RK ARCHIVE - Happy Election Day!!! [LIVE BLOGGING E-DAY] 4:31PM Update

If you want to help out the Hurst or Webb Campaign son Election Day, just swing by our office before 7PM

Or give me a call at 703-455-1014. But I'll just tell you to come to the office.

We're Going to Braddock, then we're going to Springfield, then we're going to Mason, then we're going to Gainesville, then we're going all the way to the Sheraton in Tysons to take back the Capital, BYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!(sorry coudn't resist)

[Random Update]2:25PM GO VOLUNTEER, Flushing Works!! In the precincts that we are flushing (walking on E-Day) we are getting 10-15% higher turnout!! Please get in touch with us, FCDC or the Webb Campaign to help TURN OT THE DEMOCRATIC VOTE.

4:31PM We are getting Historic Level turnout in Fairfax county approaching Presidential year levels. But this race is not over, PLEASE GO VOTE if you haven't yet.
5:47 AM: Everyone has been in the boiler room since 4AM (OK, we just woke up at 4, we slept under tables in the office), and the polls open in 13 minutes, whose excited?

6:12AMPolls now open for 12 minutes, WOOOO!!! Hearing of a few polling places not having the combo Webb/Hurst signs, besides that, seems like we have a well oiled machine.

6:34AMhearing counts that 73 people already voted in Sideburn precinct. Expect about 1655 votes, so seems to be about on track, but still exciting to hear that people are voting.

7:01AMTeam Hurst has new names!! The Boiler Room is to be referred to as the Lib Cave (think bat cave meets liberals), the FFX County volunteer room is called the Dragon's Liar, and the Prince William County office has been dubbed Team Awesome

7:12AMFairview Precinct 120 voters with about 50 people in line, the Votes are ROLLING IN.

8:18AM Great numbers keep coming in, I'll stop with the precinct by precinct or this would quickly get way too long, but people are voting, woo! If you have any requests for specific precincts leave them in the comments and I'll try and get the numbers for you

10:12AM Starting to get in numbers now, hearing huge turnout in key areas for Hurst and Webb, hopefully in 1/2 hour we will be able to post a proper analysis.

10:41AMGetting fantastic turnout, don't want to go into precinct specific because the GOP is prob. reading this too, but in the 11th, we are getting anywhere from upper 40's to 59% turnout as of 10AM!! Most of the high turnout is in our targeted precincts, looking good.
PLEASE help us get over the top, we are looking good but this is by no means in the bag, give us a call here at 703.455.1014 to find out how you can help

11:51AMSorry I've been gone for so long, but the numbers have been coming in crazy. Certain precincts (in the 55-65 Democratic Performance Index) have turnout in the 60-75% of expected turnout by 11AM!!!!! I'm comfortable to say that NoVa did it's part to defeat Allen and Amendment one, even if we gave up some ground in the South there is more then enough up here. BUT KEEP WORKING, KEEP KNOCKING, KEEP PHONING it ain't in the bag yet.

1:01PM Sorry I keep taking longer and longer to get you the numbers. But all I can say is they keep looking better and better. Without getting too specific (see above) 28 out of the top 30 turnout numbers (as of noon) have a Democratic Performance Index above 50.5%. Looks like our ground game is kicking ass, and the 72 hour GOP program is hurting.

1:22PM It's starting to drizzle here in Fairfax City, let's hope it doesn't kill our momentum.

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisers, staff, or "The Campaign".

Comments

Thanks so much for the updates (from Roanoke!) (burglecut - 11/7/2006 10:45:27 AM)

It's great to hear what is going on in the "bluer" part of the state, but I can tell you that you can also expect big turnouts from Webb supporters here in the southwest...This morning, Webb supporters were the only ones out greeting voters before 7:30! I am expecting big things from southwest Virginians. Webb will not win in most localities, but he is going to do far better than previous progessive challengers. Great work and congrats on a great website! Don't forget about SWVA!

Curious Post on WaPo!!! (catbird - 11/7/2006 11:05:02 AM)

I just read a post on WaPo after the article "Primary Bugs, New Glitches Fueling Jitters in MD and VA" from Jeff Knishkowy at 9:40 stating that, after failing to send his Absentee Ballot in on time, went to the polls to vote. He had no problem BUT the official roster (or whatever it is called) had NO ACCOUNTING of his getting an Absentee Ballot.

As soon as I can, I am going to go to my polling place and see if they have me and my husband marked as already voted. (We did) I'll post my findings later. However, maybe other voters who used Absentee ballots should check to see if they are marked "Already Voted"

It seems to me that this leaves a lot of room for number tampering in the "magic boxes" or for throwing out votes in an Absentee count.

Roster had "AB" by our names (catbird - 11/7/2006 12:14:08 PM)

I was able to get to my polling place (Roanoke) and check the status by our names. "AB" was noted clearly.

The poster that I mentioned previously was writing from WaPo's "tell us your voting experience". He is a voter from Montgomery Co. (MD).

He wrote:

[My voting experience this morning was much easier than I anticipated - which is good, but in a way bad. I applied for an absentee ballot, expecting to be out of town today (but my plans changed); I received the absentee ballot, then neglected to mail it by yesterday's mail deadline. While I could have driven to Rockville to deliver it today, it was easier for me to show up at my local voting station and cast what I expected to be a provisional ballot (based on recorded info from Montgomery County). Well, they had no record of my having applied for or received an absentee ballot, and so I voted normally, as if I had not never applied to vote absentee. I was assured my vote will override anything that shows up in the absentee system (which I hope is the case, since it's my only vote)Posted by: Jeff Knishkowy November 7, 2006 09:40 AM ]

?? It might be interesting/worthwhile for a sampling of Absentee Ballot voters to check their status at the polls, especially NoVa.

...It's still raining pretty hard in the Roanoke area.

yeah (pitin - 11/7/2006 11:43:19 AM)

it was more raaaaaaa

but if you watch Dave Chapel's "the black Howard Dean" you see where I got the BYAHH from.

Then watch the "The Black Bush

both equally funny.

Just voted... (ericy - 11/7/2006 11:59:32 AM)

In Fairfax county, Mason district. By 10:30, the lines were relatively small - a 5 minute wait.

Earlier in the morning I went to the gym - the Ffx county rec center off Spring Hill Rd, and today it is a polling place. There was a good line there too, but since I wasn't voting there, I didn't really see how long it would take to get through. The guy behind the counter was joking that the long line was really just for people waiting for a lap lane in the pool. By the time I finished my workout the lines seemed smaller.

Closer race in Shenandoah?? (Shenandoah Democrat - 11/7/2006 12:00:16 PM)

Turn-out very heavy out here in Allen-country, but I gotta believe a lot more repugs than usual are going Democratic, just based on the dramatically fewer yard and road signs for Allen (compared to Kilgore last year). A closer race out here could cripple Allen's ability to overcome the Democratic NoVA landslide.
Go Jim!!

Weird GOP GOTV e-mails, 2 last nite, one with polling place, one corrected (Arlington Tom - 11/7/2006 12:11:50 PM)

GOP sent an e-mail to me yesterday with my (correct) polling place and then corrected it and directed me to the state to find my polling place.

If anyone wants copies, let me know

Fairfax Turnout High (demhokie - 11/7/2006 12:49:20 PM)

Turnout is high (approaching presidental levels) in Mantua which is in central Fairfax and tends to go democratic. I poll watched for the Dems in the morning and saw several first time voters and famlies with a teenager first time voter. Heard one older gentleman state that there were no good choices in this election, but he had to vote. He was not on the Dems list of voters.

The precinct I'm monitoring is heavily African American (Catzmaw - 11/7/2006 6:45:29 PM)

Several people have come through who are voting for the first time in years or just for the first time. I spoke to voters at my precinct and another one a couple of miles away. Big anger at Allen, Bush, and the war. Lots of complaints about the rise in the cost of living with no rise in the minimum wage. There's a strong sense among the people I'm talking to that this is the year for change.

I have also encountered a report from the chief election officer in my precinct that it's her understanding that they purge the voter rolls after a few years of inactivity. This lady was unfamiliar with the rules pertaining to provisional ballots, but I believe she understands that she needs to offer them now. Several people have come in here and discovered they were in the wrong precinct. This appears to be unrelated to any nefarious doings but instead are the result of some polling places being changed around and some folks having failed to vote for the last few years. The people in my precinct are carefully locating the proper precincts for these folks and sending them on their way.

I have reported the purging practice to the Richmond Boiler Room.

North Arlington and statewide (Leaves on the Current - 11/7/2006 1:53:08 PM)

Woodlawn Precinct, Arlington: as of 11:30, turnout had been "steady heavy" all day!

And from CNN at noon: turnout is reported heavy all across the state. And 139,000 absentee ballots were requested, almost three times as many as absentee votes in the last election.

Keep those reports coming!

We just had some rain in Washington County (mkfox - 11/7/2006 2:18:33 PM)

but nothing too bad. I voted absentee so I won't see the polling places but as for SWVa, Buchanan County is traditionally Democratic, an island of blue among red counties. I think the veteran vote will tip the scales in Va, and women's vote will tip the scales in the Tenn race.

Rather doing Comedy Central election coverage with Stewart, Colbert (PM - 11/7/2006 3:51:05 PM)

No Joke: Rather On Comedy Central
12:50 PM ET, from The Philadelphia Inquirer:

Dan Rather will analyze election results with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert tonight at 11 p.m. on Comedy Central's live, hour-long Indecision 2006 special.

"It's a risk, I guess, but what the hell," says Rather, who covered every national election since 1962 for CBS before being drop-kicked in June. Now he's global correspondent for Mark Cuban's HDNet. "J. Stewart and company offered the chance, and I've taken it," Rather, 75, says. "I don't do comedy, I do politics, which sometimes is one and the same."

Richmond South showing strong turnouts (Catzmaw - 11/7/2006 6:38:01 PM)

As a poll monitor in south Richmond I have seen a steady stream of voters coming in despite unrelenting rain and generally miserable conditions. Elderly voters on walkers and canes streamed through at about 4:30 p.m. As of 4 p.m. the poll I am monitoring had shown a 39% turnout, the vast majority of them clearly going Democratic. It would not be unreasonable to expect a 50% or more turnout in this precinct. I visited another precinct up the road. They were reporting similar numbers. Lots and lots of Democratic poll workers outside my precinct. No Republican poll workers in sight. A few minutes ago I watched a man walking into the polling place loudly berating his companion and reminding him of George Allen's vote against the MLK holiday. Sounds like some folks have a long memory in this precinct. Chalk up two more Webb votes.