August 18, 2010 Newsletter
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An Educated Voter is a Likely Voter
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I want to improve voter turnout and to help Pierce County citizens better understand the basic principles and practices of government.
I'm convinced that knowledge is the best way to improve community engagement. "Engagement" includes voting, volunteerism and awareness of current events.
Voter registration drives don't cut it. Only 67% of our eligible population is registered to vote. And 14% of Pierce County's registered voters have never voted. Not once.
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Civic know-how is proven to increase respect for America's ideals and governmental principles. Education leads to more voting, volunteerism and awareness.
In 2010, I'll focus on:
Children in 5th through 8th grades. We are collaborating with national programs such as "We the People," "Project Citizen" and "Civic Education Washington State."
Voter's Pamphlet. We'll use every spare page and fill them with basic civic facts and discussion questions.
Analysis of Pierce County Voter Behavior. We're working in partnership with the University of Puget Sound computer sciences department to analyze Census data and the Pierce County voter database. My theory is that you research first, draw policy conclusions, and then design implementation strategies. Before we design outreach strategies to improve participation, we have to understand who Pierce County voters are, and the variables that influence their voting behavior.
November Forum on Civic Engagement. Stay tuned. This event will be scheduled AFTER the November election. We want to unveil some of the UPS findings, showcase the "Project Citizen" program for 5th and 8th graders, and gather ideas for engaging businesses, public institutions and families to make Pierce County civic-savvy.
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In Pierce County, voters have the option to Vote-By-Mail or go to a polling place. Of Washington state's 39 counties, Pierce County is the only one that offers polling place elections.
For the Primary 56 polling places were open. And, they'll be open for the November 2nd General Election, too.
I'm happy to report we have been able to reduce the cost of conducting polling place elections by 47 percent!
*continued from email*
By returning our tried and true precinct tabulators to the polls, ballots can be counted at the polling place rather than transported to the Election Center for counting.
For the last three years, Ranked Choice Voting prevented the use of precinct tabulators. Since voters repealed Ranked Choice Voting, Pierce County can return to counting ballots at each polling place. This saves considerable time, labor and expense. Pierce County has also saved money with more efficient printing of polling-place materials (did we really need color on the ballots?).
Pierce County has approximately 404,987 active registered voters. Approximately 82 percent use a Vote-By-Mail ballot. The remaining 18 percent of voters have registered to vote at a polling place.
Unfortunately, we continue to see very low turnout at the polling places. It's frustrating to offer an excellent service and only have 10-15% of the eligible voters turnout.
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| Watch our 2010 ad and share with friends! We need your help getting this aired. Make Julie more visible with just $10, $20, $30, or $40. Make her a star for $100! |
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Family Fun in the Park
September 19
Jefferson Park
(N 9th at N Monroe St.)
Noon to 4:00 pm
We've planned an afternoon of family fun at Jefferson Park. Play some good old fashioned games (Sack races! Water balloon tosses!), grab a hot dog, grab a yard sign, and support my campaign. Games, Prizes and Free Food. What more could you want? Bring the kiddies. It's an alcohol-free event.
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