TODAY'S TURN: Know why you're flipping that switch

THE ISSUE:
I voted today. Got my sticker and everything to prove it. But maybe I shouldn't have.

I thought I was doing the right thing. Wrote myself a reminder note. Left the house early to drop my daughter with the babysitter. Made a point to reroute my commute. Waited (semi-patiently) while the volunteer clerk couldn't find my name in the ledger. (Hint for next time: don't look for "Kramer" under "S".) So far, so good. Doing my civic duty here...

Then I got in the voting booth and realized I didn't know what the hell I was voting for. As an Independent, I couldn't vote in either primary. So I was left with choosing between six people I'd never heard of for a single Circuit Judge position or something. See, I don't even remember what the office was!

As much as I "prepared" for it, I had no business voting today. I should have left this decision up to those who did their homework. Lesson learned.

THE GOOD TURN:
Most state boards of elections post sample ballots long before election day. Grab one, scan it and at least learn a little something. Even the local stuff - 90% of what's on the ballot is probably close to home and probably the least understood. It would have taken me two minutes to read this article and make a much smarter choice than choosing a guy "who sounds good." I'll try to think about that next time I'm in front of a judge.

Bottom line, if you're going to vote, make sure you know what the hell you're talking about. Without knowledge, it all comes down to name recognition, doesn't it? And that's a huge part of what wrong with politics today. The loudest stay the longest. If you're voting on stuff you know nothing about, you're part of the problem - like I was today.

CLICK HERE TO DO THIS GOOD TURN:
Visit the Project Vote Smart website.