Live Blogging the Special Election

By: Mary
Published On: 1/31/2006 2:00:00 AM

Our intrepid reporter, Mary, is live blogging  from the polls in today's special election by Blackberry device.  We'll post her reports as the day goes on. -Josh

If you live in Loudon  or Fairfax, get to the polls to elect Mark Herring for the Virginia Senate.

01_31_06 08:15pm:

Looks like we won it!:-D

01_31_06 07:19pm:

We made a final flashlight sweep of townhouses and polls closed. It's a last check for results before heading off to the party. Scared. Webchecking SBE website.

01_31_06 04:30pm:

Last chance doorknocking before sundown. I am lost in suburbia, finding my route. Found it!  Folks finally getting home. I'll be the last asking them to vote.

01_31_06 12:36pm:

We finished our first two routes by 12.  Of 60 houses, only 5 people were home, 1 having voted. Cards will greet them tonight. Now its org time, with Amy.

01_31_06 09:57am:

Poll shift over...turnout was light--80 voters in the early shift.  Now we're having a coffee, warming up, and signing door hangers. Next...door to door canvassing! GOTV!


01_31_06 08:39am:

Future voters arrive.  They talk of their mock election in class. Poll Judge Dottie is ready to hook them!

Rainy Polls 01_31_06 08:14am:

Here's one of our Republican companions flanked by the Herring team.  49 voters so far...it's hard to judge sympathies when the  weather's so nasty!

01_31_06 06:14am:


  Its 6, it's raining and the polls are  open. I'm here with Jay, Alison and 
our friendly Republican district chair Jack.  One voter so far.  Ratio raindrops to voters...overwhelming!

Afterwards note from Mary: 

I owe a ton of thanks to Josh for posting this.  Thank you!!!

In writing, I was limited to the haiku-like nature of the brief character space that a Treo will allow into an email.  I hope along with my quick little snaps, it conveyed some of the feeling of working election day.  We felt so challenged by the rain, the wind, the low turnout.  Until the Fairfax returns started arriving (about 7:15 p.m.) it was truly scary--so much so that in our last after-dark get out the vote effort one campaigner exclaimed "This is exactly why Democrats don't win elections!" 

But of course, we did win. The terror made the win all the sweeter.  That came only about through the hard efforts of a group of very committed volunteers.  That's why more Democrats just have to experience working the roots.  Call your local county Democratic Committee--or favorite campaign--and get involved!

Comments



Josh- Really...I wa (Tom Joad (Kevin) - 4/4/2006 11:31:53 PM)
Josh-  Really...I was just joking...appreciate the work you're doing.


I'm just back from v (Kagro X - 4/4/2006 11:31:53 PM)
I'm just back from voting in the Cascades district, which has been swinging slowly but surely away from being reliably Republican. We went HUGE for Poisson over Black in November.

At just before 4pm, turnout was about 250 voters.

For a special election, that ain't bad. Total turnout in November was just over 1000 voters.

When my wife voted early this morning, they were at 52 voters, which the poll workers said was what they had expected to be the full day's total.



Nothing's dead, I ju (Josh - 4/4/2006 11:31:53 PM)
Nothing's dead, I just had to let real life interefere with my blogging.  It ain't easy...

Josh



Is the Blackberry de (Tom Joad (Kevin) - 4/4/2006 11:31:53 PM)
Is the Blackberry dead?


Who cares, that dude (Will Evans - 4/4/2006 11:31:53 PM)
Who cares, that dude isn't him.


Who's Jack Herrity? (Josh - 4/4/2006 11:31:53 PM)


the one disconsertng (nat - 4/4/2006 11:31:53 PM)
the one disconsertng tyhing about the weather is that there a many more low income dems than republicans, and noone wants to wait for a bus in the rain. that said, because it's a specuial election the "less divoted" voters on each side weren't planning on coming out anyway.

so hopefully the weather doesn't really matter; cross your fingers!



CV says this is goin (Josh - 4/4/2006 11:31:53 PM)
CV says this is going to Herring, pretty much for the precise reason you mentioned, Corey.

JOsh



Let me rephrase the (Corey - 4/4/2006 11:31:53 PM)
Let me rephrase the above.  This is a lean 'R' district but it's a moderate distrcit and in this election we have a moderate Democrat, Mark Herring, versus a far-right ultra-conservative Republican, Mick Staton (a.k.a. Dick Black's son-in-law and protege).


Great job guys. (Corey - 4/4/2006 11:31:53 PM)
Great job guys.

Do you think in this 'R' leaning district a dreary/cold/rainy day which may lead to lower than expected turnout help or hurt our cause?



Oh, and Mary...you R (Lowell - 4/4/2006 11:31:54 PM)
Oh, and Mary...you ROCK!!!


Pete: Thanks for sh (Lowell - 4/4/2006 11:31:54 PM)
Pete:  Thanks for sharing this.  Coretta Scott King sums up my feelings perfectly on this issue, when she says "Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood."  Are you listening, James?


You guys are doing G (PM - 4/4/2006 11:31:54 PM)
You guys are doing God's work.  Keep it up.  By the way, there's a great reference on AmericaBlog today about Coretta Scott King's championing of gay/lesbian causes.  I had not realized how outspoken she was in equating racism, homophobia, and anti-Semitism.  Here's where her words are reprinted -- they're very inspiring:

http://www.hatecrime.org/subpages/coretta.html



Great work, Mary. S (Lowell - 4/4/2006 11:31:54 PM)
Great work, Mary.  So, can you confirm Ben Tribbett's early call of Mark Herring as the new Senator from the 33rd?