Whitman: Too Busy to Vote
Billionaire candidate skips nearly three decades of voting
When firefighters are on strike teams in the hot winds of November, most have already taken care of an important bit of business by casting an absentee ballot. Many more participate via special ballot boxes at incident base camps.
Apparently, that simple act of participation was too tough for one of the two candidates seeking to be California's next governor.
According to investigative reports in The Sacramento Bee and other publications, billionaire ex-CEO Meg Whitman failed to vote for the first 28 years of her eligibility. Whitman - who spent nearly $90 million of her own money to win the GOP primary - has only been registered as a Republican since 2008.
"Jerry Brown has won more elections than Meg Whitman has actually voted in since she's been in California," said political strategist Chris Lehane.
Since formally announcing her candidacy, Whitman has refused to speak about her voting record except to concede that it is "unacceptable". However, before her formal declaration, Whitman told reporters that she was busy with other things.
"I was focused on raising a family, on my husband's career, and we moved many, many times," Whitman told reporters in September of 2009.
Firefighters and others who have done their civic duty found Whitman's explanation wanting. "I raised a family and ran a business and I managed to vote," said Rancho Mirage businesswoman Elaine Henderson, speaking to Time magazine.
"I've been out on strike teams and working structure fires on Election Day, and I still vote," said Modesto firefighter Cecil Ridge. "It's outrageous that someone thinks they should be governor when they haven't even bothered to vote."
Firefighters' participation in elections has always been high. Indeed, it was at the behest of local and state firefighters that CPF helped secure passage of landmark legislation enabling Californians to register as permanent absentee voters.
