On Tuesday November 8th, I’ll be exercising my civil liberties and voting in the Virginia election. This year it is an easy choice for me (I vote on issues, not parties) – I’ll be pulling the lever for Tim Kaine.
I know that is going to surprise some of you, one because I seldom discuss my personal politics, and two, when I do they tend to align more with the Republican party. So, why am I now doing both of these eccentric things?
For one, as I stated above, I vote on issues, not parties, and Jerry Kilgore is simply not acceptable to me as leader. I believe that he would perpetuate and further encourage divisive issues instead of fairly representing all Virginia residents – and after Katrina, leadership is more important to me than ever in assessing candidates.
The second reason I can’t vote for Kilgore is his stance on people with disabilities. His interference in the Hanson case was inappropriate and undermined the American with Disabilities act, which I strongly support. Given his track record, he could potentially disenfranchise the nearly one million disabled Virginians by repealing their hard-won rights. We can not afford to roll the clock back 20 years, and I feel strongly that a vote for Kilgore will do so. Virginians were progressive enough to beat the federal government by 5 years on the ADA – let’s not take a step backwards.