Init. 985: Eyeman anti-carpool lane initiative - vote NO
Init 1000: Death with dignity- vote YES
Inti 1029: Training for home health care workers- vote ???
Charter amd 1: Create elected position for county Elections officer- vote NO
Charter amd 2: Prohibiting discrimination- vote YES
Charter amd 3: Reducing regional committees - vote YES
Charter amd 4: Qualifications for Elected officials- vote NO
Charter amd 5: Creating economic joint task force- vote YES
Charter amd 6: More time for budgeting- vote YES
Charter amd 7: Clean up charter amendment process: vote YES
Charter amd 8: Making positions nonpartisan: vote NO
Pres and VP - vote Obama and Biden
US Rep - vote McDermott
Gov - vote Gregoire
Lt. Govenor - vote Marcia McCraw
Sec State- vote Sam Reed
State Treasurer- vote Jim McIntire
State Auditor- vote Sonntag
Attorney General- vote Ladenberg
Commissioner of public lands- vote Goldmark
Superintendent of public instruction- vote Randy Dorn
Insurance commissioner- vote Kreidler
State Rep #1- vote Pederson
State rep #2- vote Chopp
Vote for the unopposed judges except perhaps Charles Johnson since he decided against gay marriage.
Superior court #1- vote Parisien
Superior court #22- vote Garratt
Superior court #37- vote Rietschel
Seattle prop 1: pike place renovation- vote YES
Seattle Prop 2: Parks levy- vote YES
Sound transit prop 1: 36 miles of light rail and more express buses- vote YES
Places I differ with the Stranger:
1) Inti 1029: Training for home health care workers- vote ???
This is a tough call. The state would pick up the cost (~$30M) of additional training and background checks for these workers. Is that more important than something else we might spend that money on, like education or drug treatment programs? I'm not sure. I do like the FBI background checks, but don't know that the state should make that a priority. You can read arguments for and against here:
http://columbian.com/article/
2) Sec State- vote Sam Reed
The Stranger says,"We endorsed Republican incumbent Sam Reed for secretary of state in the primary and described Democrat Jason Osgood as a "paranoid, sweaty, nervous wreck." We've changed our minds. We weren't wrong about Osgood—it's just that we fucked up when we backed that partisan sack of shit Sam Reed, who proclaimed himself "delighted" when a King County Superior Court judge ruled that Republican Dino Rossi could run under the bullshit label "GOP Party"—25 percent of state voters don't know what "GOP" stands for—instead of the more accurate label "Republican."
This sounds like the Stranger getting pissy and reacting to a single act. Sam Reed followed the rules and refused to be partisan during the Gregoire/Rossi recount, pissing off his party. He has made it possible to register to vote online. He did agree with a selection of electronic voting machines which didn't have strong testing, but that isn't very relevant with the state going to all vote by mail after this election. He has done a good job and been fair and deserves to keep his job.
3) Superior court #1- vote Parisien
I heard the judges talk and looked at their ratings by the Municipal league and the King County Bar association. Bradshaw kept going on about his political associations while Parisien talked about being a judge. Bradshaw was rated one step higher than Parisien by the bar association and equal by the King county Bar association. Parisien seemed the more compassionate, more judicial, and less political of the two. The Stranger's endorsement is thin and doesn't look like they did much research. The Stranger says,"Bradshaw stands out for his long list of endorsements and 20 years of experience."
4) Superior court #22- vote Garratt
I liked Hill and Garrat both, and they got the same ratings from the municipal league and bar assoc. Garrat talked about having non-english speaking relatives and wanting to make sure all people got equal access to justice. Garrat seemed slightly more compassionate than Hill, but they were both good. The Stranger says,"This badass former federal civil-rights (Holly Hill) attorney is currently serving as a pro tem judge in King County District Court. She's more than qualified for a superior court position."
Hope that helps you make up your mind on things. Make sure you vote on Sound Transit Prop 1 at the very bottom of the ballot and get your ballot postmarked on or before Nov 4th.
