Category Archives: Libertarianism

To the Editor,

The Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) staff and board of directors resoundingly applaud the Indianapolis City-County Council for unanimously adopting the Special Resolution on Feb. 24, 2020, in support of a public commitment to addressing the historical inequities of race, place and identity throughout our City-County government. For far too long, racist systems, institutions and structures have not been inadvertent oversights, but intentional barriers put and kept in place to extinguish opportunity and humanity from people of color, LGBTQ individuals, people with disabilities, families experiencing poverty and many other marginalized populations.

This has led to generations of Hoosiers with purposefully designed inequitable access to education, jobs, housing, health care and so much more. This has led to Black residents of Indianapolis, on average, dying up to 14 years earlier than white residents because of these inequities. This has led to the vast majority of Black students in all 11 school districts in our city to have lower academic outcomes than their white counterparts. This has led to the average Black worker in Indianapolis making 56-cents-on-the-dollar of the average white worker. This has led to an unforgivable percentage of Black men in Indiana being incarcerated five times more than whites and families lives ruined.

The City-County Council and Mayor Hogsetts commitment to dismantling racist policies and practices that lead to these racial disparities is an amazing first step. Thank you for working across departments and agencies to identify the specific issues to address and to name and measure key indicators toward success. CICF was proud to initiate this work by providing grant funding for dozens of municipal leaders to go through the first phase of Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) training. We pledge our continued support and vocal leadership as we all must work together to dismantle the barriers and empower our neighbors for a truly inclusive city where all residents have an equitable opportunity to reach their full potential no matter place, race or identity.

Sincerely,

Gregory F. Hahn, Chair

Central Indiana Community Foundation

Brian Payne, President and CEO

Central Indiana Community Foundation

--

To the Editor,

Economic Freedom Fighters Indiana (EFFI) is in the process of becoming an independent party with a specific agenda for people of African descent. To realize this goal, we have approached the Indiana State Election Division (IED) concerning having ballot access. Dale Simmons, Indiana Election Division co-counsel, told us the following:

In Indiana, currently the Democratic, Republican, and Libertarian Parties have all established automatic ballot access. The Libertarian Party established automatic ballot access across the state by first running a candidate for Secretary of State. Initially, the Libertarian Partys Secretary of State candidate got on the ballot by obtaining signatures on petitions in the amount of 2% of the vote cast for Secretary of State in Indiana. These signatures were certified as valid signatures by the county voter registration offices in the counties where the signatures were obtained. Since the Libertarian candidate for Secretary of State received at least 2% of the votes cast for Indiana Secretary of State in the election, the Libertarian Party had automatic ballot access for the following four years.

We were up for the task and asked for the petitions. Mr. Simmons informed us it was the IEDs tradition not to give out the petitions so far in advance of the Secretary of State election. After negotiations Angie Nussmeyer, co-director, Indiana Election Division summarized with the following:

In our conversation, I noted that the CAN-19 for 2022 might be approved in July-ish 2021, or the year preceding the 2022 election, if tradition holds. You had asked if our office would consider releasing the 2022 CAN-19 petition form in July of 2020, which would be after the June 30, 2020, filing deadline for 2020 minor party or independent candidates to submit the 2020 version of the CAN-19 to the county VR officials for review and certification to gain access to the November 2020 ballot.

Im certainly open to your request, though I cannot unilaterally make this determination. In case this hasnt been brought up before, state law requires that both co-directors are to approve forms, and case law stipulates that both co-directors must agree on a position in order for it to be the official position of the election division.

EFFI feels we are being treated differently than the Libertarian Party was treated. So on Sept. 3, 2019 we filed a civil rights complaint with the Indiana Civil Rights Commission. Tradition is not the law. There is no legal reason for IED to not release the petition. However, if IED agrees to release the CAN-19 petition to us on June 1, 2020, then we would strongly consider withdrawing our complaint.

Elder Mmoja Ajabu

Founder, Economic Freedom Fighters Indiana

Excerpt from:
letters to the Editor: March 5, 2020 | Opinion - Indianapolis Recorder

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North Carolinas primary electionis Tuesday. In case youre new to casting a ballot, here are tips before you head to your polling place, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections:

1. Whats a primary?

In a primary election, voters select a political partys candidate to appear on the ballot for the November general election.

2. Who can vote?

Voters who are registered with one of the five recognized parties (Constitution, Democratic, Green, Libertarian, or Republican) can cast a ballot in that partys primary election.

Unaffiliated voters can ask for a Democratic, Libertarian,orRepublican ballot, or nonpartisan ballot, if available.

Non-affiliated voters cantvote in the Constitution or Green parties primary, as those they are closed to independents.

3. When can you vote?

Polls across North Carolina are open from 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Voters in line at 7:30 p.m. will be able to cast a ballot. Lines tend to be longer before and after normal business hours.

4. Where to vote

Determine your polling place at the State Board website: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/PPLkup/.

5. Which contests and candidates are on your ballot?

Sample ballots are available online athttps://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/.

6. Casting a ballot:You can fill out a paper ballot or use a ballot marking device that produces a paper record.

If you hand-mark a paper ballot, completely fill in the oval to the left of each candidate or selection using a black pen.

If you tear, deface or wrongly mark the ballot, you can ask for a replacement. Be sure to verify your selections before putting the ballot into the tabulator, and make sure youve voted all pages of the ballot.

7. No same-day registration

Same-day registration is not available on Tuesday. Verify your registration status and political party affiliation at the state or local board of elections website.

8. Help for voters

If you need assistance at the polls, you can ask for it. Voters who cant enter the polling place can vote curbside. Once inside the polling place, voters who experience difficulties should request help from a poll worker.

9. No photo ID necessary

A federal district court blocked North Carolinas voter photo ID requirement in December and the injunction will stay in place until further notice.

The State Court of Appeals also temporarily blocked the law on Feb. 18.

10. Behave yourself

Voter intimidation is a crime. Voters who feel harassed or intimidated should alert an election official immediately or submit a report to the State Elections Board online at:https://goo.gl/v1yGew.

Will

See more here:
What to know ahead of Super Tuesday primary in North Carolina - Charlotte Post

It's almost Missouri's turn. The state's presidential preference primary election is March 10.

Do you have questions about it? We have answers! Here's everything you need to know before you cast your ballot in Missouri's primary.

Am I registered to vote?

Anyone who registered to vote by Feb. 12 can cast a ballot in the March 10 primary.

To register, one must be:

18 or older

a U.S. citizen

a Missouri resident

You can check your voter registration online to confirm you're OK to cast a ballot March 10.

What's on the ballot?

Presidential candidates. That's it.

The March 10 primary is only for the presidential primary. The primary with state and local candidates and issues will be Aug. 4.

Voters must select one party's ballot. The established parties in Missouri are:

Republican

Democratic

Libertarian

Green

Constitution

Where do Democratic candidates stand on the issues? Explore their stances on 9 topics

The candidates who will be on the Republican ballot are:

Donald Trump

Bob Ely

Bill Weld

Joe Walsh

Matthew John Matern

The candidates who will be on the Democratic ballot are:

Amy Klobuchar

Tom Steyer

Tulsi Gabbard

Leonard J. Steinman II

Cory Booker

Joseph R. Biden

Elizabeth Warren

Pete Buttigieg

Bernie Sanders

Velma Steinman

Henry Hewes

Andrew Yang

Roque De La Fuente

John K. Delaney

Julin Castro

Deval Patrick

Marianne Williamson

Michael Bennet

Michael R. Bloomberg

Steve Burke

Robby Wells

William C. (Bill) Haas

The candidate who will be on the Libertarian ballot is:

Jacob Hornberger

The candidates who will be on the Green Party ballot are:

Howie Hawkins

Dario Hunter

David Rolde

The candidates who will be on the Constitution Party ballot are:

Don J. Grundmann

Don Blankenship

Each party's ballot also has an uncommitted option.

When and where do I vote in person?

Polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.

If you are in line by 7 p.m., you are allowed to cast your vote, even after the polls close.

Where you vote depends on where you live. Find your polling place online through Missouri's voter outreach center.

What do I bring to the polling place?

Any acceptable form of ID. Currently, that includes photo IDs, like Missouri driver's licenses, as well as nonphoto IDs like copies of a current utility bill, bank statement, or a government document containing your name and address.

If you are a registered voter but do not have an acceptable ID, you can still cast a provisional ballot that will be counted if your signature on it matches the signature on your voter registration form.

Top election officials have said the vast majority of those provisional ballots have been counted in recent elections.

Don't miss out on the latest news and analysis on the 2020 election process. Help us continue providing content like this by subscribing today.

Can I vote early?

No. There is no early voting in Missouri. However...

Can I vote absentee?

Only if the county clerk's office received your request to vote absentee by Feb. 26.

Absentee voters casting a ballot in person can do so from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday through March 9 at the Phelps County Clerks office at the Phelps County Courthouse.

Voting absentee by mail

Phelps County abides by Missouri law, which requires that requests for absentee ballots must be received by 5:00 p.m. on the second Wednesday prior to Election Day if the ballot is to be mailed. The deadline for absentee voting in person in the office of the election authority is 5:00 p.m. on the day prior to the election.

Is accessible voting available?

Yes. Missouri offers:

Curbside voting

Accessible polling places

Accessible voting systems

Permanent absentee voting

Find out more on Missouri's accessible voting options here.

Read more here:
Missouris presidential primary is March 10. Heres what to know before you vote - The Rolla Daily News

Just yesterday, I was scrolling through Twitter and came across six separate tweets relating to the Libertarian perspective on government, particularly about what would be the lack of funding in a governmentless society. All six were criticizing the idea that our already failing infrastructure could be managed by anyone less than our current government system. When trying to debunk Libertarian theory, statists often mention infrastructure and highways, yet fail to see the fallacies in their argument. It is not complex nor complicated, yet here we are.

When I say government, I am talking about the forcible entity in which a series of officials are elected to rule over a group of people and use said peoples finances in order to maintain systems such as defense, infrastructure, etc. I am not talking about a private entity or a private group voluntarily formed for the betterment of a community.

Businesses

Business would most likely be the largest contributor to the cost of our roadways/infrastructure. While they wouldnt be coerced into paying their fair share through taxes, they would be pushed to contribute through the laws of economics and business. In order to sell their goods, they must have customers, and they must have a supplier. In order to reach their supplier and customers, some degree of infrastructure is highly necessary, otherwise no money is made.

In fact, businesses initially paid for much of our current railroad system, as private companies built them and maintained them. There would be many incentives to have infrastructure from a logistical standpoint, so why wouldnt businesses contribute?

Suppliers

In the business world, your company either sells a service or supplies those businesses with the essential tools needed to sell a service. In order to sell a service, you have to have the supplies required. Such supplies are made and transported by outside companies that manufacture products for businesses, and those supplies are also delivered via infrastructure. That is why Libertarian theory also mentions the suppliers in the chain of payment to private industry. Companies like UPS, FedEx, DHL and many more would all have to contribute in order to make a profit and sell their services.

Salesmen

Do you like buying new clothes or shoes? Do you have private insurance? Do you like ordering pizza? If you do, then you understand that someone has to sell those. Typically, salesmen work for a much larger operation than just themselves, but every so often, they are part of a small-scale business. Either way, they have to move their product, so sales people would be more likely to contribute an amount, however small compared to larger corporations.

Tourists

Indirectly, tourists would pay for a small portion of the infrastructure through the costs of traveling and expenditures. Sure, that money would come directly from the business, but where did the businesses get their funds? From the tourists, who also need some source of infrastructure in order to travel from place-to-place.

Homeowners/Common People

While the business world requires infrastructure through profit-motive, the everyday person will have to contribute in order to live their lives appropriately and comfortably. We use roads every day, whether it be for traveling to work, getting groceries, going shopping and so much more. In order for the common people to pay their share voluntarily, there could be sources such as GoFundMe or Kickstarter.com that allow someone to do the math on a project and its cost, and consumers could join those groups to pay a specific portion to ensure that the infrastructure is cared for and built appropriately.

Private companies would have many incentives to build, maintain, and repair our roads and infrastructure. To start, it is highly profitable. For our failing system, billions of dollars are expedited every year. Construction and base companies could make major amounts of money from building bridges, buildings, roads, etc.

Next, private companies would be held accountable by the consumer, who pays and uses the roads, to keep the infrastructure maintained and repaired as needed. Currently, this is where our government falls the shortest in the infrastructure category. You can hardly drive anywhere without seeing potholes, cracks, and other broken aspects of our highways, despite there being constant construction. If you switch over to the railways, private companies almost always uphold their rails, and keep them in the most usable shape possible. That is because of accountability.

If the people are happy, they will keep paying for roads to be placed, maintained, and repaired, so that itself should be enough of an incentive.

Otherwise, there would be no money going to the roads and companies/businessmen in charge of building such systems would go bankrupt.

In a privatized, free market system without a coercive government in place, our infrastructure will be cleaner, safer, and more efficient than our current system. This is because the owners of the road would have their own self-interest at heart, along with profit-motive.

Why, though? Because of economic competition and financial motivation. If Company A has a reputation for having the highest-quality, safest roads, then they will be making more of a profit than Company B, who makes roads that arent as dependable. If Company B wants to catch up with A, they will have to invest more time, money, and effort into their systems. If there are roads that are entirely unsafe, then you can simply not use them and they lose money, along with popularity.

Privatizing infrastructure would also introduce new technology, similar to some things used by private businesses. You could have apps like Yelp, TripAdvisor, and much more.

While most people cannot imagine a society without a gun to your head, it is not as complicated as it may seem. It just comes down to whether or not you want to cut out the middleman and keep asking yourself, But Muh Roads?

See more here:
Without Government, Who Will Build The Roads? - The Libertarian Republic

Updated at 10 a.m. March 4 As the race for the Democratic presidential nominee narrows, Missouri voters will weigh in on Tuesday with their preference.

While most of the attention is focused on the heated Democratic primary, voters can choose to cast a ballot for the Republican, Libertarian, Green or Constitution party nominee. Heres what you need to know about your vote.

Who is on the ballot?

Heres what the ballots will look like:

Do I need to register my party affiliation?

Nope! Missouris primary is open, meaning you dont have to declare your party affiliation ahead of time. Just show up to your polling place and ask for the party ballot you want.

How many other states are voting Tuesday?

Five. So expect campaigns attention to be divided, with a lot of focus on Michigan, a swing state with 125 delegates, and Washington with 89.

How many delegates does Missouri have for each party?

Democrats have 68 pledged, 10 at-large (or superdelegates). Republicans have 54 delegates.

What happens after I vote?

Democratic delegates are allocated proportionally to the vote. Candidates have to meet a 15% vote threshold to get delegates. Pledged delegates are bound by the election results.

Republican delegates are winner-take-all if a candidate secures more than half of the votes.

Who have Democrats supported in the past?

Missouris Democratic presidential primary has been competitive in previous elections. In 2016, Hilary Clinton squeaked out a win over Bernie Sanders by less than 2,000 votes. The 2008 primary was also close, with Barack Obama beating Clinton.

History of Missouri's Democratic PrimaryInfogram

Where do I vote?

You can find your polling place on the Missouri Secretary of States website. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. (although if you are in line at that time, you will be able to cast your ballot).

Do I need to bring anything to the polls?

Bring some form of identification like a drivers license, passport, college ID, utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or government check. The Secretary of States website has more information on what counts; unlike previously, you will not need to sign an affidavit if you dont provide a passport or government-issued ID.

If you dont have an ID, you can cast a provisional ballot, which will count if the signature matches the one on your voter registration record or if you come back to the polling place with a photo ID.

Im still making up my mind.

Politico has a handy voter guide to sort by candidates or issues like health care and taxes.

Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout to reflect that the Missouri Democratic Party has canceled its candidate forum that was set for Sunday.

Aviva Okeson-Haberman is the Missouri government and politics reporter at KCUR 89.3. Follow her on Twitter: @avivaokeson.

Original post:
Missouri's Presidential Primary Is March 10 Here's What Voters Need To Know - KCUR

Qualifying remained quiet on its third day after an abundance of candidates filled out their paperwork and paid their fees on Day 1 for this years remaining elections, according to the secretary of states website. On the second and third days only 14 and 16 candidates, respectively, qualified.

The March 2 through 6 qualifying period is for the May 19 general primary, nonpartisan general and special elections, the July 21 general primary runoff, nonpartisan general runoff and special runoff elections and this falls and winters general elections and runoffs.

In the U.S. Senate election for the seat occupied by incumbent Kelly Loeffler, R-Atlanta, Republican Wayne Johnson of Macon and Kandiss Taylor and Democrat Matt Lieberman of Atlanta and Ed Tarver of Augusta qualified on Day 3. Democrat Joy Slade and independent Al Bartell of Atlanta qualified the second day

On Day 1 Loeffler qualified along with Republican Doug Collins of Gainesville, Democrats Tamara Johnson-Shealey of Tucker and Richard Winfield of Athens, Libertarian Brian Slowinski of White Plains and independent Allen Buckley of Atlanta.

In the other U.S. Senate race, Democrat Jon Ossoff qualified to run for the seat occupied by incumbent David Perdue, R-Sea Island, on Day 3. Perdue, Democrats James Knox of Evans and Theresa Tomlinson of Columbus and Libertarian Shane Hazel all qualified on Day 1. The Perdue seat election will begin with the July primary, but the Loeffler seat special election will take place in November.

In the U.S. House races, Republicans Karen Handel of Roswell and Paulette Smith of Kennesaw qualified on Days 2 and 3, respectively, in the District 6 race, where incumbent Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, qualified on the first day. In the District 13 race, Democrat Jannquell Peters and Republican Caesar Gonzales qualified on Days 2 and 3, respectively.

On Day 1, District 5s John Lewis, D-Atlanta, qualified and has no opposition so far. But two other incumbents District 11s Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville, and District 13s David Scott, D-Atlanta qualified along with opponents Dana Barrett, a Democrat and Atlanta resident, and Becky Hites, a Republican and Douglasville resident, respectively.

In the Public Service Commissions elections, Democrat Robert Bryant of Savannah qualified for the District 1 seat on Day 2.

On Day 1 two incumbents District 4s Lauren Bubba McDonald, R-Clarkesville, and District 1s Jason Shaw, R-Lakeland qualified, along with District 1 candidate Elizabeth Melton, a Libertarian. The District 2, 3 and 5 seats are not up for reelection until 2024.

In the state Senate seats representing parts of Fulton County, Christine Triebsch of Marietta qualified for the District 32 post on Day 3.

On Day 2 Garry Guan qualified for the District 40 race on Day 2 after incumbent Sally Harrell, D-Atlanta, qualified on the first day. Democrats Michelle Au of Johns Creek and Josh Uddin of Norcross qualified for the District 48 seat on Day 2, joining Republican Matt Reeves of Duluth, who qualified the first day.

In District 56, Democrat Sarah Beeson of Roswell qualified on Day 2, joining incumbent John Albers, R-Alpharetta, who qualified the first day.

They joined lots of Senate candidates who qualified on Day 1.

Republican Harrison Lance qualified for the District 6 seat, and incumbent Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, and Republican Michael Caldwell of Woodstock qualified for District 21. Also, incumbent Kay Kirkpatrick, R-east Cobb, qualified in District 32.

In District 35, incumbent Donzella James, D-Atlanta, qualified along with fellow Democrats Karen Ashley and Kelly Johnson, both of Atlanta. Incumbent Nan Orrock, D-Atlanta, qualified in District 36. In District 38, incumbent Horacena Tate, D-Atlanta, qualified along with fellow Democrats Michael Carson and Tania Robinson. Incumbent Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, qualified in District 39.

In Fultons Georgia House of Representatives races, Democrat Jason Hayes of Alpharetta qualified for the District 49 seat on Day 3, as did District 57 candidates Kyle Lamont, Jenne Shepherd and Alex Wan, all Democrats. Also on the third day, incumbent David Dreyer, D-Atlanta, qualified in District 59 and has no opposition thus far.

Democrat Anthia Carter qualified on Day 2 for the District 47 seat, joining incumbent Jan Jones, R-Milton, who qualified the first day. In District 54, incumbent Democrat Betsy Holland, D-Atlanta, and Republican Chuck Langevin qualified on Day 2, joining Republican Lyndsey Rudder, who qualified the first day. Incumbent Marie Metz, D-Atlanta, qualified in District 55 on Day 2.

She joined several House candidates who qualified on Day 1.

Incumbent Erick Allen, D-Smyrna, and Republican Taryn Bowman, also of Smyrna, both qualified in District 40. Incumbent Mary Robichaux, D-Roswell, and Republican Betty Price of Roswell qualified in District 48.

In District 49, incumbent Chuck Martin, R-Alpharetta, qualified. Incumbent Angela Kausche, R-Johns Creek, and Jay Lin of Johns Creek qualified in District 50. In District 51, incumbent Josh McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs, and Republican Alex Kaufman of Roswell qualified.

Incumbent Deb Silcox, R-Sandy Springs, and Democrat Shea Roberts of Atlanta qualified in District 52. In District 53, incumbent Shelia Jones, D-Atlanta, qualified. In District 57, Democrat Stacey Evans qualified. Incumbent Kim Schofield, D-Atlanta, qualified in District 60, as did incumbent Roger Bruce, D-Atlanta, in District 61. Incumbent William Boddie Jr., D-East Point, qualified in District 62. In District 65, incumbent Sharon Beasley-Teague, D-Red Oak, and Democrat Amber Hunter qualified. Incumbent Matthew Wilson, D-Brookhaven, and Republican Alan Cole of Atlanta qualified in District 80.

In the Fulton campaigns, incumbent Superior Court Judge Kimberly Adams qualified for her seat on Day 3 and has no opposition thus far. In the sheriffs race, Democrats Myron Freeman and Charles Rambo qualified on Day 3, joining Democrats Ted Jackson, the incumbent, and Pat Labat, who qualified on the first day.

On Day 2 incumbent Superior Court Judge Rachelle Carnesale qualified for her seat, joining Tiffany Sellers, who qualified the first day. Incumbents Emily Richardson and Shawn LaGrua each qualified on Day 2 and have no opposition so far, as did incumbent State Court Judge Wesley Tailor.

Incumbent District 3 Board of Education member Gail Dean and District 4 school board candidate Sandra Wright also qualified on the second day.

Several other candidates qualified on Day 1.

Four incumbents District Attorney Paul Howard Jr., Solicitor General Keith Gammage, Superior Court Clerk Cathelene Robinson and Tax Commissioner qualified.

Incumbent Superior Court Judges Thomas Cox Jr., Rachel Krause, Erik Dunaway, Ural Glanville, Rebecca Rieder, Belinda Edwards, Shukura Millender and Henry Newkirk, with each judge having no opposition so far.

In the Fulton Probate Court judge races, Kenya Johnson and Diane Weinberg qualified. In the Fulton State Court judge elections, incumbents Diane Bessen, Jane Morrison, Myra Dixon, John Mather, Susan Edlein and Patsy Porter each qualified without opponents so far.

In the county board of commissioners race, Barbara Gresham qualified in District 4. In the school board elections, incumbent District 1 member Katha Stuart and challenger Franchesca Warren (District 4) qualified.

Check back with the Neighbor for daily updates on qualifying through March 6.

Original post:
Here's who's officially in the federal, statewide and Fulton elections on qualifying's Day 3 - The Catoosa County News

The polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Cumberland County voters have plenty of candidates to consider as they go to the polls in Tuesdays primary.

All five of the political parties recognized by the state have candidates on the ballot. Voters will select the parties nominees for the general election in November.

Best of the Week: http://myprofile.fayobserver.com/?_ga=2.92632733.1056453553.1579613073-824904880.1576596114 ">A roundup of our best work and most popular stories of the week.

After the polls close at 7:30 p.m., candidates, campaign workers, the news media and anyone else interested traditionally gather at the Crown Complex Ballroom at the Crown Coliseum to watch the results come in. The tallies will be projected on large viewing screens around the ballroom.

The atmosphere typically is a mix of festive and tension-filled as the numbers are reported and people see whether their candidates won or lost.

The Crown ballroom will open at 7 p.m. The Crown is at 1960 Coliseum Drive, and public parking will be in the West VIP parking lot, a county news release said.

Common questions and answers include:

What sort of photo ID is required?

Photo ID is not required in this election.

When and where do I vote?

The polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. at dozens of locations across Cumberland County and 2,700 across the state.

Voters can find their polling site by looking up their address at the State Board of Elections Offices website at vt.ncsbe.gov/PPLkup or by calling the Cumberland Board of Elections Office at 910-678-7733.

Who is on the ballot?

The primary ballots in Cumberland County include candidates for District Court judge, county commissioner, the state legislature, governor, lieutenant governor, state treasurer, state attorney general, other members of the Council of State, the U.S. Senate, and president.

I voted early, and since then, my candidate has dropped out of the election. May I vote again to pick someone else?

No. Voters who have already voted by absentee ballot or by in-person early voting may not vote again.

A candidate I like is not in my political party. Can I vote for that candidate?

This is a partisan primary, so Republicans are allowed to vote only for Republicans, Democrats only for Democrats, Libertarians only for Libertarians, Green Party members only for the Green Party, and Constitution Party members only for the Constitution Party.

If you dont belong to a political party (if you are officially an unaffiliated voter), you may choose to vote in Democratic, Republican or Libertarian primaries. However, unaffiliated voters are not allowed to vote in the Constitution Party or Green Party primaries because those parties chose to keep their primaries closed to outsiders.

Staff writer Paul Woolverton can be reached at pwoolverton@fayobserver.com and 910-486-3512.

Continued here:
Voters in Fayetteville and across NC to make choices in Tuesday's primary election - The Fayetteville Observer

Aweek before Israelis went to the polls for the third time in less than a year the previous two elections failed to produce a coalition of parties with enough seats to form a government incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus views on marijuana legalization evolved.

According to Jacob Sullum writing in Reason, a libertarian magazine, Netanyahu announced that his caretaker government was studying legalization of marijuana for recreational use, following a model similar to Canadas.

Netanyahu tweeted in Hebrew that Amir Ohana, Israels Justice Minister, has begun work on the issue, and he will head a committee including professionals and Oren Leibovich, chairman of the Green Leaf Party, that will investigate importing the Canadian model for regulation of a legal market in Israel.

The tweet also called for expunging tens of thousands of criminal records of marijuana possession convictions.

The inclusion of the Green Leaf Partys Leibovich on the study committee is notable. The Green Leaf Party is a splinter party whose raison dtre was marijuana legalization, although it subsequently broadened its interests to include other libertarian and green issues.

The party has been around in one form or another since the 1990s, but has never won a seat in Israels 120-seat parliament, the Knesset. However, in each of two previous elections it attracted more than 45,000 votes.

Heading into the latest election, which was held last Monday, Netanyahus Likud Party was engaged in a torrid, nasty campaign against the Blue and White Party, a recently formed party headed by Benny Gantz, a former Israeli army chief of staff, which left the two parties scrambling for every vote.

Following Netanyahus tweet, Green Leaf Party leader Leibovich said he believed that this week we made a significant step on the path to a legal cannabis market in Israel.

I think this is something that should have been done a long time ago, and I appreciate the prime minister who paid attention, met with me, heard me and made the right decision, he added.

Leibovich also said that he made overtures to every party (there were more than two dozen competing in the election) but that Netanyahu was the only politician that showed any interest. The Green Leaf Party didnt run candidates in the latest election.

So how did evolution on marijuana legalization work out for Netanyahu? Evolution is driven by the survival of the fittest, and by that measure Netanyahus evolved view sure didnt hurt him. With more than 99% of voting precincts reporting, his Likud Party was on track to win 36 seats, up from the 32 Likud won in September 2019. Moreover the coalition of right-wing parties led by Likud was on track to win 59 seats, two seats short of the 61 needed to form a government, but a seven-seat improvement from what the bloc won in the September 2019 election.

As in the United States, recreational marijuana legalization isnt an issue uppermost in very many voters minds when they decide how to cast their ballots. The Green Leaf Partys 45,000-plus-vote hauls in earlier elections is probably a measure of the upper-number of pot rights first voters in Israel. But there is probably a larger pool of late deciding voters for whom marijuana legalization may have been a tie-breaking issue.

It will be interesting to see if the post-election analysis will be able to sieve out the impact of Netanyahus marijuana evolution on the final outcome. But its already pretty obvious it didnt hurt.

It will also be interesting to see if Trump chooses to take a page out of Netanyahus playbook when it comes to pot. Bernie Sanders has been making federal marijuana legalization on day one of a Sanders presidency a major talking point of his campaign.

The Controlled Substances Act explicitly gives the president the authority to remove a drug from regulation under the act by executive order. Sanders sees this as a way of mobilizing younger voters, who overwhelmingly favor legalization but who historically under-perform when it comes to voting. Trump could preempt him on the issue by doing it himself before the election. And since both Biden and Bloomberg want to keep marijuana illegal, promising to delist marijuana would be a way of appealing to disgruntled Sanders supporters if either managed to wrest the nomination from Bernie.

Read more here:
Evolution in action in the Middle East - Boulder Weekly

Catawba County voters will have their last chance to weigh in on the 2020 primaries today.

Records posted to the Catawba County Board of Elections website indicate nearly 13,100 people nearly 13 percent of the countys more than 102,000 registered voters have already cast their ballot.

This includes nearly 8,600 votes in the Republican primaries and 4,500 in the Democratic primaries. There were also 21 votes in the Libertarian primary, two votes in the Constitution Party and one Green Party vote.

Heres a look at some of the key questions about todays primary:

When is voting?The polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voters in line at the time polls are closed will be allowed to vote.

Where can I vote?Unlike early voting, voters are required to vote at their assigned precincts.

To find their precincts, voters can visit catawbacountync.gov/ county-services/elections and click the voter lookup link under the voter registration tab to look up their polling place or call the elections board at 828-464-2424.

What offices are up for election?There are Republican and Democratic primaries for president, U.S. Senate, governor, lieutenant governor, state auditor and superintendent of public instruction.

The following races only have Republican primaries: 10th Congressional District, Catawba County Board of Commissioners, 42nd N.C. Senate District, register of deeds, insurance commissioner and labor commissioner.

The races for the Fifth Congressional District, agriculture commissioner and state treasurer only have Democratic primaries.

In addition to the two major parties, there are also presidential primaries for the Libertarian and Constitution parties.

Who can vote in which primary?

The party a voter is registered with determines which primary they can vote in.

The Republican, Democratic and Libertarian parties allow unaffiliated to choose to vote in their primaries. Otherwise, the person must be a registered member of the party to vote in their primary.

The Constitution and Green parties do not allow unaffiliated voters to vote in their primaries. The deadline to register or change party affiliation has passed.

Will I have to show an ID to vote?No. The states voter ID law is on hold as a result of litigation. Circumstances may change later in the year but for the primaries voters will not be required to show ID.

Read more:
Today is primary day. Here's what you need to know. - Hickory Daily Record

At the federal level, both Senate seats have candidates withlocal ties as Libertarian Shane Hazel, a Forsyth County resident who previouslyran for Georgias 7th Congressional District as a Republican, willrun for the seat against Sen. David Perdue and Rep. Doug Collins, whorepresents Forsyth County and 19 other counties in northwest Georgia in-part orin-full, will run against Sen. Kelly Loeffler for the seat previously held byJohnny Isakson.

The races for both of Forsyth Countys Congressional seats Districts 7 and 9 are also expected to see a large amount of candidates asDistrict 7 Rep. Rob Woodall is not seeking re-election and Collins is running forSenate.

Qualifying will remain open until Friday at noon for both nonpartisanand political party candidates will qualify for the general primary, which willbe held on Tuesday, May 19 after three weeks of advance voting.

The general primary will consist of non-partisan races andselecting party candidates for the Nov. 3 general election. It should be notedthat the Senate race for the seat held by Sen. Kelly Loeffler will be decidedin November.

Heres who has qualified for the races so far:

oSen. David Perdue (incumbent)- Republican

oJames Knox- Democratic

oTeresa Tomlinson- Democratic

oShane Hazel- Libertarian

o Brian Slowinski- Libertarian

oSen. Kelly Loeffler (incumbent)- Republican

oDoug Collins- Republican

oTamara Johnson-Shealey- Democratic

oRichard Dien Winfield- Democratic

oAllen Buckley- Independent

oMark Gonsalves- Republican

oLynne Homrich- Republican

oRenee Unterman- Republican

oCarolyn Bourdeaux- Democratic

o Rich McCormick- Republican

oMichael Boggus- Republican

oAndrew Clyde- Republican

oMatt Gurtler- Republican

oMaria Strickland- Republican

oKevin Tanner- Republican

oEthan Underwood- Republican

o Devin Pandy- Democratic

oBrooke Griffiths- Democratic

oClint Smith- Republican

oWill Wade- Republican

oSteve Leibel- Republican

oZach Tumlin- Republican

oSharon Ravert- Democrat

oRep. Wes Cantrell (incumbent)- Republican

oCharles Ravencraft- Democratic

oRep. Sheri Gillian (incumbent)- Republican

oNatalie Bucsko- Democratic

oTodd Jones (incumbent)- Republican

oChrista Olenczak- Democratic

oLauren McDonald III- Republican

oJason Boskey- Democratic

oTom Cleveland (incumbent)- Republican

oBarry S. Herrin- Republican

oDarla Sexton Light- Republican

oLindsey Adams- Republican

oAlfred John- Republican

oCindy Jones Mills (incumbent)- Republican

oLaura Semanson (incumbent)- Republican

oRon H. Freeman (incumbent)- Republican

oPaul W. Holbrook- Republican

oTed Paxton - Republican

oGreg G. Allen

oMatthew C. Ledbetter

oWalker H. Bramblett

oT. Russell McClelland III

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Qualifying for 2020 election has started in Georgia. Here's who has made the cut - Forsyth County News Online