I'm debating if I should call a local campaign office..

[Kogarashi]

Suddenly I'm very glad for several reasons.

1. We cancelled our cable account a few months ago, because we were only watching one show a week (if that). It was basic cable anyway. (If it'd had Discovery, SciFi, CMT, or Food Network, we would've kept it.) So no election coverage to worry about there.

2. We have no landline. Hubby and I each have a cell phone, and that serves as our landline. Only time I've ever had political calls to my cell phone, it was in Utah and for the mayoral election. So yay cell phones!

3. Our apartment complex is very severely "No Soliciting." Doesn't stop the JWs from coming by, but they're polite enough so I don't mind. Only other fliers and such we get are put up by the Housing Office and the Residential Coordinators, informing us of important events (construction, inspections, etc.) and community activities.

Only fliers I've gotten this election were the two handed to me outside the polling location, just this morning. Both got folded up and stuffed in my purse for later recycling. (They were for the party I wasn't planning to vote for.) Though I must admit, I find it highly amusing that one of the local candidates has the surname Looney and has on one of the best Evil Overlord grins I've ever seen. Only one better is the one my Hubby does.

Almost as amusing as when "Hooker for Assembly" signs were put up around my hometown about ten years ago.

Which reminds me, I need to take a picture of the sign for the "New Hooker School" being built on one of the main streets of town.

[Chromatix]

Britain actually has an official Monster Raving Loony Party. They exist, I assume, to allow people to protest-vote. Imagine Monty Python, but worse, and in politics.

Their candidates are deliberately completely ludicrous - they have names like Screaming Lord Sutch - and would probably make a complete mockery of Parliament if any of them were actually elected. But it's just yet another little mechanism to keep the real politicians honest.

[crazylegs]

- they have names like Screaming Lord Sutch -

I'm sure he died, but with candidates like Dancing Ken the tradition lives on!

[MadMike]

Count me as another one who's glad it's all over, mainly the robocalls and the nasty TV ads. Didn't really get many people, if any, coming to the door. In fact, I saw one person going door to door, but skipping my house. Probably the campaign sign in the yard had something to do with it. If they were for that particular candidate, we were already voting for him, so there was no sense in wasting time on us. And if they were against, then we were already voting against him, so there was no sense in wasting time on us.

[wolfie]

Britain actually has an official Monster Raving Loony Party. They exist, I assume, to allow people to protest-vote. Imagine Monty Python, but worse, and in politics.

Their candidates are deliberately completely ludicrous - they have names like Screaming Lord Sutch - and would probably make a complete mockery of Parliament if any of them were actually elected. But it's just yet another little mechanism to keep the real politicians honest.

Canada has had a few protest parties (Rhinoceros, Natural Law), but they've never run a nationwide slate. Rhinoceros once ran a candidate picked solely for his name (John Turner) in the same riding where the Liberal leader John Turner was running. After the election which put Chretien in office, the Natural Law leader made an announcement that his party hadn't done too badly - nationwide only 2 seats behind the Conservatives, and matching them seat for seat in Ontario (Conservatives went from a majority down to 2 seats, with neither in Ontario).

Of course there's also a single-issue party which could very well adopt as their slogan "With the major parties, sometimes you have to wonder what they're smoking. Vote for us and you'll know what we're smoking".

[Misanthropical]

We had non stop people coming to our door for the party I'm registered with. I told them I hadn't decided yet, because I don't think it was any of their business who I was voting for. No one from the party my husband is registered with came to the door.

We usually vote for the same people, we are just registered to different parties.

We had a few robocalls for local politicians. I don't vote for people who robocall me, so they only shot themselves in the foot.

[prb]

Of course there's also a single-issue party which could very well adopt as their slogan "With the major parties, sometimes you have to wonder what they're smoking. Vote for us and you'll know what we're smoking".

He he, I've spoken with the leader of that party and done some work for them.

We also have a party that runs nationwide and isn't a one-issue party, but people think they are.

We had a few robocalls for local politicians. I don't vote for people who robocall me, so they only shot themselves in the foot.

Heh, I did a call and the person said "It's a fucking computer calling for the _ party" to someone he was with, I interrupted him with "actually, I'm a person, not a computer, do you have any questions about our party's policies?"

[Misanthropical]

prb, you have no idea how many people assume I'm a computer when I call to ask them about payment.

[edible_hat]

Britain actually has an official Monster Raving Loony Party. They exist, I assume, to allow people to protest-vote. Imagine Monty Python, but worse, and in politics.

At one time Australia had the Happy Birthday Party whichw as founded by Ceaser Creamcheese. His brother was one of my high school teachers.

[Hyndis]

Count me as another one who's glad it's all over, mainly the robocalls and the nasty TV ads. Didn't really get many people, if any, coming to the door. In fact, I saw one person going door to door, but skipping my house. Probably the campaign sign in the yard had something to do with it. If they were for that particular candidate, we were already voting for him, so there was no sense in wasting time on us. And if they were against, then we were already voting against him, so there was no sense in wasting time on us.

Yup, they go after the independent/undeclared and undecided voters.

I really need to change my voter registration to declare a political party affiliation. I'm currently registered as an independent/undeclared, and its a massive downpour of spam as both sides try to get my vote.

I tend to be quite a bit against one political party, but I also have major issues with the other political party which is why I haven't declared my affiliation with them.

Next election I'll probably just declare my affiliation if only to put a halt to the spamfest that happens to me around election time.

[Gurndigarn]

Yup, they go after the independent/undeclared and undecided voters.
<snip>
Next election I'll probably just declare my affiliation if only to put a halt to the spamfest that happens to me around election time.

Is anyone here registered with one of the minor US political parties? If so, do you manage to avoid telespam or junk mail that way (both from the major two parties plus the party you're registered with)? I've considered that as a possible way to avoid all the nuisance of the major two parties, but really don't want to end up with a different, possibly weirder, set of nuisances.

[Pagan]

I'm glad it's over with. I luckily had to work Election Night, so I didn't have to watch any of it.

The only one that came to my door, I messed with. When I said that I wasn't voting for my party's candidate, she wanted to know if she could ask who I was voting for. I said, "Yes, but I'm not going to tell you! Good day!" and closed the door. I know, kinda mean, but I had been up almost all night hoping not to get flooded from 12 straight hours of rain.

Is anyone here registered with one of the minor US political parties?

I'm not yet, but after this election, I'm changing my party affiliation. I'm just so disgusted with my current party.

[JLRodgers]

Is anyone here registered with one of the minor US political parties? If so, do you manage to avoid telespam or junk mail that way (both from the major two parties plus the party you're registered with)?

I'm a member of the green party (actually got a card and everything and will be potentially running for office). Of course you end up with the third party sending you the info on candidates running for office (and, surprisingly, depending on your location there's a LOT of third parties running for offices).

But I've found that the other parties consider you callable no matter what, especially if they ever had your number (although I'm in Illinois).

[Bandit]

One election, both local major candidates sent me postal vote applications with a reply paid envelope... to the candidate's office!

So I filled each with the other candidate's propaganda and sent it back. Also sent both copies of the H.E.M.P. leaflet since somebody left a box of them on our doorstep.

Bloody brilliant! Love it!

Gotta remember to do that with all the cable company/phone company junk mail...

B

[BroSCFischer]

I work nights, and twice I had someone knocking at my door to campaign for the same candidate. The first time I made it clear I had no intention of voting for this candidate, the second time I was downright rude (hey, I was tired, and I didn't want to deal with them). They didn't bother me again.

SC

PS: Names omitted to protect the topic.