Last year every group in the country was geared up to get out the vote.  This year, not so much as the off year election cycle comes to a close with Election Day 2009 – November 3, 2009.

Where I live in upstate NY, there are a handful of interesting items and posts to vote on.  I live in the Town of Union and we are voting on county clerk and a town justice.  In Broome County, the most interesting vote going on will be the one facing the residents of the Village of Johnson City.  They are voting whether to dissolve the village or not.

NYS has two constitutional amendments on the ballot statewide.  The first amendment is to allow the state to trade forest lands with National Grid.  Other than the fact that National Grid has already used the land prior to the vote, there does not seem to be a down side to this vote.  The state will get more land than it gives up and this will benefit the Adirondack Park.

The second amendment allows the legistlature to pass legislation to allow prisoners in state and local prisons to do volunteer work for non-profits.  I have a problem with this as, whether it appears to be volunteer or not, I am not sure that our non-profits are where prisoners should be.  I am really torn on this amendment.  First, I do not know if this is what inmates should be doing.  Second, I hate giving legislators more power than they already have.

Probably, the two results I am going to be closely following tomorrow are two in which I cannot vote.  I am watching what happens in the Village of Johnson City.  Why, you may ask, since I don’t live in the village?  I live in the greater Town of Union and that is the municipality that will take over the Village of Johnson City if the voters approve dissolution.  I do not see folding a village into the town as a good thing for the town.  There is a reason there is  a village of Johnson City. 

The other election I am intrigued by is one that could, and has in the past, warranted its own posts.  I may still manage one on it later.  That election is the special election for the 23rd Congressional district in upstate NY.  The district was left without representation when President Obama tapped John McHugh as Secretary of the Army.  The election, until October 31st, was a three way election between a sitting NYS assemblywoman who was the Republican nominee, a businessman who is the Conservative nominee and an unknown Democrat nominee.  The NYS assemblywoman, when it was clear that she was not going to win, actually withdrew from the contest on Saturday.  Unfortunately for the Conservative nominee, ballots cannot be reprinted in that amount of time so people may still vote for her.  This district, which is larger than some states, has been Republican for decades.  On top of that, its congressional representative is one of only three Republicans in the NYS delegation.

Whether there are small local races in your area or you are in the NY 23rd, do not forget to vote tomorrow.