Welcome to the 200th issue of the mediual newsletter. What have been some of the most read issues so far? Philosophers on the meaning of LLMS, the underrated rewards of cold calling, and more: going home for being small. Thank you for reading!
Issue #200: Polling work and calling friends
By Harris Sockel
You are going to hear a lot about today's presidential election - perhaps too much - and I recommend learning a little (just a little!) about everything else you might find with your vote.
Like my personal favorite voting section: proposals. Instead of voting for people, you can vote for ideas. One of my five propositions for my New York City vote would give more power to the NY Department of Sanitation (Heroes) to take responsibility for the trash around them for more food trucks. However, if you dig a little deeper, giving the mayor more power over small business owners might be a strategy.
Anyone can preview the vote here. If there is an SEC, search for each proposal on Google and read what the Yays and Nays are saying. If you find little, that’s a red flag! Perhaps it was created by a small group of elected officials to push an agenda.
Another thing: in 24 states (not mine), citizens can add their own proposals to the ballot. Among them, brave LA citizen and organizer Michael Schneider explains how he did it. It took three years! With the help of friends, neighbors, and professional signature gatherers, he got the 61,000 signatures needed to propose (and pass) a new law connecting miles of safe bike and bus lanes in LA.
Also today: Confessions of a Pennsylvania poll worker
Did you know that the voting worker handbook in Pennsylvania is 67 pages long? Or that each voting machine prints four tapes that report all votes, and human voting workers must sign off on each tape? These are some of the complexities from Dr. Daniel McIntosh, who reveals in his interim story about what he is doing today - ensuring that every vote in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania is counted accurately.
There may be problems, but not at the polling place. The biggest barrier to voting in Pennsylvania is not at the voting booth or precinct level. The people who come to our precinct looking for fraud (and each major party has someone on hand to do just that) are bored.
📞 A dose of daily practical wisdom: Call a friend
When life gets tough - whether it’s election anxiety or a panic attack, there’s nothing more helpful than a quick call with someone you know.
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