Individual Liberty, Economic Prosperity, Government Transparency
Welcome to My Campaign Website
Hello, everybody. My name is Rob Alexander and I am running for State Representative from Utah Legislative District 35, which includes parts of Murray, Millcreek, and South Salt Lake. I hope you return often to this Web site for information about my campaign and about issues affecting Utahns. Feel free to subscribe to my blog, comment on and/or share my posts, or visit my social network profiles. I affirm freedom for every individual as expressed in the Declaration of Independence and protected by the Constitution. I believe that citizens' needs are best met through free enterprise, private initiative, and volunteerism. I believe government properly exists by the consent of the governed and must be restrained from intruding into the freedoms of its citizens. The function of government is to protect inalienable rights such as life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness.
The War on Drugs, the Constitution, and Individual Rights
Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak with SSDP Utah, the University of Utah chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. Here are some of the sources I used in preparing to speak with them:
United States Congress - Bill of Rights (1789): ...Amendment I - Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment II - A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Amendment III - No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Amendment IV - The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Awake and Arise in 2010
I applaud you for wanting to play a role as a responsible citizen in our community, including becoming informed about issues and voting in elections. It was great to see the attendance and participation at our recent precinct caucuses. I was impressed to see so many residents making an effort to engage in the political process in an informed and civil manner, respecting the fact that people come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences and may have differences of opinion.
We have a great opportunity this year to improve our representation in the state legislature. Growing numbers of people are awakening and arising in protest of the burdens placed on us by an ever-expanding and increasingly less-responsive government at both the federal and state levels. There is a strong desire to replace incumbents such as our current State Representative that have contributed to the status quo. I encourage you to share your comments regarding what you would like to see from your state government. We can work together to make a difference in shaping our Utah government to be more efficient, more effective, and more adherent to our state and federal constitutions.
2008 Election Results Analysis
In my 2008 race for State Representative, I received 43% of the votes on election day, and 30% of the early votes, for a combined total of 37% - the same percentage that B.J. Lawson (aka Ron Paul, Jr.) received in his Congressional race in North Carolina this year. That is a higher percentage than the following Republican candidates received in Salt Lake County: Rob Bishop, Bill Dew, Mike Renckert, Jon Fidler, Gordon Storrs, Joe Jarvis, Garrett Clark, Seth Robert Wright, Kay Garske, Lisa Morrise, and Linda Cooper.
My opponent was two-term incumbent Democrat Mark Wheatley. His 57% on election day this year is the same total percentage he received in 2006 against my current Republican Senate District Chair, Jay Brummett. Brummett spent over $11,000 on the 2006 race compared to the under $6,000 that I spent this year. My 2,727 votes this year are more than the 2,433 votes Wheatley received in his 2006 victory (for which he spent over $16,000). This election wasn't a rejection of my volunteers, me, or our message of liberty, prosperity, and transparency. We received positive feedback from most people with whom we communicated. It also wasn't an endorsement of Wheatley or his campaign. Most people with whom my volunteers and I communicated had never heard of him. We basically didn't get the message out early enough or to enough people. If 972 of the 4,670 people who voted for my opponent this year would have voted for me instead, I would have won. The early voting and the Obama/Matheson/Corroon/Horiuchi Democrat tsunami really hurt us. Straight-party votes accounted for 46% of the votes cast in my district. Among those, 61% were Democrat and 37% were Republican.
Election Day Has Arrived
This is a reminder that today (Tuesday, November 4th) is Election Day! :-) You can search for your voting location at voterobalexander.com/FindAPollingPlace. Utah voting locations are open from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM today. If you have not yet registered to vote at your current address but you have registered in Utah before, you can still vote today. To do so, take a picture ID and two pieces of mail with your current address to your voting location and ask for a provisional ballot.
