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Civics -- The Breakfast of Champions!
Oct. 31st, 2006 02:17 pmThere are two or three women whom I tend to see on the bus or waiting for the bus in the morning. One of them was commuting with me this morning, so we got to talking about all sorts of things. And about two minutes before her stop came up, she asked me this morning, "So, can you explain to me what Question 4 is all about?"
Well, Brookline's ballot question 4 is all about the Community Preservation Act (the CPA). In May, Brookline Town Meeting approved bringing the CPA in front of the town's citizens (a vote required in order to be eligible for the CPA money). And so I explained -- while attempting to be as neutral on the issue as possible -- what the CPA was, why it was on the ballot, and where people could get more information. I concluded my shpiel just as the bus got to her stop, so she thanked me for the information, said she'd probably ask me to explain it again next time we see each other (probably some time later this week), and then she got off the bus.
Almost immediately, the woman sitting in the seat in front of me turned around and asked me to explain the CPA again. So I did, and this woman thanked me, saying that everything she'd seen about the CPA had confused her, and now she had a better idea of what the question was about. Almost immediatly, a guy sitting across the bus aisle from me leaned over. "So what's the deal with Question 2?" he asked.
Question 2 (a statewide question) deals with cross endorsement. In other words, a candidate could appear on the ballot under more than one party's endorsement (for example, under the Democratic Party and under a third party, such as the Green-Rainbow party). This type of voting exists in New York and Connecticut already. So I gave him a quick overview of the issue.
As I finished up the explanation, the bus pulled into the final stop, and we all headed our separate ways. I hope that these folks -- and a couple others, who looked as if they were paying attention to my explanations -- research the issues further and go and vote on 7 November.
Well, Brookline's ballot question 4 is all about the Community Preservation Act (the CPA). In May, Brookline Town Meeting approved bringing the CPA in front of the town's citizens (a vote required in order to be eligible for the CPA money). And so I explained -- while attempting to be as neutral on the issue as possible -- what the CPA was, why it was on the ballot, and where people could get more information. I concluded my shpiel just as the bus got to her stop, so she thanked me for the information, said she'd probably ask me to explain it again next time we see each other (probably some time later this week), and then she got off the bus.
Almost immediately, the woman sitting in the seat in front of me turned around and asked me to explain the CPA again. So I did, and this woman thanked me, saying that everything she'd seen about the CPA had confused her, and now she had a better idea of what the question was about. Almost immediatly, a guy sitting across the bus aisle from me leaned over. "So what's the deal with Question 2?" he asked.
Question 2 (a statewide question) deals with cross endorsement. In other words, a candidate could appear on the ballot under more than one party's endorsement (for example, under the Democratic Party and under a third party, such as the Green-Rainbow party). This type of voting exists in New York and Connecticut already. So I gave him a quick overview of the issue.
As I finished up the explanation, the bus pulled into the final stop, and we all headed our separate ways. I hope that these folks -- and a couple others, who looked as if they were paying attention to my explanations -- research the issues further and go and vote on 7 November.
