Social media sites working to connect voters in 2012
(October 10, 2011) A recent Pew Research study showed that 22 percent of
adults used social networking sites to plug into the last elections.
Social media use in the next presidential election promises to be even
higher, with innovative websites sprouting up to help citizens voice
their opinions, show support for a candidate, or get involved in a
protest movement. New online media are rapidly being adopted by
political pundits and voters alike, that aim to level the political
playing field and get citizens involved in ways never before possible.
One
of these new sites, Votocracy.com, offers members free access to find
and interact with political candidates. It allows any U.S. citizen to
toss his or her hat into any race by starting their own campaign.
Candidates then compete on the website to win support from the American
people in online primaries, raising funds and sharing their views by
video and other online methods. The website is integrated with Facebook
and users must log into it in order to get information on candidates and
elections.
Votocracy.com was created by former Microsoft vice president Bryan Lee
and former HomeGrocer.com CEO Terry Drayton. They promote it as a way to
give everyone a chance to become involved in the political process. “In
recent history, presidential candidates have needed very deep pockets,
knowledge of the complex campaign process and a huge network of support
resources to even get noticed,” says Lee. “We aim to be the great
political equalizer, providing any one of the 200 million voting-age
Americans a shot at getting on the presidential ticket and gaining
millions of supporters, simply through the power of social media.”
Every day Votocracy hosts a new interactive poll on a timely subject
such as, how voters will use social media to inform their 2012 voting
choices, or opinions on the Cut, Cap and Balance plan. Each poll is open
to all Votocracy community members looking to share their knowledge of
the issues, answer the day’s question and join in on the discussion on
the poll wall. Additionally, Votocracy polls allow supporters to engage
in political discourse at a level previously unachievable through
traditional debate or town-hall sessions.
Other
political online networking and websites have emerged to engage people
in the upcoming elections and political issues. Some, like
thevoters.org, urge citizens to write in the candidates of their choice
on their website ballot as part of a national referendum against
“politics as usual.”
The new wave of social media sites allows candidates to connect with the
public and gain momentum without years of political experience, and with
little financial support. It is also giving citizens a way to express
their views and opinions on a scale never before experienced by the
electorate. The upcoming campaign season promises to be more accessible
and interactive, as more voters turn to the internet for involvement in
the political process.
Voters to decide Mayor, Council, propositions
Houstonians will be casting their votes to elect or re-elect a
Mayor, 16 City Council members, and the City Controller in the
general election November 8. There are six candidates on the ballot
in the mayoral race including Mayor Annise Parker, who is seeking a
second term.
Candidates
for City Council are vying to fill eleven district positions and
five at-large seats. Current City Controller Ron Green is running
unopposed.
Voters will also elect some HISD and Houston Community College board
members as well as vote for or against ten amendments to the State
constitution.
The Harris County Clerk’s office has posted the early voting
schedule and locations with a map on the website
www.harrisvotes.com. A sample ballot can also be viewed. Early
voting begins October 24 and will end at 7:00 p.m. on November 4.
There
are a total of 37 early voting locations in Harris County. The four
in near northwest Houston and the inner loop area are: 1) Harris
County Administration Building, 1001 Preston, 1st Floor; 2)
Metropolitan Mutli-Service Center, 1475 W. Gray; 3) Spring Branch,
Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center, 1414 Wirt Road; 4) Acres
Homes Multi-Service Center, 6719 W. Montgomery Road.
The constitutional amendments, if approved, will grant authority to
the legislature and other entities to take certain actions.
Proposition 1. Provides the surviving spouse of a
totally disabled veteran with an exemption from ad valorem taxation
on all or part of the market value of the homestead as long as the
surviving spouse has not remarried, lives on the property at the
time of the veterans death and continues to reside at the homestead.
Proposition
2. Authorizes the Texas Water Development Board to issue
bonds for one or more accounts of the Texas Water Development Fund
on a continuing basis as long as the total amount of bonds
outstanding at any time does not exceed $6 billion.
Proposition 3. Authorizes the Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board to issue and sell general obligation
bonds on a continuing basis for the purpose of financing educational
loans for students, subject to certain constitutional restrictions
including a restriction as to the maximum principal amount of bonds
outstanding at any one time.
Proposition
4. Authorizes the legislature to permit a county to issue
bonds or notes to finance the development or redevelopment of an
unproductive, underdeveloped or blighted area within the county, and
to pledge increases in ad valorem tax revenues imposed on property
in the area by the county for repayment of such bonds or notes.
Proposition 5. Authorizes the legislature to allow
cities and counties to enter into interlocal contracts with other
cities and counties without having to assess an ad valorem tax and
set aside a specified amount of funds for the payment of costs under
the interlocal contract.
Proposition 6. Increases the amount of principal
that is available for withdrawal from the permanent school fund each
year to provide additional funding for public education.
Proposition 7. Adds El Paso County to the list of
counties authorized to create conservation and reclamation districts
to develop parks and recreational facilities financed by taxes.
Proposition 8. Requires the legislature to provide
for taxation of open space land devoted to water stewardship
purposes on the basis of its productive capacity.
Proposition 9. Authorizes the Governor, on the
written recommendation and advice of the Board of Pardons and
Paroles, to grant a pardon, reprieve or commutation of punishment to
a person who successfully completes a term of deferred adjudication
community supervision.
Proposition 10. Extends the length of the unexpired
term that causes the automatic resignation of certain local elected
officeholders if they announce candidacy or become candidates for
another office from one year to one year and 30 days.
Read
information and analysis of the propositions at the Texas
Legislative Council website.
Clayton Library Friends host State Genealogical Conference
The
Texas State Genealogical Society (TSGS) Conference will be held at
the Houston Marriott South at Hobby Airport, November 4-5, 2011,
with Clayton Library Friends as local host. The theme will be “ From
Allen’s Landing to the Moon Landing: Destination Houston!” There
will be a Pre-Conference day on November 3 with events at the
Clayton Library, 5300 Caroline, and a writing workshop in the
afternoon at the Hotel put on by the Conference speaker Paula
Stuart-Warren, a board certified genealogist.
The Thursday morning workshop at the Clayton Library has been
extended to, “Family Search Day,” but still has limited seating. The
free workshops start at 10:30 and finish at 4:15. Call the Clayton
Library, 832-393-2600, before registering for it.
SGS
Conference Banquet Speaker is Betty Trapp Chapman on Friday,
November 3 at 7:00 pm. Her topic will be “A 175 years of Houston’s
History – the City has come a long way.” Ms. Chapman, recipient of
the 2011 Mayor’s Award for Historic Preservation in the city, has
written or edited seven books dealing with Houston’s past. She
worked to place 60 historical markers along Texas Avenue.
The
conference will have an exhibit hall available to visit with book
vendors and purchase genealogy books not carried by the mainstream
bookstores. It will also provide an opportunity to research at one
of the 5 best genealogy libraries in the United States, the Clayton
Library, before and after the conference. Conference participants
can network with other genealogists, discover a new research method,
and learn about family history. For more information visit
www.claytonlibraryfriends.org.
