Note: This only applies to voters who will be voting in Catawba County, NC. but if you live elsewhere, you can probably pull this off there too.
First, go to your computer. Enter www.ncsbe.gov/ Then on the left column enter “view my sample ballot”. Next, fill in the data, and click on “search”. Then click on your “Full Name”, and then check on the line for “11/4/2014 General” and see what your ballot number is (mine is “GO10 - yours could be from GO01 to GO14). Click on your “ballot type” (which is blue and underlined) and your ballot will appear. You can print it out if you want – mine was 7 pages.
Now, you vote the first time. Over the next day or two. Even while consuming coffee, tea or beer or wine. Sit down and reflect. There are a few long choices (some with over 100 words - and up to 15 “ands” and several “ors”). You can think about some of these for a day or two, even pick up the phone or ask questions on Facebook or Twitter or Whatever.
There may be some positions you have never heard of and a lot of names you have never heard of. But now you have time to think about all this, even get with your friends and ask questions, get a conversation going, get a dialog, man – talk about your problems.
Finally, you vote the second time. This time in your polling place. You are ready! AND you can make this vote REALLY represent you, AND you will move through the voting process quicker than anyone else who has not already voted for the “first time”.
