The nation’s only two gubernatorial races are in New Jersey and Virginia. In New Jersey, U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine has faced off against Republican businessman Doug Forrester, with the latest polls showing Corzine up by 5%. (Sounds like his victory may depend on turnout today.)
“Virginia Is for Close-Race Lovers,” coos the National Review Online. And Bush made an “election eve gamble” by stopping in Virginia to greet GOP candidate Jerry Kilgore and 5,000 “squealing” Republicans. Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine has closed the gap, but Virginia remains a Republican state.
However, reports MyDD, “Tim Kaine leads Jerry Kilgore 52-43 in the final tracking poll by Survey USA. Mark Warner was up 10 and only won by 5 in 2001.” Is Bush dragging down the Republican candidates? We shall see.
Fernando Ferrer is (yawners) running 38 points behind incumbent NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg.
There’s a hotly debated proposition in my own tiny county (about 70,000 people) that is getting national attention — including stories on NPR and national papers — for its attempt to save farmland and small farms from obliteration by avaricious real estate companies.
It calls for a 0.5% buyers excise tax on property purchases to buy up and preserve farmland, but real estate companies have outspent Prop. 1 by 3 to 1, and sent in armies of agents from around the state to doorbell. The real estate giants have plastered signs everywhere — “Save the American Dream!” — as if a buyers’ tax will harm property owners.
Do you know about other exciting races, referendums or initiatives — large or small — out there in this vast country?
Here in New Jersey I am just about to walk to the polling place and vote for Corzine. I received this unbelievably nasty attack ad from his opponent in the mail yesterday. I did a diary about it here.
I hope that people vote against Forrester, because he sent these out. This is sickening.
In Iowa, 32 cities are voting on whether to establish municipal telecom utilities to supply wideband internet service. Also, Iowa City is voting on whether to create a municipal electric utility and buy out MidAmerican Energy. If it passes, it would be one of the biggest buy outs in the last ten years.
Iowa City has privately run electrical service?
KEEP US POSTED on Iowa!
I’ll do the same for Wash. state … we also have two big measures on health care (including a “three strikes” law for doctors who commit malpractice, and a cap on damages). I’m voting no on both of those.
(For one thing, like most initiatives, they’re so poorly written that, as Joni Balter who’s on the Seattle Timse editorial board said the other day, even longtime news reporters can’t figure them out.)
The state of Iowa has more than 100 municipal utilities, including some good sized cities like Ames, Muscatine and Cedar Falls, but not Iowa City. Unfortunately, the local group, Citizens for Public Power has been outspent by 30-1.
Looks like everyone is out voting, Susan…
No 2005 election news here. Got my first flier in the mail for the 2008 senate race, from Rep. Harold Ford. One little thing they did right was that in addition to being addressed to me and Mrs. K.P., the label included our college-aged son as well. Little things like that help project an image of competence, or maybe my expectations are low after the last 5 years.
The brochure seems to have incorporated the “national talking points” we’ve been batting around on the blogs (here, Big Orange, and elsewhere); I’m curious as to your reactions so I’ll give you the run-down:
The brochure is 4″x9″, portrait layout, deep blue background with white type, with Ford on the cover and the motto “a change for a better future.” This theme continues inside, with headlines on the left half of “We need new leadership now, a government working for all of us” and “We need a change – We can do better.” The right half has “A new covenant with Tennesseans” comprised of 5 points (I’m summarizing, except where in quotation marks):
I’m disappointed that there’s nothing there on election reform / voting fraud, but this bay be about as progressive a platform as one can run on in Tennessee and hope to win…
D’OH!
2006 senate race, not 2008! God forbid I have two extra years of Frist as my senator!
I live in Ahhhhnald and Beattyland. Where who has the brightest smile and biggest box office gets the votes.
in Rensselaer County, NY.
For a new County Court Judge seat, Robert Jacon.
In the town of Stephentown, where there has been only one elected democrat, Town Justice Cyril Grant, for the last 10 years, we have Chris Demick and PJ Roder running for Town Council.
I am very proud of the job Chris and PJ have done. In a town with a very strong Republican enrollment advantage I think we have a good shot at getting both of these guys elected.
Lunch break’s over. Back to the polls!
You’re working the polls, Andrew?! GOOD FOR YOU!
I’m town chair for the democratic party. I’m tracking who’s been naughty or nice… er… um… who’s voted and who hasn’t (I knew it was one of them lists)… and I’m checking it twice… cuz at 6:00pm this evening we’ve got a team of people meeting at the polls to go call any stragglers that haven’t come out to vote yet.
As of 3pm we’ve matched the turn-out from the last local election 2 years ago. We won’t match the presidential turn-out for the whole town of 83% but given that people actually have a choice at the town level this year we will see something closer to that 83% then the 30% or so we saw in the last local.
Wish us luck! We need people to vote for choice (vote for us in othe words)!
Breaks over again… back to the polls!
California: Why I’m voting NO on all. Not just Arnies but the entire special election pisses me off. Someone said I was blindy voting no to express my being ticked off at Arnie and this special elections crap.
80 is a do nothing kneejerk. And… 79 doesn’t address why people in America aren’t able to afford medicine. I agree 79 was the one I was going to vote for, Mrs. Ski can vouche for me, BUT it truly is just another Yellow Magnet – “lets pretend we’re doing something while not really doing much at all”. I live in a county where people have to choose between eating and getting medicine. Which is why alternative medicines are now being used by the young and old here. They simply can’t afford it.
And remember, to get a prescription – one needs a … what??? Come on… I know you all can do it…. you need… OH YEAH… A doctor! IE Health care. Which, most don’t have. The “clinics” here double charge and keep rotating you from one doctor to another till they’ve drained you and you’re left with the same illness you showed up. Now you’re sick and broke.
I see it every day where I live. Not blind. Fed up.
I was going to vote for 79 but as a friend of mine who advocates locally for the patients without health care… he said this was NOT a fix or a cure. That it was actually a slap in the face of any American who has ever had to watch a love one waste away. This is not what “the greatest country in the world” should be offering it’s citizens. It’s a token. A Yellow Magnet.
It’s not bad. So vote for 79. It’s just that our children deserve better. Our neighbors, our parents, our troops. Health care should not be a luxury item. Please sir, can I have some more?
Now… excuse me while I go vote and take more supplies over to the family who has an 8 year daughter with cancer. They’re losing everything. Their daughter… and their car (actually I think they’ve lost that)… and their rental agreement… and their monthly groceries… Single mother is a substitute teacher. Who now subs part time to care for her daughter and young son … Can you say “no coverage?” I knew you could. But… we in American support women who leave abusive relationships right?? Nawwww. Keep em on welfare or give boot em off everything if they get an education and a job.
But it doesn’t matter. It’s just another person’s issues. It’s just something that doesn’t affect people personally so they go on. Worrying about their own. Till it happens to them.
You can’t fight Big Pharm with Little Band Aids.
How many Billion a week so Bush can burn the skin off of children??? And yet we are supposed to beg and plead for piddling presciptions. For decency??? No thanks.
I doubt anyone here after ordering a $100 meal at a fine restaurant would appreciate it when the meal came and it was a pop tart and dixie cup of Hawaiian Punch??? Or would you settle and tell yourself, “Well, at least it’s “something”.
This country can and SHOULD do better.
there is a local meaure piggy backing Arnies BS.
It’s regarding water rights and not allowing it to be sold.
Janet, I got this in my e-mail just now — it applies everywhere — GOD, I wish you luck today in California! PLEASE defeat that bastard’s plans.
mainly because the folks who worked hard to get the ballot signatures didn’t ask for the special election; AFAIK, they were willing to wait for next June, but by state law they had to go on the first election after they qualified. And it’ll help people who have insurance, but whose insurance doesn’t cover prescriptions — as companies cut back on health benefits, oftentimes prescription coverage is the first thing to be jettisoned.
80 I left blank — I just didn’t know enough about it.
Everything else was “NO WAY” across the board.
Local measures were all pretty non-controversial; a couple of city charter changes to conform to state law, a small rise in business/rental tax (hadn’t been raised in several years) which may affect us next year when we come up for lease renewal, but we’re willing to pay our fair share. Also had city council and a couple of school boards (the local elementary school district and the community college Board of Trustees); pretty easy except for one of the city council seats that I left blank because both candidates sucked.
Now I can change into my sweats and curl up to wait for the results…
.
State initiatives and local measures
on ballot in special election
These last-minute efforts might not have the same effect they’ve had in the past, because a record 40 percent of today’s vote is expected to come from absentee ballots.
“We already have 61,000 votes in,” said John Arntz, San Francisco’s elections director. “From what I see, we’re going to be higher than that 43 percent turnout estimate.”
Absentee voters are likely to be older, whiter, more conservative and more Republican than those who cast their ballots at the polls, said DiCamillo. That means the first rush of absentee ballots, which will be released minutes after the polls close at 8 p.m., will provide an early indication of how the final tally is likely to go.
“Those absentee voters are Schwarzenegger’s target audience,” DiCamillo said. “If (his initiatives) are ahead in that first cut, he’s got a chance. If they’re behind, it’s over.”
Nov. 8, 2005 California Ballot Propositions
“Treason doth never prosper: what’s the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”
▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY
Glad to see you posted that. This stuff was not only hard fought on TV. We are all a little sick of Judge Wapner telling us to vote against Arnold’s redistricting plan — though he is certainly right and the thing will probably go down.
But this has also had a pretty good ground game — precinct walking and people talking with people. I’m going to take the liberty of suggesting that anyone wanting to while away some bandwidth to fight the day’s suspense take a look at this photo essay from the doorways.
In Maine, seven ballot questions : five bond issues, bookended by constitutional amendments.
Question 1 is whether to amend the state constitution regarding discrimination for gender, orientation, etc. A non-discrimination vote passed maybe 8-10 years ago, and then the fundies got all organized and got it on the ballot again in the late ’90s. Everyone said, No problemo, Maine is too progressive. But the fundies voted while others didn’t, and the progressivism was repealed.
Now, there are signs and bumper stickers saying Vote No on No. 1. It’s a No vote, because, naturally, the thing is worded in such a convoluted way that it requires serious study before you know what it’s talking about.
Mindful of the church that is in IRS trouble because of antiwar comments, I’ve noticed a number of fundy-type churches around the boondocks lately that have anti-Question 1 moveable-type signs out in front. Sample: “Vote Yes on 1, Save marriage, Save Maine.” Where is the IRS when you really need them?
Question 7 is also for a state constitutional amendment: That one would, with luck, slow down but certainly not stop the rampant development happening on the waterfront. In recent years, so many people have built condos and McMansions, and taxes have gone up so sky-high, that many of the people who for generations have made their living on the water have had to sell up and move because they can’t afford the taxes anymore.
And in one well-publicized flap a few years ago in a well-known town, the fancy summah people objected to the ungroomed sight of a boatyard–piles of lumber out in plain sight, imagine!–and nearly drove out one of the great Maine boatbuilders. Those are the kinds of people who buy “authentic” Maine houses and then have them landscaped within an inch of their lives so they look like suburbia, usually with totally inappropriate plants. <sigh>
So people who care about the waterfront, and conservation, are hoping for a Yes vote.
Maine historically has high voter turnout, and it looks like that even in this very off year.
Hate to say this, but it is almost certainly legal for fundies to advocate on moral issues from their (repressive) point of view. Just as it is legal for progressive religious types to tell us that Bush’s war is immoral.
What no nonprofit can do is endorse candidates.
Agreed that it should continue to be legal for churches and other non-profits to espouse their own political and cultural views. I was objecting to the proselytizing of wingers while a left-speaking church was under attack. If the IRS is going to go after one, it should go after all.
Or none, leaving all alone, which would be preferable.
Was that their original motto, before all that integration and civil rights stuff?
Very amusing 🙂
Hey, I did a double-take, too, as I’m from Va.
But alas, I don’t live there–but as of this AM my parents voted (they go EARLY–always have) and they are out working a poll. I hope Kaine pulls it out, though I’m told there were a fair amount of folks to come out see their dear leader, A snippet from my Mom & me:
Mom AP: Yeah, Kilgore is bringing out the big guns. I hope it ends up shooting him in the foot!
AP: I hope it ends up shooting him somewhere else.
[Peals of laughter]
Mom AP: Well, I was just being kind …
The national media is paying some attention to our Mayoral race in St. Paul. The incumbent, Randy Kelly, is a DINO who had the gall to endorse Bush in 2004!! He is also the successor to the throne of our own “Cheney water carrier” Senator Norm Coleman (Norm was previously the mayor of St. Paul).
Kelly is running against the Democrat’s endorsed candidate Chris Coleman (no relation to the above). All of the pre-election polling has shown Coleman to be leading by over 30%. And the conventional wisdom says its all due to Kelly’s endorsement of Bush.
So, we have a showdown in St. Paul today and if all turns out well, we’ll be the first nail in the coffin of the Repugs hopes for 2006.
FAN-tastic! Please keep us posted … this might be worth a special diary later in the day as returns come in.
It’s got a lot of drama as you’ve described it … a turncoat DINO and the triumph of a true Democrat! Woohoo!
I wrote a diary about the race over the weekend in case anyone wants more of the details. I’ll post the results of the race somewhere here tonight (an open thread for elections results would be great – hint, Susan, hint).