Vote Pas

The June 6 election no one cared about is behind us. However, there's a interesting drama emerging from the results.

Judge Dzintra Janavs was unseated by Lynn Diane Olson, a bagel shop owner who hasn't practiced law in 14 years.

The LA Times first attributed the election results to subtle racism: people voted for the candidate with the pronounceable name. A second article delved into the flurry of slate mailers from official-sounding organizations recommending candidates--the ones who ponied up cash to be recommended, apparently.

I confess, I was among the misled. Didn't follow my usual protocol of perusing my state-issued election guide and researching the issues or candidates. Failed to notice that I had voted against a respected judge and handed her seat to someone the Los Angeles County Bar Association deemed "not qualified." My bad.

I was too busy patting myself on the back for getting my parents to vote (read: shaming them into it while the polls were still open) that I lost sight of my own responsibility to be an INFORMED voter.

I won't make that mistake again!