When our friend Jose (not his real name) decided to get out of the house and vote in the Tuesday primary runoff elections, he showed up at Pct. 38 (Sharp Elementary) to cast his vote in the afternoon, walked in to the room, and sauntered over to the table with the precinct judge and the parties' poll watchers.
"Democrat or Republican?," asked the precinct judge.
"Independent," Jose answered.
"They just started laughing," he said later. "Are they supposed to make fun of you or what?"
After he was told that the runoff election was only for the Republican and Democrat candidates who hadn't won their elections outright in May, he opted to take the Democratic ballot, miffed at having those assembled in the room laugh at him.On the first decision for the U.S. Senate runoff between Paul Sandler and Grady Yarborough, he stumbled.
"Is Grady a man or a woman?" he asked aloud.
This infuriated the Republican election judge who snapped at him with a churlish "You mean to tell me you haven't even done the research on the candidates before you vote for them?"
This stopped our hero dead in his tracks and he looked at the woman incredulously.
"I thought they were there to help you," he said. "I didn't expect to get scolded by some woman I didn't even know. The Democratic guy told me Grady was a he."
Things went from bad to worse for our hero.
"Then I got to the state school board of education and I saw Ruben Cortez's name," said Jose. "I had friends who went to school with him and they told me he had dropped out. How could he be running for the state school board? I was confused. Outside the school fence there were dozens of his lawn signs up and down the sidewalk. There were even some in front of the parking lot at Sharp. I didn't see any others. They were real busy."
To make matters worse, Jose said the Democratic Party poll watcher hovered over his shoulder urging him in a harsh whisper to "Vote Democrat. Vote Democrat."
"Is he supposed to do that?" asked out friend. "Is he supposed to tell me what party to vote for? Isn't that against the law?"
When we tried to explain that if he was voting for Sandler or Yarborough he was already voting in the Democratic runoff, he shrugged and said the experience at the polls had left him flustered.
"Here I make the time to go vote, they laugh at me when I ask about the Independents, I get scolded by a mean little old Republican woman who makes me feel bad because I didn't research the candidates and the Democratic party guy is trying to pressure me to vote for the Democrats," said Jose. "I was stressed by the time I got our of the room. When I left no one said a word. It was weird."
12 comments:
It was a runoff election between the Democratic and Republican candidates who did not clench their party's nomination in the primaries. If the same had happened in the independent's race, there would haves Brent a runoff, but that wad not the case. You can vote for the independents in the general election in November.
What a cry baby..."they made fun of me". Mr Montoya find better stuff to write about please
The dem primary was a bunch of races where we had to decide the lesser of two evils. This may be the year for the republicans in cameron county. can't our local party find people who aren't drop outs, liars, or admitted crooks??
I mean really!!!!!!
oh wait, i wasn't referring to the congressional candidates in my last comment about the losers who are running locally..
You know Juanio, that is the problem with the people in this Country they make up stuff and tell you it happened and you change the name to protect the innocent. Yeah right these are inncent people. Sound more like cowards. NO?
Corruption at its heights, maybe the common folks should vote Republican come the novemebr election to clean out Cameron county, think laxative. Una purga. Demos for the last 20-25 years have ruled and what have we gotten? nada. only ones making money is gilberto hinojosa and his gang which includes luis saenz. The system is not purfect but at least we have a Repyblican county judge twice.
Look...if none of this was happenning here in our city, everything would be very boring, I am so glad we have so many corrupts in our city because this gives us something to talk about and chingar :), look at it the positive way my dear.
Jose (not his real name) = Capt. Boob
A friend.
That sure doesn't sound like a JOSE,,,sounds more like Robert Capt.BOB.
Jose Garcia from the Southmost area. Good luck finding him out of the 3,264 living in there.
What I don't understand is if your a DEMOCRAT or REPUBLICAN why are people so afraid of voting INDEPENDENT how stupid is this...and not wanting people to know what party they wanna vote..that's like being embarrass of your own RACE LATINO
CAVA folks where the hell are you?
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