Just got back from early voting, and it was quick and easy like always. Only about a ten minute wait. As many of you know, I have an election ritual of voting and then treating myself to lunch, and while I was waiting I ran into my friend Heather. She and I went to college together and she is now one of the vets at Harry’s vet clinic, and we went off to the local Mexican restaurant and had a celebratory lunch. She had a delicious margarita (I’m told) and fish tacos, I had the hard carnitas, and we shared some guacamole.
So election 2016 is in the bank for me. You all know what you need to do now, so get out and vote.
jharp
I too voted today.
Also took my friend who I had to use hard sell to get him to go.
That, and I have both of my kids voting. And our top employee I got out to vote as well.
I’m not done yet but feel pretty good about my efforts.
That’s 5 votes I got for Hillary, Evan Bayh, and John Gregg.
laura
So you’re saying your unwilling to wait for the taco truck on your corner come 11/09.
Early voting does rock!
Mj_Oregon
Mailed my ballot back last Friday, two hours after I took it out of my mailbox. Now if the phone calls would just stop…
Shell
Hope thats not a shot of your voting booth. Justin Timberlake is supposedly in some kind of trouble for taking a selfie of himself voting. Supposed to be a violation in most states for some reason.
In other news…..
Doesn’t this guy show up every election cycle?
“Election expert declares Trump is going to be the next president. Forget the polls. Donald Trump is going to be the next president — at least according to one pretty accurate election model developed by Helmut Norpoth”
Darrin Ziliak (formerly glocksman)
I voted yesterday and would have taken a snap of my straight D ballot, but taking pictures of your ballot is illegal in Indiana.
In and out of the downtown Election office in 10-15 minutes. Local news reported people waiting hours in line at the 5 public libraries serving as early voting polling places.
Singing Truth to Power
Done. Celebrating a Hillary/Feingold vote in the tank by putting a slab of ribs on the grill and forsaking tv news for a bit. Thirteen more days –
comrade scott's agenda of rage
Voted by absentee on Monday since we don’t have early voting here in MO. County clerk said he had 200 absentee ballots to date, a record. Not sure what that means in this rurl county of 13K crackers who voted 77% for Rmoney. I just know we’ll hit 80% for Cheetoh Donnie.
The Moar You Know
I could do the mail vote, but don’t. Just take it across the street on Tuesday and get the formal ballot and vote.
The CA ballot is huge and San Diego’s is huge, so I anticipate taking quite a while over there. That’s fine. I like the ritual. I like seeing which one of my Republican neighbors is voting. I don’t like that since they’re voting to cut my wife’s salary (and they know this, we explained it to them) that at best relations will be frosty going forward. Oh well. Hope they like President Clinton.
ETA: one of the disadvantages of living on a cul-de-sac is that you really DO know all your neighbors, the good and bad. It was pretty good up until this election.
Chat Noir
We voted last Friday and the mutha-in-law voted absentee a month ago. All Democratic votes in Missouri. They don’t have “early” voting per we but “absentee voting in person” so that’s what the husband and I did.
Darrin Ziliak (formerly glocksman)
@Shell:
I think it has to do with selling your vote and using the selfie as proof to the buyer.
Major Major Major Major
Dude, that’s a voting machine. No way to know if you actually voted for Hillary.
/only kind of joking
Yutsano
@The Moar You Know:
Fuck. Yes.
catclub
@Mj_Oregon:
It is still much easier to answer them by saying you have already voted.
Arclite
@Shell: Came here to ask the same question.
Does anyone have a list of which states made it illegal to take a pic inside the voting booth? Also what’s the purpose of these laws?
JGabriel
There’s a (very) minor error on the ballot. The borough of Manhattan is officially New York, NY, not Manhattan, NY. Believe me, I live here.
maeve
Voted this morning – no one else in line at 8:30 am – they let me take two “I voted” stickers so I could wear one on election day too.
We have paper ballots with fill-in circles – that always seems the safest way to me. Never liked the electronic ones or the punch/chad ones (in other states).
Legal status of taking pictures in voting booth by state:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/ballot-selfies-allowed-42995941
Major Major Major Major
@Arclite: they’re anti-vote-buying/selling laws.
Rob in CT
“MTN” Party for Stein? Huh?
Also, too: like others said, be sure that posting such a picture is ok in WV, or pull the photo.
FlipYrWhig
@Arclite: Respecting the secrecy of the secret ballot?
catclub
@comrade scott’s agenda of rage:
While this would be interesting, it would also be a contrast to the idea that Obama lost a lot of white votes because of his skin color.
Especially in the Appalachians, central mountains regions, that seemed to be a thing. Your fear suggests it is all even more tribal,
and/or that Trump is a much more popular candidate in those regions than Romney.
Darrin Ziliak (formerly glocksman)
@Arclite:
How not to get arrested on Election Day
JGabriel
@Arclite:
AP via NY Times:
Ballot Selfies: A Look at Where They Are Allowed or Not
Eljai
@Arclite:
I found an abc news article that lists the laws by state, but I’m having trouble getting the link to work. Apparently electronic devices are not allowed in Cole’s state. I promise not to tell anyone, though.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/ballot-selfies-allowed-42995941
indycat32
@Darrin Ziliak (formerly glocksman): according to several websites, including ABC News, it is legal to photograph your ballot in Indiana, despite the legislature’s best efforts to prevent it.
David Fud
Early voted last week. Voted against three or four amendments to Georgia constitution trying to concrete in charter schools and such. In a currently red but trending blue state, and I only voted for Dems. Pretty brIsk rate of voting and no wait. Glad to be done.
Keith P.
@Shell: LOCK HIM UP!
Grumpy Code Monkey
Did my duty on the way in to work this morning.
I am deeply conflicted about one of the votes I cast. Our Democratic state rep for the last 22 years is going to step down before January due to a combination of health and legal (read: criminal) issues, but still has her name on the ballot – if she wins, there will have to be a special election to actually fill the seat, which is a waste of time and money.
Her Republican opponent is highly active in the community and generally well-liked (and AFAIK not a total wingnut). But…the Texas Lege is already so overwhelmingly Republican, I just couldn’t bring myself to make the margin that much bigger. So I voted for the subject of a criminal investigation who’s not even going to take the seat.
That’s not rational. But that’s where I am right now.
Felt good about all the other votes, though – like I said in an earlier thread, the race I actually care about the most is the local school board. Our district’s at risk of losing its accreditation due to the board’s malfeasance. I’m not even a parent, and that pisses me off.
Darrin Ziliak (formerly glocksman)
@indycat32:
From that HuffPo link I posted:
Given the conflicting info from different sources I’m better off not taking the chance.
Especially in the Election office with Police HQ only 200 feet away. :D
dww44
John, what are the criteria in WV for determining who gets listed first. or the order of listing overall? From looking at your ballot, I’m wondering why the Republican gets the top spot?
JGabriel
@maeve:
Yeah, we have fill-in ballots with tabulators in NY now. I really do miss the lever machines we used to have. Those fuckers felt solid. You really felt like you were casting a vote, instead of feeling like you were filling out a ticket for a meal order in an inefficient, overly officious, automat diner staffed by part-time retirees.
Smiling Mortician
Mailed my ballot on Monday with its votes for Hillary & Tim, and Patty Murray, and every other Dem, and an increased minimum wage, and the “no, corporations are not people, my friends” ballot measure . . . I’d’ve voted for legal weed too, but we did that years ago.
Iowa Old Lady
@FlipYrWhig: Yeah, secrecy is supposed to prevent not only vote selling, but also vote compulsion. Think of the women voting for Clinton whose husbands think they’re voting for Trump.
Betty Cracker
Well done! Fascinating that they include the candidates’ place of residence on y’all’s ballots. They don’t do that in FL.
liberal
@Grumpy Code Monkey:
Given a choice between a criminal and a minion of Cthulhu, I’ll take the former any day.
carlita carrota
@catclub: They don’t care if you already voted, They want money. That’s what the gal who called me this morning said, and I believe her.
liberal
@Major Major Major Major: That makes sense. But how can you prevent vote buying/selling if it’s a mail-in ballot?
DLew On Roids
You may be prosecuted for taking a ballot selfie, but the worst thing that will happen is you get to be on the court decision spiking ballot selfie rules:
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2016/09/voting_booth_ballot_selfie_bans_violate_the_first_amendment.html
Slate, I know, but Stern is not a Slatepitchy guy.
liberal
@JGabriel:
Fond memories of Dad hoisting me up and me pulling the Dem straight ticket lever…hence voting for McGovern at age 7.
Omnes Omnibus
@liberal: You can’t. One of the downsides of mail-in ballots.
DLew On Roids
@liberal: You can’t. And Cole could just as easily have picked Trump, snapped a selfie, sent the pic to the guy who paid him off, then switched to Clinton. Because he’s wily like that.
Also, MTN is next to Stein because the Green Party affiliate in WV is called the Mountain Party.
JGabriel
@Grumpy Code Monkey:
That’s absolutely rational. You voted to take another swing at getting a candidate you want on the balliot, rather than voting for the potentially acceptable candidate representing a party you don’t want filling the seat. The bill for an extra election is a one-off cost that won’t amount to much per person, and won’t be a perennially repeating budget item.
MazeDancer
The ACLU has been litigating Ballot Selfies as 1st Amendment protected. Last year, a NH judge ruled that was true. And a Federal court has upheld the right to take the selfies in NH.
So, it’s possible the ACLU will eventually establish the Right to Ballot Selfie everywhere.
The Other Bob
@liberal:
You can’t. I oppose mandatory vote by mail for this reason. I can see spouses pushing votes and parents filling out kids ballots for them. In the worst case, you could see employers having “voting party’s” where everyone fills out their ballot together or straight up vote buying.
John Cole
It’s NOT A FUCKING SELFIE. It’s a picture.
Jesus. You people.
Major Major Major Major
@liberal: I didn’t say they were good laws.
Villago Delenda Est
I will drop off my ballot at County Elections today.
dr. bloor
@Shell:
That’s a hell of a pseudonym Dean Chambers has picked for himself.
rikyrah
I voted 2 Fridays ago, at the downtown site for the Chicago Board of Elections. Took me 15 minutes from check-in to ballot.
My sister tried to vote last night in our local Ward, but the wait was 45 minutes. I was like, ‘ really’?
So, she went back today around 10 am, and got in and out in 15 minutes too.
Major Major Major Major
@John Cole: it’s a ballot selfie, which apparently means a picture of one’s ballot.
JGabriel
@liberal:
Hah. That was probably illegal, though if it was, I suspect the statute of limitations for that particular misdemeanor will have run out by now.
Villago Delenda Est
@The Other Bob: Please document. This is the sort of shit that has been said about Oregon’s system…by people like The American Spectator who simply invent it out of whole cloth.
I put it all in the same box I put the “busloads of mezzikans” voting in the Philly suburbs stories.
JGabriel
@John Cole:
Calm the fuck down. Basically, I agree with you, but it’s what AP is calling them. Don’t blame us for the AP’s style manual.
jacy
Voted first day of early voting in Louisiana yesterday morning. Long line, but very efficient (36 minutes). 4 votes for Hillary, and 1 for Johnson (stupid kid) in my family. Mix of black folks and old white folks — my mom was probably the only old white lady there voting for Hillary. Got an “I voted” sticker featuring Rodrigue’s Blue Dog to give to my youngest — he loves the Blue Dog. The Boyfriend is going to wait to vote on election day, because he gets the day off if he’s voting.
The big interest here is who is going to survive for a runoff to vie for Vitter’s senate seat: I voted for Caroline Fayard, but Foster Campbell is the other Dem with a shot, and the blessings of the new Dem Governor. Lots of nasty Senate ads down here, and David Duke somehow qualified for the next debate. Whee!
Villago Delenda Est
@JGabriel: If only one vote was cast per candidate in the name and with the approval of a particular registered voter, I don’t see a problem.
Villago Delenda Est
@Betty Cracker: “She’s from Chappaqua? I’d NEVER vote for someone from Chappaqua!”
JGabriel
@Villago Delenda Est:
Me neither.
Hungry Joe
There are so many propositions in California that it’s easy to make a mistake or be misled. Yesterday we got a very Democratic-looking mailer with recommendations — Hillary Clinton, etc. etc. But it sneakily recommended a NO to end the death penalty and a YES to streamline the process leading to execution. This has become a common tactic because it works: You glance at the flyer and think, “Yeah, this thing is on the money,” then follow its lead without realizing that the people who put it out targeted you as a registered Democrat to set you up to vote for (or against) one particular proposition.
In the spirit (or should I say, spirits?) of Peggy Noonan, here’s a yard-sign report from a slightly R-leaning area of San Diego: Over a period of a few days my doggie and I walk every street in the neighborhood. In ’12 there were about as many Romney signs as Obama signs, but not a lot of either — this is Blue California, after all. This year: about the same number of Hillary signs as there were Obama signs, but NOT ONE TRUMP SIGN. There was one, but a couple of days after the release of the Billy Bush tape it was gone.
And a toast to Nooners for the yard-sign inspiration. Start with white wine, or go straight to G & T?
raven
I’m sure this is boring as hell but just a refresher. I came home from Vietnam on September 3d, 1969. I spent 13 months in Korea and 11 months in the Nam and I was 2 months short of my 20th birthday when I got out. I could not vote for 14 months after I got out. Get your ass out there and vote.
Lizzy L
@Hungry Joe:
If you’re buying, I’d like a Macallan neat, please. Cheers!
Villago Delenda Est
@raven: If you’re old enough to go into combat for your country, you should be old enough to vote and old enough to walk into a bar and buy a drink.
trollhattan
@raven:
Preach.
Brachiator
You just threw away your vote. Don’t you know that Trump is going to win?
At least, this is what I heard on talk radio yesterday during my commute. Because polls don’t matter. I think that people sometimes make too much of polls, especially when they are favorable, but I have been amused, astounded and amazed at how stupid many conservative commentators are when talking about polls and this election. It’s clear that they don’t have even the most rudimentary idea of how any kind of polling works,
On one station, the host was convinced that either the wrong people were polled, or that masses of people lie to pollsters because they do not want them to know that they are really going to vote for Trump. Or they think that the media companies who commission the polls are deliberately slanting them to boost Hillary’s chances.
And then there are people who talk about the Bradley Effect, even though this nonsense was debunked years ago.
I even watched the YouTube clip of Newt going ballistic on Megyn Kelly, which included the bold assertion that his instincts are superior to any poll.
It is so much fun to watch the right wing lose their shit over this election.
Also, did you know that Hillary was the most corrupt and dishonest politician ever? This, according to official piece of shit Newt.
Gin & Tonic
Unfortunately, as has been pointed out by efg, “early voting” here in the smallest state means 7:00 am on November 8, so I envy those of you “banking” your vote. I could have requested a mail-in ballot, as I’ve done before, but not sure I’d have it yet if I did. And I felt like doing the deed in person this time.
? Martin
@MazeDancer:
But there’s another group of lawyers arguing against that. That the problems of voter coercion get worse when voting isn’t entirely private. Employers who make specific voting a requirement of employment (consider the Hobby Lobby decision) and husbands who demand that spouses vote a certain way, etc.
Remember, Citizens United is a first amendment case as well.
? Martin
@Hungry Joe: G&T, no question.
Brachiator
@Iowa Old Lady:
If it’s after the fact, what’s the problem?
Villago Delenda Est
@Brachiator:
Counsel for shit on line two. Something about “defamation by association”.
Gin & Tonic
@? Martin: Um, what was the question?
Botsplainer, Cryptofascist Tool of the Oppressor Class
I’m enjoying the Trump commercials showing the rallies, video footage of him waving happily and confidently, all followed by him saying “I approve this message” in a pleasing, even tone. Nicely scripted productions, all around.
How to contrast that with all the extemporaneous video of him on TV appearances, debates and rallies, ranting in an unhinged fashion and being completely on edge.
He’s goddamned insane, and whomever is producing those commercials is a co-conspirator in whatever is going to happen should he prevail. I’m hoping that the people doing that would survive the conflagration so that they could answer for their crimes in whatever war tribunals would follow….
? Martin
@Gin & Tonic: Whether you are best to invite to a party, and I say yes, always.
Calouste
@Hungry Joe:
You start with the G&T, then white wine with the salad, red wine with the meat, madeira with the sweets, port with the cheese, and whisky with the cigars.
frosty
Yeah, early voting here in South Pennsyltucky is Nov 8th too. Sigh.
Ian
@John Cole:
Cameras break when Cole takes selfies?
enplaned
@Arclite: To make it harder to sell your vote. You have no way of proving that you voted for a particular person.
Mudge
So you ignored the zero cell phone zone sign…
trollhattan
@Ian:
Steeeeve always gets in the way.
laura
@Mj_Oregon: I’m still getting the calls too. But unless it’s a robo-call, I actually enjoy talking with the phone bankers because it’s hard work, and to get a friendly response instead of hostility or inconvenience, it goes a long way in ensuring that someone would would consider continuing to volunteer in future elections.
This is the first election that I haven’t door knocked or phone banked and it is hard -every call, you brace yourself for hostility, and a wee kindness and thanks goes a long way. It’s just a minute or two talking to a mostly like-minded individual who is willing to sit on a folding chair with a cold slice of grease-wheel hoping to effect meaningful change.
Aleta
From Think Progress
Brachiator
@Hungry Joe:
I’m still trying to work my way through the California Voter Guide and a couple of other resources.
But you are very right that supposedly helpful Democratic (or other party) guides should be avoided.
I didn’t do mail in because I wasn’t sure when I would be able to plow through info on these 17 ballot propositions. What a pain.
jharp
@Darrin Ziliak (formerly glocksman):
I asked and was granted permission to photograph my ballot in Indiana.
Edit: This was in the May primary
Villago Delenda Est
Darrell L. Castle, CST? Central Standard Time?
trollhattan
Sam Wang has nudged the Senate back to 50-50 with a Dem control probability of 77%.
Aleta
Another example of why the conservative right is putting so much money into city and state elections.
Matt McIrvin
@Brachiator:
Somebody could say, for instance, “send me the picture of your completed ballot, filled out my way, or you’re fired.”
Kristine Smith
Checked online. My mail-in ballot was logged in on 10/24 and marked “Good.” Another vote banked for HRC.
She probably doesn’t need it here in blue Illinois, but some of the local D’s do.
Matt McIrvin
@Villago Delenda Est:
I don’t think he’s saying it did happen. He’s saying it could happen, and might even be likely to happen if, say, Mississippi went to the Oregon system.
DLew On Roids
@Villago Delenda Est: Constitution Party. For people who think the Republican Party is too liberal.
Corner Stone
Almost a 100 comments and no one has asked the important question?
Hey Cole, wth is “I had the hard carnitas” ? Are those carnitas served in crunchy taco shells? Because if that is what they are then they should be considered a sin and abomination against the art of carnitas.
Halffasthero
Awesome, John. After seeing that I decided to find out if I could vote early and did. One more for HRC today in Minnesota.
Corner Stone
As for voting, I am happy to restate that I done did the damn thing yesterday and feel excellent about it. The only thing I was sad about, ballot wise, was when the machine asked me if I was sure I didn’t want to cast a vote for 10 different names. They were all R’s running unopposed for various offices. My son didn’t get that and I didn’t have the heart to explain to him just yet how fucking crooked and incompetent the Texas Democratic Party is as an institution.
James E Powell
These last two weeks are going to be tough. My facebook timeline is already filling up with gloom & despair that makes Karl Rove’s 2012 meltdown look like a thoughtful man accepting the results. They grab onto any tiny sign of hope and hail it to the high heavens. If I were a pollster I’d be releasing “poll results” every couple of days showing “Trump pulling ahead in Pennsylvania” and “Clinton falling behind in Michigan” just to watch them send it around the internet. Then I’d release the real poll results. I didn’t use to have a cruel streak. It’s my Democrats’ Election PTSD.
trollhattan
@Corner Stone:
Before you grill him re carnitas shouldn’t we be challenging the notion of Mexican food in West golldarn Virginia?
Corner Stone
I am not a fan of censorship but I wish that each time a R mouthpiece got on TV, like Sarah Isgur Flores, and baldly stated that Trump’s scandals are very equivalent to HRC’s “scandals” the host would mute them and take a few seconds to say, “No, they fucking aren’t even close. Hacked emails vs sexual assault? Let’s continue.”
Mary G
@JGabriel: Does anybody still pull a lever? I’ve never pulled a level in 40 years of voting. It’s always been punch out the chad or fill in the bubble.
Corner Stone
@trollhattan: Yeah, may need to rub that insult in and then roast his ass about it.
Villago Delenda Est
@srv: Or, just perhaps, Scott Adams is really shitty at pattern recognition unlike those who have grasped the obvious that Derpbert has not.
Halffasthero
@srv:
I used to like his strip while I was working. Dilbert tackled business politics through satire beautifully. Now I simply don’t get Adams at all.
slag
Made pancakes and filled out our ballots on Sunday. And I never make pancakes.
Cacti
@srv:
I’ve always wondered, and maybe he could answer this for me.
When nailing yourself to the cross, how do you get that last one pounded in?
Cracker and toast
Why is the asshole’s name first? Top 3 don’t work alphabetically for first or last and his official name is not asshole.
maeve
@Matt McIrvin:
Then after you take the picture you take your paper ballot to the election volunteer and say “I made a mistake – can I have another one” (they carefully tell you to do this rather than make changes) – or you change the settings for electronic voting.
Doesn’t fix the case of a spouse or someone being at the polling place who could see you do it though.
Not that I think its a necessary law – but that is the original intent.
Read Anthony Trollope for descriptions of vote buying – I recommend “Ralph the Heir” (free on Amazon kindle)
Amir Khalid
@srv:
Sure, Scott Adams gave the world Dilbert, Dogbert, Catbert, and the Pointy-Haired Boss. But other than that, he’s a walking illustration of Dunning-Kruger.
waysel
My wife and I voted on Monday here in Florida , first day of the early voting window. No line at all at the local library. Paper ballots with fill in ovals, machine read. 2 votes for Hillary and for Patrick Murphy happily banked.
catclub
@Cracker and toast: I would guess GOP and Democratic party are top two (and randomized)
and the rest are randomly placed.
Or maybe it was all randomly placed – which could be done on computer voting machines.
trollhattan
@Villago Delenda Est:
“Having run completely out of trained jumpin’ sharks, Adams sets own hair on fire for a final glimmer of attention-grabbing. Sad!”
waysel
@srv: Dilbert has never been very funny, but Adams is turning into quite the comedian lately. Just hilarious, his so called ‘logic’.
FDRLincoln
Voted in Kansas today. Democrats down the line except for county sheriff. The sheriff is a Republican running unopposed but he’s competent and non-political and consistently wins election in a Democratic county. I went ahead and voted for him.
We also have Supreme Court retention on the ballot. Governor Brownback is trying to dump the moderates off the court so the Dems and moderate Republicans are mobilizing to retain them. I voted to retain them all, except for the one guy on the court who was appointed by Brownback and is a super-reactionary. I voted to dump that guy. Google Caleb Stegall. Dangerous man.
I talked to the clerk at the courthouse and he said early-voting turnout is very high this year.
Mary G
Speaking of Jennifer Rubin:
Comments range from “Byrd was in the KKK, therefore Dems are the real racists” to become a Democrat, Jen, this is where you belong. I’ve never seen “Fox and Friends” but they must be awful even for Fox judging by these commenters.
Mnemosyne
@srv:
Scott Adams watched the White Fragility Training Video and thought it was real and offered solutions to a genuine problem.
Corner Stone
I’ve got people on a local message board already saying they’ve heard stories, many stories, about a vote for Trump being switched to straight vote for Dems.
Kropadope
I early voted today and it was, ironically, the longest I ever had to wait. There were 2(!) people in line in front of me. Perhaps I’ve been spoiled.
Josie
Early voted this morning in central Texas. Stood in line for one hour and fifteen minutes. I would hate to see the lines on Nov. 8.
bystander
Apologies if this has already been linked but Clinton’s closing ad is great.
I can’t watch MSNBC.
Geoduck
Washington state is all vote-by-mail now. Or you don’t want to pay the stamp/poll tax, you can take it to a drop box, which is what I did with mine. Hillary is going to win the state easily, but lots of ballot initiatives this year, and most of them were actually for good things; Tim bleeping Eyman’s latest efforts mostly flamed out. I couldn’t vote for it being out of county, but I really really hope the Seattle-based light-rail funding goes through. It would be so nice some year to take a bus from here in Olympia to Tacoma, and from there catch a train to Seattle.
Shana
@laura: Amen Laura. I know so many people who say things like “Oh, I’m so bad with rejection. I can’t do phone banking” Even one friendly response means so much when you’re doing it.
And if you do it in my part of Northern Virginia we organize meal donations for the campaign office in presidential years. We’ve been doing it since ’08 when someone who had worked the PA primary that year and was then down in VA told us that they’d had meal donations and it meant so much to them. These kids working on campaigns work so hard, make so little money that knowing there’s a group of people who are bringing in lunch every day is so appreciated. Otherwise they end up grabbing fast food or ordering pizza which is fine once in a while, but not for 6-8 months straight.
I’ve had so much fun making Thursday lunches this year: vegetarian lasagna, beef brisket with my aunt’s home made rice-a-roni, chicken mole with tortillas, chicken enchilada chili. Tomorrow’s lunch is mexican lasagna with corn tortillas instead of lasagna noodles. I know they’re just being nice, but they say my lunches are the highlight of their week.
I know this year’s campaign is almost over but keep this in mind for the next time.
Josie
@Corner Stone: People in line around me were talking about that and warning each other to check their ballot carefully before pushing the red “vote” button. They were quite serious about it. Gah!
trollhattan
Actual funny cartoonist has a go at Adams’ descent into Libertarian Tru-Believer.
Geoduck
@Corner Stone: “Switched” in the sense that election officials are changing people’s votes, or people switching their own allegiance?
Iowa Old Lady
@bystander: Nice ad.
Geeno
@JGabriel: Those were also remarkably tamper resistant. I love a well made, well designed machine, but no one makes those any more and spare parts were getting impossible to find.
Josie
@Geoduck: Rigged machines belonging to Soros, according to the geniuses standing in line with me.
Schlemazel
@srv:
He really is insane now isn’t he. Its sad to see a talented guy go nuts
Grumpy Code Monkey
@Corner Stone: Yeah, but there were a number of unopposed Democrats as well (at least on my ballot), so it kind of evens out.
Granted, I’m of the opinion that you don’t let any seat go uncontested, even if the most you can afford to do is put a name on the ballot.
CaseyL
@Corner Stone: More likely their corpus callosum rose up in rebellion, knocked aside the hand that was trying to vote for Cheetoh, and pulled the lever/pushed the button for Hillary instead!
Corner Stone
@Geoduck: Switched in that they marked/selected Trump or straight R and then hit Cast Your Vote and it came back with votes for HRC and straight D.
It’s paranoid nonsense and lunatic fringe shit but they are doing their best to spread it as a real thing.
germy
Tim Kaine’s Radical Optimism
JGabriel
@Mary G:
I don’t know about still. but we were pulling levers in my precinct until 2008.
philpm
@Cacti: The Messiah Complex magically does it for you.
germy
@Schlemazel: Didn’t Adams lose his voice temporarily from dystonia?
hitchhiker
@srv: Uh, that reads like a spectacularly dull form of masturbation on the part of Mr Adams. Dude, just get a magazine and go in the bathroom.
Jacel
@JGabriel: An amazing but true description of the modern polling places.
kd bart
Voted last Wednesday in Georgia. Only 2 people ahead of me on line but they told me it was quite busy on the opening day which was 10/17.
Geoduck
@trollhattan: Nice, although I have to give Adams one point of credit; if any doofus tried to grope the “canon” Alice, she’d rip out his spleen and beat him to death with it.
jacy
@germy:
Watched an interview with Kaine last night, I was struck by what a NICE guy he is. Same with Joe Biden. They’re just fundamentally decent people. And the Obamas are too. For me, that’s the difference between the two parties: I can’t off the top of my head think of any nationally recognized Republican politicians that exude that kind of decency, but the Democratic party is full of them. Republicans seem so angry and petty and small, and you see that all the way down.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
Voted early today for the first time – Massachusetts started it this year, on Monday. Huge relief to get another vote for Hillary in the bank here, although it’s not really in doubt. I’m curious as to what Trump’s numbers will be (1) in this liberal upscale suburb of Boston with a large Jewish population, and (2) in the Commonwealth as a whole. I’ve only seen one Trump sign, and the Clinton/Kaine signs have started to pop.
hitchhiker
WA state sent out its ballots last week, giving all of us with working mailing addresses about 14 days to open them, find a voter guide, fill in the bubbles with a nice black pen, sign them, and either drop them in one of the designated boxes or put stamps on and mail them in a regular mailbox.
In our family we like to do voting parties. This involves laughing maniacally at the Stranger’s hilarious voter guide while drinking beverages of our choice and filling in the bubbles with all the Ds. It’s extremely civilized. And I want to punch the fools whose sole purpose is to prevent the “wrong” people from voting, which is not civilized at all.
Bobby Thomson
@catclub: not really. Clinton 16 ran as a more overtly “black” candidate than Obama ever did.
Brachiator
@seaboogie:
RE: Fellow Californians. Help me out with the dumb ass ballot propositions. There are 2 plastic bag propositions. Can I safely vote for or against both of them? Or what’s the deal?
If you see this, thanks for the info. I don’t do Facebook, but the Sonoma Valley Dems had a very good website, with links to endorsements and other voter information.
The two plastic bags propositions seem to be deliberately confusing, and designed to maximize the chances that some special interest group will gain by the vote.
Also, it is strange to be voting Yes or No about big plastic bags in super markets and also to be voting Yes or No about small plastic bags in [email protected] films.
Schlemazel
@germy:
Yes, he has had several health issues & that was the one that got the most attention. I think something has happened to his mind. The odd part is he still can identify and lampoon office life despite not having worked in one for 20-25 years. But IRL he has seriously gone insane, not just politics but several issues. He opened a high end restaurant & screwed over his employees, ranted at customers who displeased him, fought with inspectors and suppliers & then when it all went to hell blamed his employees for all his mistakes.
tarragon
@JGabriel:
A 4 or 5 years back our sports league was able to borrow one of the unused NYS lever machines to do an internal vote. It was awesome and nostalgic moment. I wanted to vote multiple times just for the great Cha-Klunk of opening up the curtain.
I have no idea who arranged that or how. But I probably owe them a drink.
germy
@jacy: I agree. Also, for the most part their family and professional lives are solid.
Compare and contrast with Newt, drumpf, Issa etc.
And look at the path Hillary decided to take with her law degree vs. the path K. Conway took with hers. (Conway: “Ooh! Lobbyists! I wanna be just like them!”)
germy
@Schlemazel: Adams is a man who found his narrow niche doing one thing somewhat well (I still maintain he looked better than he really was, because Dilbert was surrounded with shitty legacy comic strips and other mediocre garbage) but because he succeeded at that one thing, he seems to believe he is a genius at all things.
sigaba
@srv: What he is describing is like, literally, word for word, a Pick-Up Artist technique except with “desire to vote” replacing “ability to say no to me.” Down to the “reframing.”
NoraLenderbee
Aw, damn. I just went to the registrar of voters to vote early. Giant parking lot was completely full. Work vans were double-parked in the corners, and people were driving around looking for spots. All the street parking was full. I should have known–it’s a govt building, of course it’s going to be like going to the DMV. Fuck that. I will have to wait until 11/8. Poo on you, Santa Clara County.
Miss Bianca
Out here in red, red CO I see a bunch of Trump/Pence signs and only one so far for Clinton/Kaine (I’ve got one, but I’m feeling a little hesitant to put it up – and I’m way out in the sticks even by “sticks” standards anyway). So I expect this county to go all-in for the Republicans.
Funny letter to the editor of our local paper last week – some guy who endorsed Trump (not enthusiastically, but because Hillary is pure evil and corruption will continue the ruinous policies of Obama!) and then went on to sing the praises of Donna Hood, who won the Republican primary for County Commissioner in one of our districts. The irony? Donna is a very, very moderate Republican by our regional standards, and in fact, the only reason she’s not a Democrat is because she actually wants to get elected in our single-party county.
I’ve been wondering whether to write my own letter pointing out the logical discrepancy here, but then again, I do want to see Donna get elected – not sure she’d thank me for pointing out that she has a lot more in common with the party of HRC than Trump!
germy
@Schlemazel:
His readers have been sending him ideas for years.
The “Pluggers” comic strip model, except he doesn’t credit them by name.
hedgehog the occasional commenter
mr. h and I both voted last week (in Colorado, you can vote by mail or in person). We got mail ballots, voted and dropped them off. Both now in the bank for Hillz. I took a picture of the return mail envelope (only address showing was the clerk’s) with hashtag #pussygrabsback. /rant/ Is anyone else tired of the “I Voted My Conscience ™” that at least on my Facecrack gets posted by Johnson voters? (followed by a comment that the person hoped their vote wasn’t changed by the Hillary/Soros machine. Do people honestly buy that???) /end rant/
Uncle Cosmo
@Amir Khalid: Adams is a classic one-trick pony. He gets the tech-corporate culture of geeks-managed-by-doofuses brilliantly, but like most geeks, he believes his STEM competence enables him to understand any other field of knowledge after 5 minutes’ thought better than everyone who’s spent a lifetime in it. Not only is he utterly, irredeemably wrong, he’s a classic hypocrite who demands respect for his expertise but denies it to anyone in a different discipline.
ETA: TL;DR version: What germy posted in 144 supra.
retiredeng
We voted yesterday. Two votes (in MA) for Clinton. Early voting was busy but no lines.
dogwood
@jacy:
Kaine was vetted for veep in ”08 and reportedly told Obama not to pick him because they were too much alike. Being seen as a nice guy is often a drawback in politics. Too many people confuse a type of “conservative” temperament with being wishy washy or ideologically suspect. My guess is that Kaine, like Biden on ’08 an ’12 is doing a great job on the stump. The media and the online liberal community ignore guys like that, but it doesn’t really matter. They have a broad appeal. The only person on the right that I might put in the right-wing nice guy category is Jeff Flake.
Uncle Cosmo
Oily voting in MD commences at 0800 EDT tomorrow. I intend to rise early enough to grease myself up thoroughly before heading to the polling place…
…oh, wait…
jamesjhare
My wife told me yesterday that a special election two years ago was the first time she had voted ever. I knew she wasn’t particularly into politics but I didn’t realize she hadn’t ever voted before that election (we had to walk to the polling place in the snow because our community hadn’t been plowed).
She got her own registration updated and ready to go for this one. She knows where our new polling place and is raring to go. Trump doesn’t know what he’s in for. There are millions of women across this country just itching to give him the finger in the voting booth.
Kropadope
@jamesjhare:
Sounds like revenge via counter sexual assault.
Morat20
Voted in Harris county. Chose a time between the lunch and after work rush. Demographically, not the sort of place people would “unfortunately” not have enough machines for. (Harris County has gotten pretty blue anyways, what with Houston being in it).
Waited over an hour. Listening to the local racist paranoids the WHOLE time.
“Soros owns them machines.”
“Obama only won because they’re rigged”
“I’ve got friends, they voted straight ticket, but it made them all Democrat. Lady working there just came and pushed a button and fixed it. Said it was user error, but if so why’s there a button?” (Translation: Idiot user picked the wrong party, didn’t realize. Poll worker hit the button that resets the ballot, undoing all the choices).
“Dead people are already voting.”
The two people behind me and the guy in front of me just went ON and ON. Thankfully LATER they went on to talk about guns, including how our city has (apparently) the highest number of permits and also the lowest crime, and those two go together. Also whether open carry just meant you’d be shot by the bad guys first, whereas with concealed you’d “surprise them”.
Then a lengthy conversation on corporal punishment and how it improves kids.
I literally got stuck in the most stereotypical, type-cast, Texas redneck conversation imaginable.
Totally worth it to vote for HRC, though. I’ve found, as a Texan, my main political pleasure is voting against Republicans.
For the record, we use E-slate machines that were bought back in 2002, the county election official is, AFAIR, a Republican (and certainly was in 2002) and why am I surrounded by idiots.
hedgehog the occasional commenter
Halp, I is in moderation (forgot and used a Forbidden Word).
O. Felix Culpa
@carlita carrota:
Wrong. All official HRC phone banking is for GOTV. Just tell callers you voted and you’ll get taken off the list.
The Lodger
@Cracker and toast: I don’t know about WV,but in Oregon the elections department chooses letters by lot , and that determines “alphabetical order” for the ballot.
Ian
@Bobby Thomson:
What does this mean? Also, does your comment strike you as incredibly offensive?
LookingForACanadian
Voted in downtown Minneapolis today. Voter protection training for Clinton/Kaine on Saturday, will be reporting for duty on 11/8.
Mnemosyne
@Shana:
I’m sorry, but why would you think that a nice lady bringing them a home-cooked lunch would not be the highlight of their week? Heck, I’ll bet Robby Mook knows your name by now.
As Napoleon (?) said, an army travels on its stomach, so you’re doing the lord’s work.
No Blue Dog
I’ll admit to not having read the comments in this thread….and please don’t call me a concern troll. I’m not gonna list my Democratic bona fides, suffice to say I’ve spent plenty of time in the trenches. I am concerned though. I know that the Bradley effect and Brexit are not necessarily good fits for this election, but I am somewhat apprehensive that we are somehow “missing something”. I am fully on board with Hillary, I wasn’t in 08 but I just preferred Obama and felt his message and charisma would carry the day, and it did. I think she has run a pretty good campaign, it’s a well oiled machine and I have only have minor quibbles that probably don’t amount to much. I am worried about Florida, New Hampshire, Nevada, and Ohio. I don’t think we’ll get Georgia or Arizona, and North Carolina is no lock. This is not like me…I tend to be optimistic, Maybe I’m watching too much news coverage. Somebody please post something to make me feel better?
Corner Stone
@No Blue Dog: Your concern. It is noted.
Another Scott
@Grumpy Code Monkey:
I strongly disagree. You voted the right way.
One should vote the Person in the Primary, and vote the Party in the General. By voting the Party, you’ve voting for the people who will choose the leadership in the legislature. Those people will decide the rules for debate, what legislation dies in committee and what gets voted on, and on and on.
You did the right thing. “Vote for the crook – it’s important!”
Cheers,
Scott.
TriassicSands
My ballot arrived in the mail last Friday. I spent some time over the weekend doing final research on judicial positions, ballot initiatives, and way down ballot candidates. Monday I dropped the completed ballot in a secure collection box.
I’ve voted for a lot of women over the years, but this was the first time I voted for a woman for president. It was time. It was long overdue.
I’m reasonably lucky. I can feel genuinely good about all of the people I vote for — from my two senators, the governor, my national representative, and my state representatives. The only one that qualified in any way as a lesser evil vote was the presidential vote. That doesn’t mean my vote for Clinton was for the lesser evil; rather it means that her opponent was the greatest imaginable evil and Clinton could have been a lot worse and I would still have voted for her without hesitation. I can’t even imagine a Democratic candidate so bad I would be forced to sit out the election or cast a write-in vote. Trump is like nothing we’ve ever experienced before. I hope to never experience anything like him again. It seems unlikely — at least until Eric or Donald Jr. decides to run.
I’m used to dismissing Republican candidates as being unworthy of support, but Trump is uniquely bad. He’s not just some right wing nut job; he’s a verifiable fascist. But he’s not just politically unacceptable; he’s a repugnant human being who would leave a permanent stain on the presidency and this country.
Corner Stone
@Grumpy Code Monkey:
Or you could vote for someone that is the living embodiment of a waste of time and money. I just don’t get you guys. You and Ronnie Roo keep wanting to project some amount or level of decency onto Republicans, specifically TX Republicans. There aren’t any. They do not have any. There are none. It does not exist.
She convicted of anything? Nope. Remember for a moment Wendy Davis. Who had to catheterize herself for an 11+ hour filibuster against an abortion bill being voted on in the TX lege. Ask your feeble fucking conscience, someone who would vote alongside Wendy Davis, or someone who would piss in her face given the chance?
This is why the Texas Democratic Party can’t have nice things. Bunch of puzzy willow spined motherfuckers all up in their bullshit.
PaulWartenberg2016
I’m coming in a lot late to this, but I was at today’s rally in Tampa FL for Hillary and I’ve got a ton of photos and video clips to share.
Linkage here, please and thank ye.
Another Scott
@PaulWartenberg2016: Very nice. Thanks for being there and posting it!
Cheers,
Scott.
JR in WV
@Major Major Major Major:
I use a voting machine just like the one in the picture, and it has a paper trail.
The audit tape is visible to the voter through a clear plastic cover, you can see it print your votes as you page through the ballot, and see it print a change record if you go back to change a vote.
I will confess it would take a long time to count votes off that tape, but it would be evidence if there was suspicion of tampering.
They used to cheat with paper ballots, so no system is impenetrable. Right?