A Vote Lost

Below is a copy of a letter I wrote to the District 10 Democratic candidate for Assembly. This area is a Republican stronghold, and she ended up losing. I threw my vote to the Liberatarian candidate. While I identify myself much more strongly with the Liberatarian party than Democrat or Republican, I usually vote Democrat just to feel like my vote counts for something. I wanted this candidate to know why she didn't get my vote.

Dear Ms. Huber,

I am new to the Sacramento area. This left me having to do a lot of research before election time. It was very difficult to decide which candidates to vote for with no idea of their backgrounds and involvement in local politics.

The deciding factor for me in the race in which you participated was the amount of junk mail I received from your campaign. In less than 2 weeks, I took over 20 flyers, postcards and letters from my mailbox urging me to vote for you. As I am deeply concerned with the impact junk mail has on our environment, there was no way I could give you my vote. I found myself unable to take you and your campaign seriously in the face of such waste and destruction.

Should you choose to run for office in the future, please remove my name and address from your mailing list. I would also encourage you to research the overall effect this kind of mass mailing has on the earth and consider alternative methods for promoting yourself.

Thank you, Jennifer Watson