With more than 40 elected positions up for grabs this forum hopes to get more people interested in running for public office by providing a basic education of how does one become a candidate, the basics of running a campaign, the effectiveness of using social networks like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or any of their favorite social network tools and much more.

During the last election season technology was heavy used by all sides of the political spectrum, and was was highly successful in energizing and recruiting younger voters. The objective of the forum is to achieve the same thing.

Some like Barbara Lucas had been looking for work (in the legal field) for over 6 months. She is currently considering returning to school. Jonathan Ligon said he was laid off 5 months ago, since then he has been unsuccessfully looking for work as a welder.  Beverly Cossingham unemployed for five months, is looking for an administrative or clerical positions. However, Katie Nolan probably summed it up best.  “I am looking for anything at this point, anything”, she said.

Katie Nolen discussing job opportunities with a Wendy Harrison from the Clarksville-Montgomery County Career Center

With the recent economic downtown, layoffs have become an all too common occurrence across middle Tennessee. A good example of this is the Springhill, TN GM plant which made the Chevrolet Traverse that will halt production in November laying off another 2,447 employees.

At the Clarksville Career Center booth they were handing out the listing of available jobs to the job seekers. Wendy Harrison took a minute to speak to us. Things are picking up she said, “The job market is still down, but it’s getting better”.

Tyrone Taylor speaking with Freda O'Neal from B&F Marketing. Tyrone is interested in locating an accounting job.

Vickie Kloeman, the Administrator of Elections for the Montgomery County Election Commission, was on hand to register people to vote but as she noted, “attendees seemed more interested in jobs, then voting right now”. However, she had signed up eight people to vote. “That’s eight more than we had on the rolls this morning” she said.

Draughons Campus Director Katharine Purnell

Draughons Campus Director Katharine Purnell wanted to say thank you to all of the agencies and employers who attended, “They have simply been wonderful.”

Attendees included: Montgomery County Government; 5 Star Radio Group; Goodwill Industries; Clarksville Dental Center; the Metro Nashville Police Department; Clarksville Police Department; The Kennedy Law Firm; THEC; Avon; Convergys; TN Department of Labor; Youth Villages; NIA Association; D&F Marketing; Cover Tennessee; Montgomery County Election Commission; Home Instead Senior Care; Fort Sill National Bank; US Bank; Blanchfield Army Community Hospital; Kelly Services; Troops for Teachers; Regions Bank; Dr. Samson Orusa; Eiro Research; Tastefully Simple; TN Rehabilitation Center; Army and Air Force Exchange Services; Scentsy Wickless Candles; Sam’s Club; Spring Meadows; Lowe’s; Kohl’s; Brown. Brown and Associates; Woodland Hills Youth Development Center; Tennessee National Guard; and Sendout Cards.

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The last four career fairs they have held have been a huge success with over 300 people in attendance.

Employers and agencies planning to attend include: Montgomery County Government, 5 Star Radio Group, Goodwill Industries, THEC, Avon, Convergys, TN Department of Labor, Youth Villages, NIA Association, Cover Tennessee, Montgomery County Election Commission, Home Instead Senior Care, Fort Sill National Bank, US Bank, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, Kelly Services, Troops for Teachers, Regions Bank,  Dr. Samson Orusa, Heat & Frost Insulators, Eiro Research, Tastefully Simple, TN Rehabilitation Center, Army and Air Force Exchange Services, Clarksville Police Department, Scentsy Wickless Candles, Sam’s Club, Spring Meadows, The Kennedy Law Firm, Lowe’s, Kohl’s Brown, Brown and Associates, Clarksville Dental Center, Woodland Hills Youth Development Center, Tennessee National Guard, and Sendout Cards.

Employers

This event is FREE to employers who choose to participate. Let them help you in your never ending search for quality employment candidates.

Tables and chairs are available for employers to set up their booths. Arrival time is between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. for set up.

The college will also be providing a complimentary breakfast for all employers prior to 10:00 a.m. they will continue to  provide refreshments throughout the day, a catered lunch and hourly door prizes!

Draughons Junior College would like to thank all of you for attending and supporting this event in the past. They hope to see you again along with a lot of “new faces” on Friday June 5, 2009

If you have any questions or wish to register your business to attend, please contact Mary Wauford at (931) 552-7600.

About Draughons Junior College

Draughons Junior College specializes in training in the business, accounting, medical, dental, computer and criminal justice fields. They have been providing quality education to thousands of students for over 100 years! Please make sure you take advantage of this opportunity to promote your company and speak with qualified candidates from the Clarksville community and surrounding areas.

Voter apathy that permeated the local Primary election in August has dissipated. It’s gone with the winds of change –  winds of change that brought the early voting tally to a whopping 40% of the registered voters in Montgomery County. You read that right: 40% of the county’s registered voters have already cast a ballot for their candidate of choice.

The maze of traffic and long lines at the Montgomery County Election Commission Office on October 30, the last day of the early voting period, resulted in 3,328 people casting votes in person, with another 125 mail-in votes counted. The total votes cast on October 30: 3353. In one day.

Early voting began October 15 with 1775 voters turning out at the polls and a wait of about 15 minutes to actually cast your vote, given that six people inside the Election Commission were signing in registered voters.

On Thursday, though, as the early voting came to a close, the waiting line grew, snaking around Veterans Plaza all the way to the Assessor’s Office, with some 300 people in line by late afternoon. The wait had grown to over an hour.

The busiest place in Clarksville on Thursday was the Election Commission office.

Early voting saw a total of 36,168 votes cast. That’s 40% of the 90,067 registered voters. For those of us who have been watching elections for many years, all we could say is “WOW!”.

Be it triggered by the economy, the War in Iraq, the issues of health care, or a dozen other items of concern to American voters, the result is the same: Apathy is over. It’s about time.

In the remaining days until November 4 and its historic election, the commission will be setting up precinct polling stations and the campaigners will be ready to promote candidates and issues throughout that day. While  record turnouts are expected.

Nationally, according to CNN:

“Of 23,298,564 total in-person and mail-in ballots in 25 states, at least 6,057,527 — or 26 percent — were cast by Democrats or Republicans, according to election officials. Of that 6 million, 57.8 percent were Democrats, and 42.2 percent were Republicans.”

Vickie Koelman, administrator for elections for the Commission, said she and her staff had “anticipated” a heavy turnout and were not disappointed. Koelman confirmed that 90,067 people are registered to vote in the county and 40% have already done so.

She noted that no voting will take place at the Election Commission on November 4. On that day, Koelman said, the commission office will operate as a “support service” by providing assistance and documentation to voters who have changes of address or other issues related to the ability to cast their votes. “We will be here to answer questions,” Koelman said. There will be 24 polling places in operation on November 4. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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Amid a multitude of signs for city council seats, state legislature seats and presidential candidates, Veterans Plaza was a beehive of activity Saturday morning. The crisp autumn air did not deter voters from turning out for the Early Voting Rally. The line was already out the door at the Election Commission by 10 a.m., yet people continued filling the parking lot to take their places in line and wait their turn at the ballot machines inside.

The Early Voting Rally was sponsored by the Montgomery County Democratic Party. MCDP chairman Gene Lewis greeted the assembly and thanked them for coming out to the rally and to vote. He led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance,  then introduced State Rep. Joe Pitts, who also commended the crowd for coming out and thanked the voters for supporting him in his past election effort. He urged voters to take this election seriously and encourage everyone they know to vote. He then introduced Senator Thelma Harper.

Harper thanked the crowd for coming out and urged them to support candidates who value their word, who are committed to the promises and pledges they make. She said her support for Tim Barnes was not about one man not getting to keep a title in the Senate. She told them that the state Democratic Party had a plan of action which would benefit the working class citizens of this state but had been blocked from implementing it because one member had comprised her party integrity and supported the opposing party. She urged the crowd to keep that in mind when they vote. Personal integrity is important in the Tennessee Senate, she said,  urging voters to give Tim Barnes their support and move Tennessee forward in these troubled times.

Senator Beverly Marrero, of Memphis, also stumped the crowd for Tim Barnes. She spoke to the matter of personal integrity in a state senator’s commitment to keep their word. She reiterated that because of a single vote change the state Democratic Party program of legislation in the Senate had ground to a halt. All efforts were blocked by the opposing party with the support of that one party vote and that had hurt the working class people of Tennessee. She asked that voters give their support to Tim Barnes so that the party could once again, go to work for the people of Tennessee.

Introduced by Rep. Pitts as “The Man of the Hour,” Tim Barnes addressed the rally. Signs and cheers erupted as he took the stage. He thanked the crowd for their enthusiastic welcome and said he was both grateful for and humbled by it. He stated that his was not a campaign of dirty tricks, deception, misinformation nor lies. His desire to serve the people of the 22nd District was an honest one, without an agenda of higher office. He told his listeners he would be proud to be “Your Senator.”

“The people of District 22 need someone who will fight for them, their concerns and their party.”Barnes  pledged to work in a bi-partisan spirit but that does not mean betraying the party of the people who elected him.

MCDP chairman Lewis encouraged voters to support the Democratic Party ticket, vote for City Council candidates, vote for Joe Pitts, State Representative District 67; Tim Barnes for State Senate District 22; Randy Morris for US House District 7; Bob Tuke for US Senate and Barack Obama for President of the United States. Asking the crowd if they were ready to vote, he  received a strong response: “Ready to Go!”

With that, the crowd proceeded to the Election Commission and joined the line snaking around the plaza. Through out the rally members of the Women Veterans Association served refreshments to the crowd. In less than twenty-five minutes, a line of voters that had stretched past the Veterans Service Office, on towards the County Trustee’s Office, had been processed and new arrivals had taken their place. The voting process itself is fairly quick and the waiting period goes swiftly. Many rally attendants, after having voted, took up signs, gave cheers and beat the Caribbean drums set up to encourage campaign workers and the waiting crowd.

Early voting continues til October 30, including next weekend as well. All registered voters are encouraged to exercise this most special of American rights. Vote. Early Vote.

It’s what REAL patriots do.

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Senator Thelma Harper and Senator Beverly Marrero will join Atty. Tim Barnes the Democratic Party nominee for State Senate District 22 as special guest speakers at the Early Vote Rally with the Montgomery County Democratic Party this Saturday, October 18, starting at 10:00 a.m. at the Montgomery County Election Commission.

State Senator Thelma Harper is considered one of the most powerful senators to represent the state of Tennessee. Senator Harper has for many years been a prominent and highly influential figure in the political, social, and civic lives of many.

State Senator Beverly Marrero is also scheduled to attend along with several prominent democratic elected officials and Democratic Party leaders.

After the rally party members will be going inside the election commission to vote as a group. The group will then canvass designated areas.

For more information please call (931) 801-4821 or (931) 273-7927

Voter registration is now closed for the November 4th Presidential and General Election. Registration rolls have seen a massive increase in registered voters. Many of these registrations are for first-time voters. Many senior citizens are included in these new registrations as well. This is a good sign of renewed citizen interest in the voting process.

First-time voters who registered by mail must provide simple identification confirmation. Any one of the following will be accepted: a current voter registration card, a current Tennessee Driver’s License or a photo ID with the voter’s name and signature. If the voter has NONE of the above items, he/she will still be able to vote if they have any combination of one item from each of the two separate lists below.

COLUMN A PLUS COLUMN B

COLUMN A

Show ANY ONE of the following:

• Current & valid photo I.D. of any kind, either government- issued or private, not containing a voter’s signature
• Current utility bill
• Bank statement
• Government check
• Paycheck
• ANY OTHER government document(s) that show the voter’s NAME and ADDRESS.

PLUS

COLUMN B

• Show ANY document with the voter’s NAME and SIGNATURE (Examples: Social security card, credit card with a signature, any other document which has the voter’s name and signature.)
• SIGN an official AFFIDAVIT OF IDENTITY form provided by the polling place officials (does not require a notary).

Note: The requirements described above apply ONLY to FIRST TIME VOTERS WHO REGISTERED BY MAIL. All other persons who registered to vote in person or have voted before must only present evidence of their signature or sign an Affidavit of Identity.

Unauthorized campaign signage: Voters are reminded that they can not wear any campaign promotion items at the polling site. T-shirts, campaign buttons, pins, stickers, hats, caps and signs are not permitted within the restricted boundary of the voting precinct. This includes car bumper stickers as well. All such marked vehicles must park outside of the restricted zone at every voting site. There is NO exclusion for handicapped/disabled operated vehicles.

With just hours to go, prospective voters wait in line to register at the Montgomery County Election Commission.

Kandi Johnson and Adam Green politicking at University Drive and Madison Street on Monday.

Given the appalling primary turnout (12%) in Montgomery County, this burst of energy and interest in the upcoming election is, to say the least, both refreshing and inspiring.

Political pundits are accustomed to voting records and voter histories to predict the course of any given election. It remains to be seen what this surge of “new blood” will bring to the politcal battlefield. What it does say is that initial interest sparked over the Iraq conflict and issues such as immigration has exploded into serious concern about the U.S. economy.

Hey, Washington. Pay attention. The people you represent are about to speak. Loudly. In greater numbers, it seems, than we have seen in decades.

The line was 80-deep at mid-afternoon at the Election Commission office.

]]> http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2008/10/07/residents-turn-out-in-record-numbers-for-voter-registration/feed/ 0 http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2008/08/30/its-anybodys-guess-will-e-voting-machines-accurately-tally-votes/ http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2008/08/30/its-anybodys-guess-will-e-voting-machines-accurately-tally-votes/#comments Sat, 30 Aug 2008 19:00:32 +0000 Christine Anne Piesyk http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/?p=8319 The race is officially on for the Democrats with the nomination of Barack Obama and his chosen running mate, Joe Biden.  The Republican presidential nominee follows in a week.

New election. New candidates.

Same black box voting, same electronic morass masquerading as a true vote in the 2004 presidential election in many parts of the country. In what is a growing nationwide trend, Clarksville will be returning to paper ballets, according to the city’s Election Commission, but it won’t happen in time for the November 2008 Presidential election. It could have, but apparently the impetus for change, for truth in voting, was not strong enough in Montgomery County or in the state to get this job done pre-November 2008, even though the discussion of this change began in earnest last January.

Here is a clip from the film UNCOUNTED: the New Math of American Elections, by Nashville’sown David Earnhardt.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

It’s time to demand that electronic voting machines are not used in any US or Tennessee elections, until there is a voter verified paper trail, HAVA be damned! Contact your election officials: Vickie Koelman, Riley C. Darnell, Phil Bredesen