I've been thinking a lot about elections both national and local elections.   I've just had a piece published in the <a href="http://www.jatsbulgaria.org/show.php?type=article&amp;id=60&amp;issue_id=6&amp;head=14" target="_blank">Bulgarian Journal of American and Transatlantic Studies</a>, on the US economy and elections and when I was writing this I couldn't stop thinking about our local elections as well.

These elections seem somehow less important in comparison to the presidential elections but that isn't true.  So I am happy to report that just this week I got an email from the Walla Walla county election board. I was worried that I hand not yet received my ballot.  I've been checking my mailbox pretty religiously and nothing.  Well, the email explained that the ballot had been sent out on Friday.  So no need to worry.  But just in case, they also emailed me a ballot that I can print out, fill in and send out in the mail.

<!--more-->

Amazing. I think it's really amazing that they can email me a PDF and that I can print it out and mail it in.  Wow, technology.  I am going to vote for the presidential elections in Sofia, Bulgaria from my living room.

I took a look at the PDF.  I've got a little bit of research to do before I vote.  I know who I am voting for for president and for governor but the positions that are up for election will require some reading and research.  I want to vote for the people that I think will do the best job regardless of party.  This is I think especially true in Walla Walla.

Walla Walla is a city that tends to be dominated by Republican voters.  I understand why.  Kind of.  We live in a small town and our economy has historically centered around farming.  This means that there is some wealth, lots of "small town values" and people vote much more on who they know than the party that person belongs to.  Luckily, the school system is good and well supported and the city seems to have money for most of their projects.

Personally, I don't agree with the platform of the Republican party but I do think that there are good people who belong to party and who live in Walla Walla.  I will vote for them if I think that they will do the best job for us and for the city.

State politics, however, are something else.  I know already that I will be voting for Washington State governor <span>Christine Gregoire.<span> </span>She</span> was elected in 2004 over <span style="text-decoration:none;color:#000000;">Republican</span> <span style="text-decoration:none;color:#000000;">Dino Rossi</span> in what Wikipedia describes as “the closest gubernatorial race in United States history. Rossi led after two machine counts by 261 votes and 47 votes, respectively, before losing a final manual count by 129 votes.”In 2004, I voted absentee in Washington State.  I voted for Ms. Gregoire then and I will do so again.

Even now, I like to believe that four years ago I was one of those 129 votes in 2004.  Now that Gregoire is running once again against Rossi, she has my vote.<span> </span>This seems to me to be democracy at its best.

It's an exciting time to be an American.  I am looking forward to marking my ballot and mailing it in.