The Straight-Ticket Voting E-Mails: Ignore Them

This year a big trend locally seems to involve straight-ticket voting. The assumption seems to be that a lot of first-time voters (read: blacks) will want to cast an actual vote for Barack Obama, as opposed to or in addition to voting a straight-ticket Democratic vote.

"If you punch Barack Obama for president and then punch Straight-Ticket you will NEGATE your vote," one e-mail says. Another takes the opposite tack, saying a vote for Obama won't count unless you also vote straight-ticket Democratic.

Neither claims is true, the county clerk's office tells Hair Balls.

Voting for Obama and then voting straight-ticket Democratic (or McCain and straight-GOP) won't negate any votes, spokesman Hector DeLeon says.

The votes for president will count, as will the votes for all the down-ballot races.

So come on people -- just put your faith in electronic-voting machines. What could go wrong?

-- Richard Connelly