[Update, 6/7/06: The primary election results are in!]
First step to voting for the environment in California: Finding out who and what I’m to be voting for, come the primary elections on June 6, 2006.
Since my paper sample ballot’s MIA, I went to LA Vote’s sample ballot lookup, which gives you PDFs of each page of your sample ballot. (Non-LA people can get a quick & dirty list at Smart Voter.)
For voting newbies: June 6 is a primary election — aka a nominating election — meaning that you’re voting from among the candidates WITHIN your party, to help decide who will get to run in the general elections.
That general election is the final election which’ll decide who actually gets the office. That’ll take place in Nov.; you’ll vote between the candidates that won their party’s nomination in the primaries. More info about the difference between primary and general elections here (PDF).
I’ll update this page with names of who I plan to vote for in the next week or so. I’m a registered Democrat, BTW, so the info here for the primaries will be limited to the Democratic party — specifically for my old zip, 90035.
Calif. Governor: Phil Angelides
Calif. Lieutenant Governor: [update, 6/5/06] John Garamendi
Calif. Secretary of State: Debra Bowen
Calif. Controller: John Chiang
Calif. Treasurer: Bill Lockyer (only Dem running)
Calif. Attorney General: Jerry Brown
Calif. Insurance Commissioner: NO VOTE
Calif. State Board of Equalization, district 4: Judy Chu
US Senator: Dianne Feinstein
US Representative, District 30: Henry A. Waxman (Incumbent; only Dem running)
Calif. State Senator, district 26: Mark Ridley-Thomas
Calif. State Assemblywoman, district 47: Karen Bass (incumbent; only Dem running)
Dem Party Central Committee Member, assembly district 47:
* Jimmie Woods-Gray
* Mollie “Lee†Welinsky
* Ruth Weisman
* David L. Weisman
* Evelyn Metoyer-Williams
* Terrence Montgomery
* Robert L. Jones
LA County Superior Court, Judges:
* Office 8: Alan H. Friedenthal
* Office 18: Daviann Mitchell
* Office 28: Judith L. Meyer
* Office 95: Richard Kraft
* Office 102: C. Edward Mack
* Office 120: Dzintra Janavs
* Office 122: Daniel J. Lowenthal
* Office 144: Janis Levart Barquist
State Superintendent of Public Instruction: Jack O’Connell
LA County Assessor: Rick Auerbach
LA County Sheriff: Lee Baca
Proposition 81, Public libraries: Yes
Proposition 82, Preschool Ed: Yes
[Update, 6/7/06: The primary election results are in!]
19 things to vote for???? And I thought proportional representation was complicated. Dear god, no wonder Bush slipped through. :-)
Calif. Governor – does that mean Arnie is up for election again?
Comment by Declan — May 30, 2006 @ 2:35 pm
On the one hand, I love that I get to have a say. On the other hand, I’m a lil overwhelmed…
Yes, the governator’s up for election again — but that election really isn’t until Nov., when we get to the general elections –
Comment by Siel — May 31, 2006 @ 7:27 pm
you ROCK for doing this. i’ve felt guilty for not doing my “homework”, and here you’ve done it for us, RAD!!! this is so incredibly helpful, a tremendous service.
Comment by Anna — June 6, 2006 @ 12:11 pm
I voted Peace and Freedom including Janice Jordan for governor. $15 an hour minimum wage they are offering. Democrats don’t even come close.
Comment by Douglas — June 11, 2006 @ 2:51 pm
I’d love a higher min wage. But the chances of Janice will actually become governor?
Comment by Siel — June 11, 2006 @ 9:02 pm