Super Tuesday - 2 votes for the kilt!

**ccga3359** · 5th February 08, 05:53 PM

Forgive my ignorance about the American political machine but what are you voting on in the primaries? Are you choosing whom you want to represent both parties? Or are is it an internal vote of a member of his chosen party? Also do you wear the kilt to distract as you surreptitiously stuff the ballot box?

**Retro Red** · 5th February 08, 06:38 PM

Originally Posted by ccga3359

Forgive my ignorance about the American political machine but what are you voting on in the primaries? Are you choosing whom you want to represent both parties? Or are is it an internal vote of a member of his chosen party? Also do you wear the kilt to distract as you surreptitiously stuff the ballot box?

In Arizona, it's voting for the candidate in whichever political party you're registered with (Democratic or Republican - independent voters cannot vote in our primary) that you want to represent your party for President in the general election in November.

In Arizona, the Republican party has a "winner-takes-all" system, so that the Republican candidate that gets the most votes wins all 53 Arizona delegates to the Republican National Convention this summer where the candidate with a majority of the delegate votes (1,034 out of 2,066) will be the Republican nominee for the general election.

Not surprisingly, the Democratic party does things differently. Democrats use a mixture of voting results to apportion delegates. More than half of the delegates, 37 of 67, are awarded based on results in each congressional district, and 19 are awarded based on the statewide vote. The remaining 11 are "superdelegates," various Democratic leaders who can vote as they please. These state delegates then vote for their candidate at the Democratic National Convention where 2,170 votes are needed out of 4,338 to become the Democratic nominee.

Clear as mud?

And don't even get me started on the Electoral College...

.

**Yaish** · 5th February 08, 08:03 PM

Primary elections also have other things on the ballot as well. So in addition to voting for the representative for your registered party, in California we voted on several Propositions. Props are issues put on the ballot before the voters over things like taxes, changes to the State Consitution, special spending measures and the like.

**gilmore** · 5th February 08, 09:10 PM

Has MacCain tried to energize the Scots vote yet? What clan is MacCain?

Evidently the Kennedys, Kerry and the other Irish weren't able to do much for O'Bama in Massachusetts.

**Riverkilt** · 5th February 08, 10:28 PM

Wore my Isle of Skye to the polls in Arizona today. Now I'm used to having a rough time...the volunteers are pretty rough here. Took in my voter registration card, driver's license, utility bill, and auto registration. This time no hassle, just a polite smile from a nice lady even older than me, and she looked at the Isle of Skye and said, "New Kilt?" And I guess it was to her, first time wearing that tartan to the polls.

The reason for the ID deal is up here in the boonies they don't deliver mail, so we all have to go to the post office to get it, so our "addresses" are POB numbers....but now with immigration reform they want to know our physical addresses...hence the power bills and car registration proof. Finally broke down and got my physical address on my driver's license.

At least I'm not paying a poll tax or having to pass a literacy test to vote like I did down south in the '60s...them were the days young ones, them were the days....

And, had the same thought about McCain wearing his tartan but I'm sure his advisors would have an opinion about that. Maybe if the Phoenix Highland Games were before Super Tuesday instead of after it he could have made a kilted appearance.

And jeez, if the pollwatcher lady recognized me and knew that I was wearing a 'new' tartan kilt I shouldn't need any ID at all!!

Ron

**berserkbishop** · 5th February 08, 11:37 PM

I went to the polls today in my new kilt, the mowgli made one, and one of the guys manning the polling place just stared at me the whole time I was in there. Weird, and a little uncomfortable. The elderly ladies just glance at me and moved on, nothing out of th ordinary. Why do women take it so much easier? Its just a garment!

BB

**Ayin McFye** · 6th February 08, 08:08 AM

I just want to congratulate everyone for the ability to talk about politics without "talking about politics". This group never ceases to amaze me. Good on ya!

I stayed up until about 11:30 last night just watching the polls before i just had to go asleep. I wanted to stay awake long enough to see California's districts report in, and i finally said forget it. I woke up this morning and turned on the news and they still weren't finished. (glad i didn't commit to staying up all night, today would have been hell without sleep!)