.

Edited August 7, 2014 by bubba

[mike rossi]

If people are really interested in who is running in their district, they will do the homework.  To gather all that data and post it here for a few to look at and others to complain it is here is way more than I plan to do.  You can spoon feed just so much.   getting them register by the dead line is tough enough.

 

"To gather all that data and post it here for a few to look at and others to complain it is here is way more than I plan to do".

 

That does not encourage others. That statement would be appropriate if you were talking about jumping off of a cliff. We are talking about tackling a project. Its a tough project, and I am not suggesting anything is 'sugar-coated", but it could be stated differently...

 

I did get a chuckle out of it though, because you put something together and the peanut gallery does indeed "complain"... However, these sort of things need to be viewed as long-term projects. Many hunters are older and cant get excited about long-term projects and that is understandable to a degree. But there are younger hunters with the future to look forward to and there are older hunters who want the legacy of hunting to be around after they are gone, especially those with children and grand children. By being a hunter education instructor you are already contributing and sacrificing your time. Others might be inclined to tackle this project...

[bubba]

Ok let me reword my statement to make it more PC for those so inclined.  It is a huge waste of time to gather all that data.  people are not going to take the time to sift through it to find their local elections and candidates.  If they want to find out, they will look locally as they should.  Gathering all that data and posting it thinking people will look through it is at best wishful thinking.  I have access to that data, but myself personally am not interested in putting it all together, to have maybe 3 people click on it and two of them never read it.  My suggestion research your local candidates and make an informed decision.  Data and research is the most boring thing there is to muddle through to find one bit of information. Get registered now.  Waiting any longer is not useful.

[mike rossi]

Ok let me reword my statement to make it more PC for those so inclined.  It is a huge waste of time to gather all that data.  people are not going to take the time to sift through it to find their local elections and candidates.  If they want to find out, they will look locally as they should.  Gathering all that data and posting it thinking people will look through it is at best wishful thinking.  I have access to that data, but myself personally am not interested in putting it all together, to have maybe 3 people click on it and two of them never read it.  My suggestion research your local candidates and make an informed decision.  Data and research is the most boring thing there is to muddle through to find one bit of information. Get registered now.  Waiting any longer is not useful.

 

The person who developed this strategy retired from federal affairs consulting in 1995. Bob Kane is a bird hunter who runs Brittany spaniels. I used to correspond with him on a hunting dog forum several years ago. 

 

Here is an article about Bob Kane and his internet-based organization using the data collection you say is a waste of time or whatever you said.

 

http://www.thedogpress.com/ClubNews/06_SAOVA_Bob_Kane_Prt1-08.asp

Edited August 8, 2014 by mike rossi

[Doc]

It really doesn't matter who came up with the idea. I am convinced that if you bury the electorate under enough volumes of data, the results will actually be opposite of what you are trying to achieve. I am not against guiding people into the political process, but once there, they have to show at least a minimum of native intelligence toward making informed decisions. I do not want to condition people to letting others do all their thinking for them. There is a bit too much of that already.

[mike rossi]

It really doesn't matter who came up with the idea. I am convinced that if you bury the electorate under enough volumes of data, the results will actually be opposite of what you are trying to achieve. I am not against guiding people into the political process, but once there, they have to show at least a minimum of native intelligence toward making informed decisions. I do not want to condition people to letting others do all their thinking for them. There is a bit too much of that already.

 

If we concentrate on sticking to the facts, instead of sticking together, there is no vice in making the facts readily accessible - because the people who will not dig a little are indeed the target of propaganda. A voting record cannot really be disputed as fact. Either could someone's responses to survey questions. If this data is embellished in a summary that favors the authors agenda, then I would agree it is conditioning them not to be independent thinkers. However, merely publishing what is on the record, so to speak, certainly does allow one to make an informed decision.

 

Besides, your premise is mute if not twisted, because it is more common for the voter, loyal to a political ideology, to allow themselves to be guided only by what is readily made available than it is common for he/she to conduct research. If an organization wants to bring to light to its constituency, issues relevant to it, but not necessarily addressed elsewhere, I do not see why that is negative. For example, if New York Dove Hunting asks candidates about their attitudes toward mourning dove hunting, protecting the state pheasant farm, and the spread of mute swans, and makes those responses or refusal to respond, available to its member constituency, I don't see how  that is excess data which will be counter-productive as you are suggesting.