This Isn't Iowa

Dateline: Feb.7, 2020

As of Friday morning, February 7, the recount of the Iowa Democratic Caucus (AKA the Caucus Chaos) that took place four days earlier on Monday evening had finally reached 100% completed. The top four Presidential contenders each garnered only 16 to 26 percent of the vote, so there was no clear winner. DNC National Chairman Tom Perez has called for a "re-canvassing of all votes."

Looking ahead, the NH Presidential Primary is on Tuesday February 11. Allenstown officials and officials at towns and cities across the state plan to safeguard the voting machines and the ballots, and deliver accurate totals to the Secretary of State after the polls close.

The polling place is St. John's Parish Hall on School St. Doors will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and town officials will be on hand to process voters and register any new voters.

Sample voting ballots can be found on the town web site.

As you examine the ballots, note that the design commemorates the fact that this is the 100th anniversary of the NH Primary. One surprising fact is that the Republican ballot contains 17 names to choose from. One candidate from California is named Zoltan, whom you might confuse with Zoltar, the fortune telling machine that was featured in the 1988 movie, Big. Another candidate is President R. Boddie, but why is this person running if already president?

On the Democratic ballot there is a whole mess of candidates, 33 to be exact. They hail from all across the U.S. – from Massachusetts to Hawaii, even one from "da Bronx." One candidate is named Roque De La Fuente, but he is on both Democratic and Republican ballots. This seems improper. How can you be both a Republican and Democrat candidate? Taken to the extreme, the implication is that anyone can get a name on both ballots to get more voter exposure.

The other fact you need to remember is that several of the more prominent Democratic candidates have dropped out of the running, like Robert Francis O'Rourke, the skateboarding candidate from Texas who once told Vanity Fair magazine that he was born for this.

What You Can Do

If, after all these months of watching rallies, debates, and campaign ads, you have not yet decided who to vote for, you should stay home. Voting requires a firm knowledge of your own political values, taking the time to investigate the positions of the candidates, and finally entering that voting booth knowing for whom you will vote. The voting booth is not the place to be playing "Eenie-Meenie-Mynie-Moe."