With the exception of Pierce county, the entire State of Washington now casts voting ballots by US Postal mail, and not at a polling place.  Although I would prefer "a polling place", because I think it is important for people to see each other voting, the new system fixes what I consider to be two worse options. 

For one thing, churches, that is Christian churches, have been commonly used in Washington State as polling places.  This is wrong in so many ways I can't even begin to count.  I'll condense my two biggest arguments.  If you don't understand what is wrong with this, imagine voting in a place that you know is comfortable to many people but very foreign to you.  Imagine voting in an ashram, or a mosque, or a brothel.  Imagine casting your ballot while standing beneath a religious symbol that is not your own.  The US political system has chosen THIS church but not yours.  In fact, so far as you know, our government has never used a church of your own denomination as a polling place anywhere.  Now imagine how that makes you feel about our government.  How do you think your government views their citizens?  Are you important to them at all?  When they make policies do they have your interests in mind?  When they think about their citizens are they including you?  Do you feel a little like an outcast or second class citizen? 

Second argument:  religious leaders frequently tell their congregations how to vote.  Personally, I think this is wrong and that the churches should lose their tax exempt status for this practice, but it is common practice.  If electioneering is prohibited outside polling places, then places that routinely endorse a particular political view should not be used as polling places.  For example, do you think that voting inside the Democratic headquarters might possibly influence the vote to turn out more Democratic? 

The second wrong that voting by mail fixes is more subtle.  Whoever picked the first Tuesday in November to be election day did the country a disservice.  Either a week or two later or a week or two earlier would have been better, as would a different day of the week.  Tuesday is dedicated to the god of war.  Having elections on a Tuesday favors pro-war candidates.  Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday are more favorable days.  The first week of November is in the path of the post-Halloween doldrums.  It is a slack time, a chill time; in other words, not the best time to send energy into a new system. 

So yes, I cast my ballot well in advance and I'm glad I had that option.  Any last-second scandal is more likely to be a political ploy than a real concern.  Also, for the second time in the last 25 years I didn't cast my ballot while standing under a religious symbol that is not my own. 

As I'm preparing for Hallows, I'm adding more recipes (like Underworld Baked Beans) and making improvements to existing ones.

Not until after Hallows.

See yesterday's post.

This last summer was one of our coldest (and back East they had one of their hottest).  I forgot to mention earlier that there was a strange thing at the end of summer.  In the past I have always seen several craneflies come into my house to die at the end of summer.  This year I didn't see any.