Election Tuesday — VOTE BLUE!

First order of business: Reject Referendum Question 1 and say NO to a Constitutional Convention. We have already written on this but House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi has just issued an excellent statement on why he is also urging Rhode Islanders to vote no. It reads in part:

Rhode Island began as a ‘lively experiment,’ but we must never tolerate becoming a laboratory for out-of-state extremist interests.

. . . If Question 1 is approved, a special election would be held to elect 75 delegates whose sole charge would be to revise the Rhode Island Constitution in any way they see fit. Delegates would undoubtedly run and campaign on behalf of a multitude of special interests, including national issues espoused by the fringes of both political parties. Outside money would flood into this state. Outside groups would treat Rhode Island as a test case in an attempt to cement these issues into the constitution of any state.

We must not allow our constitution to be sold to the highest bidder.

And it would be hugely expensive and we don’t need it! Thank you Speaker Shekarchi.

[Update: Question 1 was rejected by 62% of the voters. Hooray for that at least.]

The candidates: As for the candidates running for state offices, we of course urge everyone to Vote Blue. I wish we had a healthier two-party system in this state but we don’t. Both my state senator and my state rep are running unopposed. I like them both, so it’s kind of okay, but it’s not the best situation.

For the U.S. Senate we urge you to vote for Senator Sheldon Whitehouse who we need in Washington for many reasons, not the least of which is his comprehensive understanding of the Supreme Court which we need to reform as soon as possible. (Personally I see no other choice but expansion.) He is also a staunch defender of Social Security and Medicare. Whitehouse does have a Republican opponent, Patricia Morgan, as well as a write-in opponent.

For the U.S. House of Representatives we urge Rhode Islanders to vote for the incumbents, Rep. Gabe Amo and Rep. Seth Magaziner.

Rep. Amo has two opponents: a Republican and an Independent. Rep. Magaziner has a Republican opponent.

So don’t take anything for granted: These guys (along with Senator Reed) have been getting the job done lately. For one thing they have been securing badly needed federal funding for our infrastructure projects, including a recent $125 million Mega grant. They are widely respected in Washington by the people who matter; at a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony I heard that our delegation is being referred to as The Four Tops. They are doing a great job and we should keep them there.

And do we even have to say this? Vote For Kamala Harris and Tim Walz!!!!!! Obviously.

[Update: Harris won the state with 55.41% of the vote. Whitehouse, Amo, and Magaziner were all reelected.]

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One last thought from Speaker Shekarchi:

We must not allow our constitution to be sold to the highest bidder. Voters should be aware that there is no limit on the amount of money that anyone inside or outside the state can spend in support of any special interest. There are no guardrails on the scope of issues to be considered by the delegates or the process the convention uses to approve them. The combination of unlimited dark money and a convention’s opportunity to unwind critical and hard-fought rights gives me grave concern.

Looking for your polling place? Go here for the RI Secretary of State’s Voter Information Center.