2012

The Transit Referendum: Support and Opposition

For better or for worse, our local media works hard to give equal air time to both sides of the story. Some may fault them as giving too much voice to an opinion which represents a small minority of residents, others may thank them for giving life to a discussion. Regardless of what you think, it's sometimes difficult to cut through the noise. So where does the community stand on the whole?

Primer on Transit Referendum and Associated Transit Plan

It turns out that many people are uninformed or misinformed about the specifics of the transit tax and the plan.  Foks don't even realize that there's a plan behind the tax referendum, and that a vote for the tax endorses it.    If the tax passes, the BoCC and TTA have the authority to levy the tax and proceed with the plan. .
Without debating the pros and cons of transit , I hope that readers take a few minutes to understand the plan. We sent the primer below to our mailing list. It includes links to the plan and the financial information.

Primer on Transit Plan, Taxes and Fees

Voters will decide a 1/2 cent tax increase for transit. Please take a few minutes to learn about this tax and the underlying plan before you vote.

The Most Important Endorsement

Early voting is off to a quick start. Here is OP's traditional special-rules post to learn about your own preferences on the ballot.

The rules: Only write who you're voting for (and why, if you like). You may also list the people you would vote for if you lived in their districts. Do not refer in any way to to any candidates you are not supporting. If you don't follow the rules, your comment will be removed. You're free to critique the candidates through comments on other posts or by posting your own blog entry. In fact, you're warmly invited to do so!

Final new voter total 15,213 pre-early vote

Final totals from the Orange County Board of Elections for new voter registration through the 10/12 cutoff show the following

D            6,208  40.81%

R           2,071    13.61%

U           6,783    44.59%

L              153     1.01%

TOTAL      15,213

of note -- I've been following this here since 1971, and 2012 is the first year that the Ds were not #1 in new voter registration, but also the 13% is a historic low for the Rs.

 Will have final totals by November 5 covering those registering during early voting

Early voting updates

Wanted to start a space where everyone could report their voting experiences. I was voter #19 at Rams Head this afternoon (10/18, first day of early voting) at about 12:08, and while it wasn't crazy busy, there was a steady flow of voters. The woman who voted after me asked me to take her picture as she filed her ballot because it was her first time voting — thought that was very cool. 

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