Hiked To Do My Civic Duty On The Shortest Texas Ballot Yet

Well, I did my civic duty and hiked to the library to do some early voting today.

After I was done I stuck the "I Voted" sticker where you see it here, which rendered the sign's message into "I Voted Craig Bickley" which is what I did.

I also voted for Michele Von Luckner.

I did not vote for anyone else.

Before I was allowed to vote I had to show a photo I.D.

I do not remember having to show I.D. before, but I was told that I had. All I recollect showing before was my Voter Registration card so the poll person could identify my name on the voter list. I easily could have left my wallet at home, since I was walking, not driving to vote. That would have had me really aggravated to get asked for photo I.D. and not have it with me.

Did Texas have a big problem with people voting using names other than their own? How would that work? My driver's license photo is so bad it does not look like me. I appear to be totally bald in that photo. I am not bald.

I tell you, voting in Texas is so different than I was used to at my previous location in America.

Most voters in Washington mail in their ballots. How can one state let you mail in your vote with a permanent absentee ballot method, which obviously requires no photo I.D., while another state has you needing to identify yourself with a photo?

Another big difference on a Texas ballot is there are so few things to vote for. City Council, the TRWD board and one other thing I've already forgotten.

On a Washington ballot there were always a lot of things to vote on. Bond issues, Referendums, Initiatives, Propositions, in addition to people running for various offices.

Why go to the expense and bother of having this current vote in Texas with so few things to vote on?

I think my Washington voting experience is a large part of the reason the Trinity River Uptown Central City Panther Island Vision Boondoggle annoyed me when I learned that a big public works project had been foisted on the public with the public not being allowed to vote for or against the project.

When The Boondoggle began abusing eminent domain to take voter's property I did not understand how that was legal, since The Boondoggle is not a real public works project, approved by the voters, but instead is more of a private business operation pretending to be some sort of public agency.

Anyway. I voted.....