It is that time again. The time between when you choose a president and you don’t. It’s the midterms and early voting has already started here in Michigan. This does not mean ballots are being tabulated. It does mean you can fill out an absentee ballot and mail it in or fill out a ballot at the clerks office and turn it in. Just make sure you have a plan and do it!
Every election is important, but the 2020 presidential election was very important and this holds that same importance. After the supreme court overturned Roe v wade, people are more fired up than ever to cast their ballot. This is doubly true for the democrats. I feel like this will be the reason so many democrats come out this term.
Don’t get me wrong, I am now and forever scarred after what endured for the 2016 election. 2016 happened because democrats were not motivated to get out and vote. Playing the “lesser of the 2 evils” card. Look where that landed us. But, thanks to majority republican supreme court, we find ourselves in an interesting situation.
Midterms
Historically, the midterms are when the party that’s in office gets molly whopped. Meaning they do terrible during that election. Remember how President Obama talked about it in the middle of his first term. I believe the terms, “humbled” and “shellacking” were used to describe the event. It happens to basically every president, Obama’s was historical. There might be more reasons for that than what many are thinking, but look at who was President and what country this is…
Either way, the midterms are where democrats especially suck. They are apathetic and don’t think the midterms matter, when they actually matter most. We need judges, clerks, school board members, proposals etc… chosen too, just like president. Will this be the year that a democratic president maintain his democratic majority?
Proposals
There are 3 Proposals on Michigan ballots this election. All very important.
I will try my best to explain what each one is and how I am voting on it.
Proposal 22-1: Legislative term limits and financial disclosure
A proposal to amend the state constitution to require annual public financial disclosure reports by legislators and other state officers and change state legislator term limit to 12 total years in legislature.
This proposed constitutional amendment would:
- Require members of legislature, governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and attorney general file annual public financial disclosure reports after 2023, including assets, liabilities, income sources, future employment agreements, gifts, travel reimbursements, and positions held in organizations except religious, social, and political organizations.
- Require legislature implement but not limit or restrict reporting requirements.
- Replace current term limits for state representatives and state senators with a 12-year total limit in any combination between house and senate, except a person elected to senate in 2022 may be elected the number of times allowed when that person became a candidate.
Should this proposal be adopted?
[ ] YES
[ ] NO
My answer: While having some financial disclosures would be great, I personally think it doesn’t make this good enough to see a person have a seat for 12 years. Right now, members of the state house can serve for 6 years (3 Two years terms) and members of the state senate can serve for 8 years (2 Four year terms). A “YES” vote would limit lawmakers term to 12 combined years in house and senate and members of the legislature will have to disclose financials.
A “NO” vote would keep things as they are.
For this Proposal I plan on choosing “NO” I believe allowing them to run for either seat with a 12 year limit for both, would create a “career” politician. There would be no incentive to try or work hard if they’re allowed to serve in one seat the entire time.
Proposal 22-2: Voting policies amendment
A proposal to amend the state constitution to add provisions regarding elections
This proposed constitutional amendment would:
- Recognize fundamental right to vote without harassing conduct;
- Require military or overseas ballots be counted if postmarked by election day;
- Provide voter right to verify identity with photo ID or signed statement;
- Provide voter right to single application to vote absentee in all elections;
- Require state-funded absentee-ballot drop boxes, and postage for absentee applications and ballots;
- Provide that only election officials may conduct post-election audits;
- Require nine days of early in-person voting;
- Allow donations to fund elections, which must be disclosed;
- Require canvass boards certify election results based only on the official records of votes cast.
Should this proposal be adopted?
[ ] YES
[ ] NO
My Answer: Mostly everything in this proposal is straightforward and just as it states. The fact that ACLU of Michigan is backing it, is another plus for me. They have been on the forefront of progressiveness for a while now, especially after 2016. This proposal would make it easier to vote for every person in Michigan along with protecting voters privacy and ensuring a safe election.
Have to lay all of that out since republicans came up with the “Big Lie” and running it in the ground with their supporters. There was never any voter fraud in our elections. Don’t believe the non-sense. Give me a “YES” vote for this one!
Proposal 22-3: Right to reproductive freedom
A proposal to amend the state constitution to establish new individual right to reproductive freedom, including right to make all decisions about pregnancy and abortion; allow state to regulate abortion in some cases; and forbid prosecution of individuals exercising established right
This proposed constitutional amendment would:
- Establish new individual right to reproductive freedom, including right to make and carry out all decisions about pregnancy, such as prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, sterilization, abortion, miscarriage management, and infertility;
- Allow state to regulate abortion after fetal viability, but not prohibit if medically needed to protect a patient’s life or physical or mental health;
- Forbid state discrimination in enforcement of this right; prohibit prosecution of an individual, or a person helping a pregnant individual, for exercising rights established by this amendment;
- Invalidate state laws conflicting with this amendment.
Should this proposal be adopted?
[ ] YES
[ ] NO
My Answer: This proposal would repeal a law that makes abortion a felony. I believe whatever a woman does with her body is her business. Some women want an abortion, some women need an abortion. Its between that woman and her doctor what happens when the time comes. With either decision she chooses, it will not be an easy one. She shouldn’t be punished for it. Republicans like to throw out that women are having abortions all nilly willy all the way to birth, and that is another lie. People who have abortions later in term are typically because of health reasons.
Despite what the commercials tell you, its not that confusing. I am choosing “YES” on this proposal.
Conclusion
So that’s essentially it folks. I hope I didn’t confuse people more with why I am choosing the way I am. Proposals can be a bit “wordy” and have a lot of political talk in them, but these 3 proposals are pretty easy for me to understand. Having said that, it could just be me because I follow this stuff closely. That’s why its important to have a plan and an idea of what you want to do before election day. Standing in line for hours then standing in a booth trying to comprehend this jargon is not good for anyone!
Read up on who is running and what they stand for. You can find info about your ballot at VOTE411.org. Just type in your address and it will show your ballot with every person running and may also show a questionnaire that the candidates answered. Good luck and Go Vote!Democrat
