Column: Missouri voters hold great power
Regardless of a voter's state of residency, Missouri is where they should cast their ballot.
Aug. 26, 2008
Even after spending nine months of the year in Columbia, it was not until last Sunday when I moved into the luxury living area on the south side of town that I felt like I was truly a resident of Missouri. Feeling a newfound surge in civic pride and desire to invoke my rights and liberties as an American, I searched the series of tubes concerning the residency rules for voting in Boone County.
What I read jumped off the screen like a jet-sized eagle of liberty breaking through the clouds, carrying old glory and singing the theme song from "227." The words I read were words I couldn't believe. I became more incredulous than I have ever been in my life in reaction to the sight I saw. In no way could such a rule exist.
But it does. For some inexplicable reason there is no need for residency to vote in the state of Missouri. The form is one page and only needs to be printed out, signed and you can vote regardless of what state is on your driver's license. You can flash your student ID as proper identification.
Being from Chicago, my vote in the presidential election means next to nothing because Barack Obama will win by a strong margin. The Electoral College doesn't reward for most votes nationally, it rewards for most states won, regardless of margin of victory. My absentee vote to Cook County, Ill., is as close to negligible as is possible.
Here in Missouri my vote means quite a bit more. The winner of the state of Missouri has won the national election in every presidential vote since 1960. Missouri has been a swing state for many years and this year is no different. It is a key state for both campaigns and we are all in for an extended period of negative attack ads on TV and stump speeches in arenas across the state. Both Barack Obama and John McCain know that winning Missouri by one vote gives 11 Electoral College votes to the victor. It doesn't seem fair, but that's our system and CNN, MSNBC and FOX certainly want it to stay that way. Otherwise we would just watch a running vote total on John King's magic screen come November.
I'm addicted to cable news. Channels 32, 33 and 34 are constantly on my TiVo and I am seriously considering getting a bunch of Lite Brites to make my bedroom a replica of the Larry King Live set. It's a problem and I am dealing with it proactively.
Here's how bad it has gotten: at a house party the other day, the main topic of conversation was vice presidential picks. My BlackBerry was working overtime because people were signing up for e-mail newsletters trying to stay in touch with the ever-changing world of politics. I was privy to some information that had not been announced yet, but it was amazing to me to see people discussing who it should or shouldn't be for each candidate. When my information was confirmed, it wasn't in the papers or on TV. It was a text message. Late night hookups, in-class conversations and now vice presidential announcements, the text message has come a long way in its short life.
I'm registered and will place my vote come November. I've supported my candidate from the beginning and have done some work on his campaign. The only way my vote will change is if Jack Donaghy is put on the ticket. Until then I'll be the one in the school bus bringing in people from Illinois, Arkansas and Iowa to come and vote in the great state of Missouri.
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