July 31 Referendums and GOP questions

Absentee ballots by mail are already being cast. Early in-person voting starts next week for the July 31 primary. With early voting "Election Day" is archaic. It's not the day the votes are cast. It's the day the votes are counted.  But many have yet to decide and I'm getting requests for my recommendations on candidates and issues.  Here goes my vote on the  Special Election referendums which are REAL and have the force of law and my vote on the  non binding straw-poll questions that appear on the Republican ballots.  My comments are in purple.

SPECIAL ELECTION Referendum 1 Coastal Georgia District T-SPLOST
Provides for local transportation projects to create jobs, improve roads and safety with citizen
oversight. This preamble is the subject of a lawsuit because of the biased and unusual character of a preamble for a referendum.

Shall Glynn County’s transportation system and the transportation network in this region and the state be improved by providing for a 1 percent special district transportation sales and use tax for the purpose of transportation projects and programs for a period of ten years?
I vote NO.


SPECIAL ELECTION BRUNSWICK-GLYNN COUNTY JOINT WATER AND SEWER COMMISSION REFERENDUM 
Part 1.
Shall the Act be approved which changes the membership of the Brunswick-Glynn County Joint Water and Sewer Commission?
I vote YES.

Part 2 (contingent on passage of Part 1)
Select the method of selecting the seven citizen members which you favor by choosing one option:
Option 1 - A seven member commission, two of whom are appointed one each by the respective governing authorities of the county and city, and five citizen members, three of whom are selected by the grand jury of Glynn County and two of whom are elected by the qualified electors of the
entire county.
Option 2 - A seven member commission, two of whom are appointed one each by the respective governing authorities of the county and city, and five citizen members selected by the grand jury of Glynn County.
I vote Option 1. I do not want excessive power vested in the Grand Jury.


Republican Party questions. Non binding straw poll.

1. Should Georgia have casino gambling with funds going to education?
   I vote NO.
2. Do you support ending the current practice of unlimited gifts from lobbyists to state legislators by imposing a $100 cap on such gifts?
   I vote YES though I'd prefer abolishing the gifts entirely
3. Should active duty military personnel who are under the age of 21 be allowed to obtain a Georgia weapons license?
   I vote NO. I do not favor special classes of citizens. I am also concerned that the GOP would propose a special class that could endanger reciprocity with states that have no exceptions for citizens under 21. Senator Ligon sent an email July 30 reporting he introduced legislation to allow properly trained 18-21 year olds to obtain a Georgia weapons license. For that reason he favors this question. But they are two separate things. His bill would be open to ANY 18-21 year old Georgian who met the training requirements. This question is ONLY for active duty military and proposes creating a special class of citizens. No matter how special our active duty armed forces - especially the young ones -- it is a slippery slope to legislative special privileges.
   
4. Should Citizens who wish to vote in a primary election be required to register by their political party affiliation at least thirty (30) days prior to such primary election?
   I vote YES with hesitation. I could still be persuaded to vote NO or to abstain but if I were voting today I'd vote YES. I think party registration could help diminish RINO candidacies but what I prefer is a single open primary for all parties and/or independent similar to what Louisiana and California have. Don't hold me to it yet; I've just started researching this.
5. Should the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to provide that the paramount right to life is vested in each innocent human being from his or her earliest biological beginning without regard to age, race, sex, health, function, or condition of dependency?
   I am undecided. I favor very few constitutional amendments; so many are for special interests. Certainly protecting innocent life is a primary function of government and is not a special interest.  It's just a poll, not an actual binding vote so this does not risk opening a medical Pandora's box.