Pizza Diavola

Via Sarah in Chicago:

The election is in 26 days. THERE IS NOT ENOUGH TIME ARGH -RUNS AROUND IN CIRCLES-

Okay, first things first. California voters: you have until Oct. 20 to register to vote. You have until seven (7) days before the election request a vote by mail/absentee ballot. If you vote absentee, you can return your ballot to any polling site or you can return your ballot by mail. If you mail your ballot, do so before Nov. 4, because it has to arrive by the end of the day, Nov. 4, in order to be counted.

Everyone else (sorry, I’m not looking up voting requirements for the other 49 states): you can find your state’s voting deadlines, forms, and contact information at Project Vote Smart’s state voter registration information page.

Voter fraud: given the widespread disenfranchisement going on, exacerbated by the displacement of families due to economic failure-related foreclosures, it would be wise to check that you are still registered. You can register again to be safe or call your secretary of state to check your registration status (your state’s SoS numbers are found at the Project Vote Smart link above). If you’re the victim of disenfranchisement and voter fraud, report it to the Voter Suppression Wiki. You can also call voter information hotlines at 1-866-OUR-VOTE (English) and 1-888-Ve-Y-Vota (Spanish) for any voting-related questions, from registering to polling locations to reporting voter fraud.

California ballot: Calitics’ proposition endorsements, with links to their posts. I don’t necessarily agree with all of their positions, I still have to do some more research, but it’s a good place to start.

Disclosure: I volunteer with No on Prop. 4 and Yes on Prop. K, and will be volunteering with No on Prop. 8. I think there’s a right and a wrong side to each of these issues and I’m not in the business of providing both points of view; if you want that, read your voter guide.

Proposition 4 (No on 4): amends the state constitution to require parental notification for minors seeking abortions. This policy would ultimately put pregnant teens in danger by mandating parental notification. While most pregnant teens do tell their parents, the ones that don’t generally have good reason for doing so. Mandating parental notification would put them at risk. Contrary to the anti-choicers’ claims, Prop. 4 provides no exemption for situations where a teen is afraid of abuse. That is, there is an exemption–the doctor can inform another adult family member if she or he also reports the teenager’s parents to Child Protective Services and law enforcement. In other words, a teen can ask to inform another adult only if she is willing to turn her parents in to CPS. Hardly a choice worthy of the name — and the Yes on 4 people try to spin this pathetic exemption as a means of protecting the teen!

If you’d like to help out with Prop. 4, you can donate or phone bank! No on Prop. 4 is behind in the polls (SJ Mercury), so every bit you can do matters. I’ve put my money and my mouth behind this position–literally; if you’re a fellow phone banker, give me a ping!–and would love to see you help, too!

Proposition 8 (No on 8): amends the state constitution to eliminate the rights of same sex couples to marry. No on Prop. 8 is also behind in the polls (SJ Mercury) and about $10M behind in fundraising. Information on volunteering, donating, and phonebanking here (No on 8). Our civil rights and basic human equality are on the line here–and I agree with Sarah in Chicago that it is utterly ridiculous that we’re voting on whether a group should have full civil rights–and Prop. 8 would amend the state constitution. It wouldn’t just pass a law, it would enshrine discrimination and inequality in the state constitution, which is much more difficult to challenge. Just for emphasis: this is my life at stake. This is my life you’re voting on.

SF ballot: Prop. K (Yes on Prop. K): would decriminalize prostitution. Look past any knee-jerk reaction and read the text: Prop. K would increase sex worker safety. Prostitutes are disproportionately likely to be the targets of rape, sexual assault, and other violent crimes. Unfortunately, they can’t report it to the police without themselves being jailed for being prostitutes. In effect, rapists and criminals can attack them with carte blanche–tell me that’s not sick and wrong. Decriminalizing prostitution would require officials to prosecute crimes, whether or not the victim is a sex worker.

Prop. K would not hinder the prosecution of trafficking or child prostitution. Human trafficking is still illegal–it’s kidnapping, slavery, and rape (forcing someone to have sex is coerced sex is rape)–and child prostitution is STATUTORY RAPE. Prop. K would actually help with the prosecution of trafficking because (a) it would free up funds currently used for prosecuting sex workers; (b) sex workers and victims would feel more secure in coming forward with evidence if they knew they weren’t going to be criminalized and jailed. Surprisingly (or not), the victims in trafficking rings are often treated as criminals rather than victims (HHS.gov); California only just passed a law to improve protections for victims of trafficking.

Whether you agree with, disagree with, or don’t have an opinion on sex work, the reality is that it exists and sex workers are too often treated as subhuman criminals (remember when a judge ruled that gang-raping a sex worker at gunpoint was “theft of services” and not rape?) rather than as human beings with full civil rights. Decriminalization is an important step toward changing that and improving sex worker safety.

Yes on Prop. K is doing a great job raising awareness, but we’re a small grassroots group and we have a long way to go. If you can, please donate or get info on volunteering by emailing info@yesonpropk.org. If you know voters registered in SF, ask them if they’re aware of Prop. K and how they plan to vote. I’ve found that most people (a) don’t know about it; (b) have a knee-jerk reaction of “No way!”; (c) change their minds to “Yes way!” once we’ve talked about it.

SF ballot: Cindy Sheehan (Cindy for Congress) is running for Rep. of the 8th district on a populist platform. The 8th district is currently represented by Rep. and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Information on volunteer events here.

Oh, and the presidential election: I am so not telling you how to vote. If you want to know why, read this post and this one (both Shakesville). How you vote is up to you; I trust you have reasons for it. Unlike all the other votes listed above, this race is one where I do think there is neither a right nor a wrong side. There are too many factors of variable weight; what’s right for me might not be right for you, depending on how you weigh things, what your goals are, and what your beliefs are, just for starters. I do ask that if you haven’t already done so, please consider Cynthia McKinney-Rosa Clemente. The Dems and the Repubs aren’t your only options.