Musings: Hallelujah! The invasion of the candidates has ended!
Campaign signs on the corner of Washington Avenue and Manetto Hill Road in Plainview. Credit: Newsday/Drew Singh
Finally, now that the election season is over, we will be spared the overwhelming flood of campaign paid commercials that invaded our homes.
One in particular had the shrieking voice of a representative advocating for another. Sometimes it was played more than once during commercial breaks. At times, I felt it was so piercing that it would disable the mute button. The one thing that has my assured future vote is recording everything on DVR during the next election cycle. Live viewing has never been so annoying.
The bombardment of text messages to vote or contribute money is another annoyance. During the campaign stretch, I received at least three texts a day. Others, I hear, received twice as many. Casting a ballot early does not spare voters any of this grief.
Even blocking phone numbers is ineffective. The campaigns figured out how to work around this. How ironic is it that we try to turn to our representatives about stopping robocalls over the years, yet they are just as guilty during election season, jamming our phone lines with abuse.
Our mailboxes are a nest of wasted paper and pamphlets from the campaigns that do more to turn off, not energize this voter.
Then there are the signs scattered alongside roadways and neighbors’ lawns, advocating for their respective candidates. They become an eyesore when they still linger there past Election Day into Thanksgiving, Christmas and beyond. Spring cleanup might address this, but don’t hold your breath. Homeowners are diligent in removal from their property, but campaign workers not as much. I guess the environment takes a back seat here. Add sign pollution to the list of pollutions we have to deal with. It’s another example of contempt for the voter that both parties are guilty of.
Voting should be taken seriously. It’s a civic duty. This surrounding nonsense does not enhance the process. We should have a way to opt out of mail, phone and email disruptions in our homes and lives.
Unfortunately, this is one vote we will never get to cast.
— Tony Giametta, Oceanside
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