Stamp the Rooster, Maybe Not

The admonition to "Stamp the Rooster" meaning "vote straight Democrat" is one step closer to the history books after Senate Bill 16 authored by Democratic Sen. Debbe Leftwich (OKC) received a "do pass" in the Senate Rules Committee yesterday.

The measure removes language that allows for straight party voting, something that Leftwich believes is resulting in confusion and undervoting. That is to say the way our ballots are configured it's not enought to "stamp the rooster" once but in some cases a voter must mark it three times to vote for all of the Democrats on the ballot. Leftwich figures that every vote should count and is concerned that some votes are not being counted simply because they are not marked correctly through the straight party option.

While I like the idea of encouraging a straight party vote, and like the saying "Stamp the Rooster 'til the feathers fly" even better, I always vote for every individual Democrat on the ballot. It gives me satisfaction to vote for so many Democrats rather than a barnyard animal.

Thanks Sen. Leftwich!