Brief thoughts on the election.
I’m pleased that Obama is going to be our next president, and I was also very happy to hear that Tanaka will be the next mayor of Coronado. However, I was disappointed that Prop 5 failed and that Prop 8 passed. I think that within a few decades, we will be embarassed about Prop 8 in particular.
As for the youth voter turnout, I was a little sad to hear that it only went from 17% to 18%, but I think I know why. I believe that it’s still very confusing for college students, who are very often away from their counties and thus unable to vote on election day unless they re-registered, got absentee ballots in time, or knew to ask for a provisional ballot (which still might not even be enough to let them vote). I was an absentee voter myself, but I still got to see a lot of my peers realize on election day that they couldn’t vote. So I think it’s a lack of knowledge and fundamental convenience, not an abundance of apathy or laziness.
Anyway, like I said over on Facebook already, I offer my congratulations to the winners, my condolences to the losers, and my respect to everybody willing to be civil and work together.
