Election 2011

Mandy Fraher, a spokeswoman for American Future Fund, acknowledged that automated phone calls were being made on Tuesday telling recipients that the election was being held “tomorrow.” She insisted that the mix-up was due to “gross incompetence on behalf of the phone vendor” and that the group was “working to correct that problem immediately.”

“As soon as we realized the problem we stopped those calls and we started calling those people back who received a call to inform them that today is Election Day,” said Fraher.

Union officials, however, are calling bullshit:  Anthony Caldwell, a spokesman for SEIU District 1199 said the following:

“For a group [American Future Fund] that has coordinated a million dollar mail campaign, I find it highly unlikely they would make a simple clerical error and send out a robocall to non-supporters telling them to vote the day after Election Day.”

This is no clerical error. Republicans have engaged in these sorts of shenanigans before, all across the country. (Check out this Alternet post from 2008 — shenanigans as far as the eye can see.)

I’m in California where nothing exciting is happening, so I’ll be living vicariously through you.  Let me know what’s going on where you are.  Drop a comment to report any shenanigans, tomfoolery, skullduggery, or chicanery.

Talk to me, Goose.

[cross-posted at ABLC]

Maine has a citizen veto, too, today:

Question 1: People’s Veto

Do you want to reject the section of Chapter 399 of the Public Laws of 2011 that requires new voters to register to vote at least two business days prior to an election?

You’d want to REJECT that, I imagine. Good for Maine for using such plain language on their ballot. It’s almost like they want people to actually know what they’re voting on. That would be YES to REJECT on Question One.

Now, get out there and vote like a champ! (Or P.Diddy might motherfuckin’ kill you.)

You’re welcome.

[cross-posted at Angry Black Lady Chronicles]

UPDATE: If there are races in your area that you’re following, let me know. If there are GOTV efforts that you’re taking part in and volunteers are needed, let me know that as well. Email me. Facebook me. Tweet me. Drop a comment at Balloon Juice. Dust off your old Texas Instruments Speak & Spell and convert it into some sort of telecommunications device. I’ll be updating this post throughout the day. Go Team! -ABLxx

5: 14 p.m.: Herman Cain sucked all the air out of the room with his press conference.  For up-to-date election results, check TPM’s Scorecard. As of 5:15 PST, it looks like SB5 in Ohio is going down.  It’s 67% no, 33 yes% (with only 1 percent reporting, so take that “going down” business with a grain of salt).  Any news out there?  Interesting stories I should highlight?

5:23 p.m. Here’s a funny anecdote from Steve:

Here is my Election Day story. Tell me if you can top this one.

We moved to a new neighborhood, so this is our first time voting at this location. The polling place is a church a few blocks from us.

It’s easiest for me to vote before work. The wife and I trundle off with our two little ones in tow. We see the church and there’s actually a pretty long line – odd for an off year. Last year at the old polling place there was barely anyone there.

We wait for about 45 minutes, chasing the kids around and trying to keep them from running into the street. We finally get to the front of the line, carry our stroller down the steps, and I go inside to vote. The woman at the little table asks for my ID, which puzzles me because I didn’t think ID was required here, but anyway I have it so I just give it to her. She hands me a piece of paper to fill out my name and address. I write my name and then I notice at the top of the page where it says something like “I hereby certify that I am eligible for these benefits.”

Yep, sure enough, that was the line for the soup kitchen. The polling place was another half-block down the street, and naturally there was no one at all in line. Oops.

So… was the soup any good? (No, I’m not serious.)

6:57 p.m. Just a little while ago, voters in Maine rejected the section of Chapter 399 of the Public Laws of 2011 that requires new voters to register to vote at least two business days prior to an election?  So yay!  Same day registration in Maine is safe.

Also, SB5 is going down.  TPM has already called it.  In yo face, Governor Kasich, you slimy sack of crap!

And so far, the “Eggs are People” amendment in Mississippi is going down as well.  With 23% reporting, it’s 43% yes, 57% no.  Keep it up, Mississippi!  Eggs aren’t people! People are people!  (And Soylent Green is obviously people, too.)

7:42 p.m. The Mississippi uterati were victorious — the Personhood Amendment failed. Also, Virginia elected a gay Democrat (cue wingnut brain explosion) (spoke too soon on that one) and Governor Steve Beshear won reelection in Kentucky. All is as it should be.

So say we all.