Hello everyone.  It's that time of year, maybe the first for some of you.  Election time.  Local, regional, national...  It's all going to happen very soon.  Why should you care?  Many people, particularly of our age, are disenfranchised with the political climate.  "It doesn't effect me"  "They're all the same."  Yes, I've heard it before, but honestly who is elected is important.   Florida was a good example of that.  Whether you approved or didn't approve, I am sure you still feel the importance.  Here at this site I would like to make a non-partisan effort at helping you through the elections.  That's right because I feel it is that important. 
Here it goes:

Steps to take when choosing a candidate:

1. Register:  Are you registered or have you ever been?   If you are not then you can sign up here online at Working for Change.com.  If you prefer a paper copy then you can print a National Voter Registration which is good in almost every state.  Also, on the National Voter Registration the states are listed with the deadline for registered in each state.  (Tennessee's deadline is thirty days prior to the election) Absentee and early voting will be discussed below.
2. Be Informed: It is always good to know a little about the candidates ahead of time, and that means a little research.  Yet, instead of having to spend hours searching backlogs of information on candidates there are a few sites that one can go to.  First of all, there is Project Vote Smart.  This site will help you look at candidates records and stances.  Also, the League of Women Voters and their affiliated site DemocracyNet can help inform you on candidates.  For those of you in the Hamilton County - Chattanooga area click here for a sample ballot and more information specifically on politicians in our local area.
3. Just Vote: Go to the polls.  The primaries for your local races are on August 5, with early elections explained below.  Your local county election commission should show what district you are in and what location you are to vote at (i.e. church, public school, community center).  Voting for presidential candidates and local ones (not the primary) takes place on November 2.  Hamilton County Election Commission link is here and on the seperate page made for Hamilton County/Chattanooga voting located here.
4. Absentee Voting and Early Voting - First of all, with both Absentee voting and early voting each state has their own rules for when and how to register/vote.  ActiVote America is a nonpartisan group which has information on how, when, and who can register absentee, yet so does Project Vote Smart.  As of yet, I have not been able to find one site with dates and times for early voting for all precincts in the U.S.,  therefore, I advise that you type in Early Voting and your county's name into a search engine and you should find a helpful site.  Early voting in Hamilton County, TN for the local candidate's primaries is already occurring and will conclude with the main election day of August 5, 2004, which is a Thursday.  While the presidential election main date is Nov. 2 and the primaries are before hand respectively with the rules of the state that you vote in.

       Once again if there is one thing you see this year it should be your completed ballot.  So go out and vote.  All the links will be summarized at the bottom with an additional link for Hamilton County information.

Links
Information about Voting in General
ActiVote America
League of Women Voters
Project Vote Smart
Register
National Voter Registration
Project Vote Smart
Working for Change.com
Information on Candidates
DemocracyNet
League of Women Voters
Project Vote Smart
Hamilton County and Chattanooga Information
Click Here

Ryan Bishop, whom I actually just saw the other day, qualified
for the Olympic trials, obviously an impressive achievement.
The trials started yesterday in Long Beach, California. Now,
I cannot find information about what is going on, but Baylor
Raider Recap, and now I, have a link to the schedule of events
at the trials. I wish I had known so I can wish him the best
of luck, but I am sure he will do great anyway.


(thanks Raider Recap for the pic)

U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials

And yes, I now know how to post pictures

The past year was a busy one for many of you I'd imagine. Well, the Baylor magazine has highlighted just a few accomplishments of what some of our peers have been doing.

Ben R. Bates - has been named to the Vanderbilt University Dean's list with high honors (a 3.5 average). Ben is part of Vanderbilt's school of engineering.

Caroline Boland - was selected to participate in the UNC-Chapel Hill Honors Program Abroad to study in Berlin, Germany, for the spring semester.

Alex Herrald - is a freshman at Cornell university in Ithaca, N.Y. He has pledged Sigma Alpha Epsilon and has been elected president of his pledge class.

Wes Hodges - was named the Atlantic Coast Conference's Player of the Week in April. Hodges, who led the Red Raiders to state championship last spring, currently leads the Yellow Jackets in hitting with a .413 average and has a team-high 12 RBI's.

Kilie Latendress - a member of the Dean's list at the University of Southern California, was invited to join the Honor Society. She's also been accepted into the school of theater, where she will major in Theater and minor in Spanish.

Luke List - was honored, along with Beth Felts, as athletes of the year by the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame for their outstanding achievements in golf. List was also named the Southeastern Conference Men's Golfer of the Week after finishing in a tie for third place in the Seminole Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla. He recently set a new Vanderbilt school record with a nine-under par round of 63 at the Hyatt/Dorado Beach Intercollegiate.

Well, I am sure there are plenty of other people out there with stuff too so we'll see it when it's there. Until then, have a happy 4th.