Who Knew Voting Could Be So Much Fun?

What were you all doing last year at this time? It's probably easy to conjure up images of election parties past, since presidential elections (especially the most recent one) tend to be pretty memorable.

However, every election is important, especially since many local policies eventually filter up to the state and even the national level.

Granted, it's hard to get fired up about some of the measures on the ballot like whether or not to amend the King County Charter, which apparently was so poorly written that it gets amended every year. Lucky for me and my fellow voters, the funny folks at The Stranger in Seattle have done the admittedly dull legwork and condensed all of the info into an easy-to-follow (and laugh at) voting guide. I discovered the guide during my last voting stint in the summer primary, when I was unfamiliar with many of the candidates and the county brochure containing the candidate statements didn't offer enough info to help me make a decision. The Stranger's guide is so good that I'd read it for fun even if I didn't live in Seattle.

Your town or city will offer voting guides too, and even if they aren't as entertaining as The Stranger's, they are worth a read. Certain organizations, such as The Sierra Club, also publish voting guides by region.

So before you start filling out your ballot, take a few minutes to read the opinions of others, especially about issues you may not be familiar with. That way, you won't end up with a power-mad comptroller or a parking lot where your paradise is supposed to be.