Saturday, December 15, 2012
Civic leader has been voting for more than 50 years, and is not about to stop.
Although more than 30 percent of registered voters didn’t make it to the polls on Election Day this year, it would take an 8.0 earthquake to keep 71-year-old Cuyler “Buck” Adams from exercising his right to vote. “I’ve voted since I was 18,” said Adams. He’s retired from his moving and storage business in Athens. “I’ve lived in other countries for seven years, and I’ve never ever missed (a vote).” But casting his ballot wasn’t always easy. Adams. a third-generation Athenian, spent 7 years in Brazil working with Peace Corps. During the first two years, he lived in the interior of Brazil, and all mail was inspected by the Brazilian postal service before being sent by airmail back to the U.S. “One of the (absentee) ballots I got back then…
Friday, November 9, 2012
Voters in Tuesday's election had no real problems voting in a church.
Of the twenty-four polling locations in Athens Clarke County, only two are in churches. On Tuesday, voters lined up in heavy rain outside the East Athens Baptist Church waiting for their chance to vote. Although many voters don’t think twice about voting in a church, some believe that this could cause issues with the First Amendment. According to section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code, churches are exempt from taxes so long as they don’t take part in any political campaigns. This could be another cause for concern, but many voters don’t think that holding elections in a church should negate this tax exemption and agree that churches shouldn’t take a particular political stance. “I think it can definitely make some …
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
I'm proud to lead by example on Election Day.
Yesterday, on Election day, I had the privilege of participating in one my favorite voting activities, I took my 7-year-old son with me to the polls. He's come with me to vote many times and we've fallen into a nice ritual that unfolds as we drive to our polling station. The conversation starts in the car and the questions come at me one after the other from the back seat. His young mind is so curious to know more about the adult world. My hope is always to give him the most informed answers I can about the democratic process that America uses to elect representatives and make new laws. The night before an election, I find myself pounding away on my computer, refreshing my knowledge of American history so that I can give him an answer to…
Voters of all ages turned out early for Tuesday's Presidential Election.
The fire department at the intersection of Milledge and Lumpkin streets was abuzz on Election Day morning. And much of the talk concerned the how voting traditions are passed down from one generation to the next. Veteran voters at Precinct 7C, in the heart of Five Points, were eager to be helpful to new constituents and first timers. “I think it is very important for people voting for the first time and turning 18 to be part of the process,” said Andy Rhicard, 32, a public school teacher who has voted in three presidential elections. Before they even start high school, youngsters need to learn where different candidates stand on specific issues. Robert Brawner, 58, lives on Milledge Circle and has three children in their 20s. He has …
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Why you should vote in Tuesday's election.
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Sunday, November 4, 2012
By Robert J. Berry For everyone who.... ...can say or think 9/11 a dozen times a year, except for that one time where you actually remember that morning, and something clutches deep in your chest in a way that makes you look away from others for a minute - until you also remember those images of people of all kinds - and all classes - who went to their American embassies around the world, and placed a flower, because there wasn't anything else to do in those first days after the hard rain that came down at the Trade Center, the Pentagon, in Pennsylvania... ...can remember the personal rage that you felt by knowing we have the biggest military in the world, and that we had to do something....now... ...stood on streetcorners around America…
Friday, November 2, 2012
Lines at the Board of Elections have been long, but not at the Classic Center.
One of the many differences between voting in 2012 and 2008 is this: few people who are voting early are doing so at the Classic Center. Board of Elections Supervisor Gail Schrader doesn't know why. "It's beautiful, there's free parking and no waiting," she says. "Maybe the conferences are taking up the parking, but it's really easy." Today is the last day to vote early, and to vote at the Classic Center or the Board of Elections office on Washington Street. The crowd at the Board of Elections office has been steady since early voting began last month. Schraders says that about 20 percent of those eligible to vote have done so. That may seem like a lot of people, but in 2008, about 40 percent of voters decided to vote early.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Both Democratic and Republican parties will ferry voters to the polls.
Approximately one third of those who could potentially head to the polls in Athens Clarke-County on or before November 6, have no vehicle. That is a large portion of the population and an even larger share of the vote, especially when the Presidential contest is expected to be close. Gail Schrader, Supervisor of Elections and Voter Registration for Athens-Clarke County, wants people to know "there are other options for people who cannot get out of their houses to vote.” Casting a vote can become a problem for people who take the bus, ride a bicycle, or ask a friend to drive them. “The problem becomes that much greater when people have to plan for Election Day,” said Mark Bradley, a 21-year-old Athens resident living on the eastside …
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Early voting turnout started with a bang and has continued at a steady pace.
So you headed to the Board of Elections on your lunch hour, thinking that maybe you'd vote after finishing your sandwich. Surprise! The line looked like it was going to last more than an hour. You had to return to work. Next time, you tried City Hall, but it happened again: time ran out. Who ARE these people and why are they voting early? and why are there so many of them? You'll never learn the answers to these questions, and now you don't have to. The Clarke County Board of Elections is now offering in-person voting at the Classic Center, all this week, from 8am until 5pm. You can even park for free in the Classic Center's parking deck. So now, with three possible places to vote, you have no excuse for not voting early. Subscribe…
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Students registered in their home communities may not understand how voting laws work.
In 2008, the youth vote helped put President Barack Obama into office. Although there are mixed predictions about whether young people will turn out in such numbers again in 2012, an important question in college towns like Athens is whether they will be allowed to vote when they do go to the polls. It’s a fact of life that Georgians can vote in one of three ways: in person at your precinct, by absentee ballot, or at your local board of elections where citizens register to vote in advance of Nov. 6. This can make it tough for students who attend schools away from their hometown precinct or their first student apartment. If the address on a person’s driver’s license doesn’t match the address on file with the voter registration, the would-…
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
“One of the most important issues for me has to deal with the issue for college students and loan repayment,” said one student.
With Election Day less than two months away, many University of Georgia students are deciding whether or not they’ll vote in the upcoming presidential election. As the number of college students who are eligible to vote increases, many first-time voters will be heading to the polls on Nov. 6 to support the candidate they feel is most in tune with their concerns. Like older voters, the economy is a major issue--especially for students who will be looking for jobs and worrying about repaying loans. Cara Henslin, an 18-year-old freshman who has just started her college career, knows that what happens after graduation depends on the state of the economy. And although she is unsure whom she will vote for, she knows why she needs to vote. “Now…
Bill Santagata
5:33 pm on Sunday, November 11, 2012
The exact term "separation of church and state" is not in the Constitution; it is merely a shorthand for the principal outlined in the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment (the phrase itself was coined by Thomas Jefferson). Similarly, you will not see the exact phrase "right to a fair trial," this is merely shorthand for a variety of rights outlined in the 5th, 6th, and 7th Amendments. Also… more ›