Tomorrow Chicago’s polls open yet again to select the man who will be Chicago’s mayor for the next four years. I am faced with the unhappy choices of voting for Rahm Emanuel, voting for Chuy Garcia, or not voting at all.
I don’t think that Chicago is working out the way Emanuel thought it would. For some unfathomable reason he seems to have thought Chicago would be a sinecure, paving his way for higher office and giving him plenty of time to devote to raising money and getting Democratic presidential candidates elected. Obviously, that hasn’t worked out. If he’s re-elected I fully expect him to devote most of 2016 to the Clinton campaign or, on the off chance that Hillary isn’t the candidate, on the campaign of whichever Democrat is running.
On the (I think) six different opportunities I’ve had to vote for Emanuel I have never done so and I see no reason to break my streak now. That leaves Garcia or not voting. I find the idea of not voting very sad. I may well vote for Garcia.
I later realized I screwed up last fall. Not by not voting, but by how I didn’t vote. Afterwards it occurred to me that a blank ballot would have made a better statement of my disgust. Still happy about not voting for any of the clowns on the ballot. (Ask Andy about our wonderful choices for Governor.)
Anyway, I’ll just say that if you decide to not vote, a blank ballot may be the way to do it.
…
And for my mythical and long neglected constitution I had a thought earlier today: If a plurality of voters for a federal election hand in blank ballots (as opposed to not voting), the office will be held open, and the parties on the ballot will have to choose other candidates for the next round of votes. A super-powered version of “None of the Above”, and I’m sure someone else has thought of it before.
Six?
No option for a write-in?
@Andy, the mayoral election is a runoff, so I don’t think he can write-in.
That’s right. You may only vote for Emanuel or Garcia.
Dare we ask what you decided?
Held my nose and voted for Garcia. I’m guessing I won’t break my streak of voting for someone who won’t be elected.