Fake Flyer in Virginia Tells Democrats to vote on Nov 5th

With less than a week to go before voters are expected to head to the polls in record numbers, a bogus flyer directing Republicans to vote Nov. 4 and Democrats to vote Nov. 5 has surfaced in Virginia. The state’s Board of Elections said the fake has been distributed in Hampton, Newport News, Virginia Beach and Norfolk, sounding louder alarms of voter fraud and intimidation across the nation.  ABC News Story.

New Mexico GOP Sued for Intimidation

ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) has sent out a press release about a lawsuit against the New Mexico GOP after reports that minority voters in the state are being intimidated by party officials.  The gist of the effort has been that private investigators have been visiting homes of voters registered by ACORN and accusing them of voter fraud.  The voters involved have proof of eligibility but GOP continues to accuse them and others of fraud.

Philadelphia Flyers Warn That Police will be executing Warrants on Voters

Students at Drexel University in Philadelphia have been seeing anonymous flyers warning that undercover police officers will be making arrests at polling places.

Montana Republicans Challenge 6,000 Voter Registrations

Just last week, the Montana Republican Party filed challenges against 6,000 voters who are registered in the state.  In 2004, tens of thousands of voters had their eligibility questioned, often by Republicans who said they were worried about voter fraud.

West Virginia Voters Claim Machines are “Switching” Democrat Votes

In West Virginia, voters using touchscreen machines have claimed their votes were switched from Democrat to Republican.

North Carolina Hecklers Harass African-American Voters Lined Up for Early Voting

In North Carolina, a group of McCain supporters heckled a group of mostly black supporters of Barack Obama.

Massachusetts Flyers Placed on Cars with Obama bumper stickers

A Massachusetts woman returned from work to find a sheet of paper stuck under her windshield. It read, in large caps, INDICTMENT. Below, the poster was more specific, informing her that she had been “listed in our registry” and “relevant information will be recorded and forwarded to the proper authorities.”

Wisconsin GOP Poll Watchers Try Intimidation

Democrats accused the Wisconsin Republican Party on Wednesday of trying to intimidate voters by seeking people with military and law enforcement experience to watch Milwaukee polls on Election Day.  The liberal group One Wisconsin Now said the e-mail unmasked a GOP strategy to ‘‘challenge voters, disqualify voters and create long lines’’ at the polls. Republicans denied that.

Minnesota GOP Combs Voter Records and tries to Challenge Thousands

The head of a conservative watchdog group looking for voting irregularities denied Thursday that its callers were trying to intimidate voters, which he called a baseless charge used by Secretary of State Mark Ritchie to stymie the group’s investigation.

South Carolina Group Fields Hecklers

See the CBS Video of Harassment Techniques in South Carolina by GOP County Party Officials

Cheney Supports McCain-Palin Ticket

Washington Post, November 1st, 2008

Vice President Cheney weighed in for the first time on the selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as John McCain’s running mate, dismissing suggestions she may not be up for the job.

“We’ve had all kinds of vice presidents over the years. Everybody brings a different set of experiences to the office and also a different kind of understanding with whoever the president is,” Cheney told the group of reporters traveling with him in Rome.

“Each administration is different,” added Cheney, whose long experience in Washington before becoming President Bush’s running mate laid the groundwork for his role as one of the most powerful vice presidents in history.

“And there’s no reason why Sarah Palin can’t be a successful vice president in a McCain administration. It won’t look exactly like the Bush administration or the first Bush administration, the Ford administration. It’ll be relatively unique to this president and this time that they’re in office.”

Cheney said Palin’s speech at the Republican National Convention last week “was superb. Watched that with great interest. I loved some of her lines.”  More…

Here is a link to Flopping Aces.

Using early voting statistics, Republican and Independent turnout as of Sunday evening is about 40% in the two SaddleBrooke Precincts.  In contrast over 50% of all Democrats have already cast their ballots!  This gives us a 10% turnout advantage.  By the end of the day on Tuesday we hope to have Democratic turnout in the mid 90%s.   Our target for Independents is about 85% and we expect that about 80% of Republicans will cast ballots.  But with these early returns, our Republican “friends” may fall short.  Every 5% of Republican turnout deficency is worth 200 votes subtracted from Al Melvin’s total.  Remember to come to the SaddleBrooke Democrats Tuesday Celebration at the SaddleBrooke Clubhouse starting at 6:30pm as we begin to count the votes from the east coast.  See You There!

The headline loss was the defeat of Chris Vasquez for Sheriff.  Chris lost by about 7,000 votes.  Paul Babeu, the successful challenger, was able to raise large amounts of money from out of state and Phoenix supporters of Paul Arpaio.  He used the money for extensive television ads.

Democrats lost a Supervisor seat in the northern part of the county where Mary Shope was defeated by Bryan Martin in District #2

Democrats also lost a seat in the Arizona House of Representatives in District #23 where Ernest Bustamante was defeated by Frank Pratt. Pete Rios who had filled that seat was elected Supervisor in District #1.  Barbara McGuire narrowly won re-election based on votes from Gila and Maricopa counties.

Democrats were able to hold onto several county-wide offices.  Jim Walsh, County Attorney and Orlenda Roberts, County Superintendent of Schools were not opposed and were elected.

David Snider, Democrat, won a narrow victory for the Supervisor seat in District #3.

Laura Dean-Lytle (Recorder), Delores Doolittle (Treasurer), and Paul Larkin (Assessor) all won reelection but with subdued totals as each failed to win more than 50% of the total vote count.

Judge Janna Vanderpool survived a challenge from a Republican opponent but again with only 40% of the total vote count.

You can use this link to Pinal County Elections Results.  You may also want to visit the Arizona State Election site to check on results from races that involve counties other than Pinal County.

Nancy Young Wright did emerge as the top vote getter and she will be returning to the Phoenix state house.

Captain “Al” Melvin is the apparent winner of the district #26 Senate Seat and it looks like Vic Williams will join him in the second district house seat.

Democrats had put on one of the most energetic campaigns in the state for these races.  Many many volunteer hours were expended.  Our SaddleBrooke Club was an important contributor to a field office that was opened in northwest Tucson.  The margin of victory for Melvin and Williams appear to have been supplied here in SaddleBrooke where they each gathered approximately 1,200 votes more than their counter parts.  The victory margins in Pima County however were apparently not sufficient for Cheryl Cage and Don Jorgensen to prevail.

Here is a link to unofficial Statewide Election results where you can watch updates as they occur.

Democrats had hoped to pick up three seats to win control of the Arizona House of Representatives but they have apparently lost two seats, one in Pinal County, instead..  One bright note though, Pat Fleming won in District #25.

Paton, Melvin claim seats; Democrats fail takeover attempt in Arizona House

Tucson Citizen, November 5th, 2008

The more the national political landscape changed Tuesday, the more Arizona stayed the same.

And the state still faces a budget deficit for fiscal 2009, which ends June 30, that could be as big as $1 billion.

Democrats failed to gain the three seats needed to win the state House of Representatives. Early Wednesday, it appeared they had lost two seats in the House, though the Senate breakdown did not change.

Gov. Janet Napolitano and a new Legislature, including a half-dozen freshly minted lawmakers from Pima County, must tackle the budget immediately, said state Rep. Jonathan Paton, who won a seat in the state Senate in District 30.

That’s the first order of business,” Paton said after cruising to a victory over former Washington state lawmaker Georgette Valle.

Paton prefers an everybody-hurts-a-little approach that spares major cuts to any single program.

State Rep. Nancy Young Wright wants to avoid an across-the-board approach.

The Democrat vows to work across party lines but wants to protect education and programs that help at-risk kids and struggling seniors.

“We need to get through this in a sensible way,” she said.

Young Wright was leading for one of the two seats in Legislative District 26’s tough four-way battle. Close behind her are Republicans Vic Williams, with 36,899 votes, and Marilyn Zerull, with 35,954. Less than 1,000 votes separates first from third with more than 124,000 votes cast in the district. The fight may not be decided for days, as county officials verify and count thousands of provisional and early ballots.  More…

Here is a quick run-down on Statewide Ballot initiatives

Prop 100 “Protect our Home”

This proposal won handily and the Arizona Realtors will be gratified.

Prop 101 Medical Choice for Arizona

Lost but only by the slimest of slim margins.  This initiative would have out-lawed state or government sponsored health care reforms.  While the initiative was probably un-constitutional under Federal law, the slim margin (2,000 votes) of it’s defeat is surprising.

Prop 102 Marriage Re-Defined

This initiative won and it may take years to sort out the questions as to whether this initiative denies equality provisions of the Bill of Rights.  But for now, gays are denied a host of tax and property rights here in Arizona.

Prop 105 No New Tax without 50% Citizen

Here was some sanity, this one lost big.

Prop 200 Payday Loan “Reform” Act

This one lost by 300,000 votes and legalized loan-sharking will not survive a sundown provision.  So our poor payday lenders will have to reduce their interest rates to only 36% per cent per annum.

Prop 201 Homeowner’s “Bill of Rights”

This proposition passed, so homebuilders will be buying ten year home warranty insurance policies and bundling them into their home prices.  Winners here are the insurance companies with new policies sold and the real estate brokers who will be increasing their commissions.

Prop 202 Stop Illegal Hiring

This one failed and for Democrats the glass is half full or half empty.  On one hand, penalties for businesses who hire illegals remain unchanged.  On the other hand, the rabid Republicans like Russell Pearce are celebrating this defeat.

Prop 300 State Legislative Salary Increase

No surprise this one lost.

Here is a link to the Statewide Election site so you can see the results for yourself.

Democrats have apparently won twenty or more new seats in the House of Representatives and we will certainly control that house.  This is second large loss for Republicans in the latest two national elections.  The House will be a big agent for change in this, the first Obama administration!

Election Victories Give Democrats Expanded Majority in House of Representatives

Voice of America, November 5th, 2008

Victories in congressional races across the United States have given Democrats, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, an expanded majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. VOA congressional correspondent Dan Robinson reports on some key races, and remarks by the Democratic leadership.

Riding the wave that elected Senator Barack Obama president, Democrats were on track for a 260 or more seat majority in the House of Representatives.

Combined with a pick-up of seats in the Senate, moving them closer to a 60 seat majority there, Democrats will begin a new 111th Congress in January with their strongest hold on power since the early 1990s, while Republicans would hold 175 or fewer seats.

Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Speaker of the House

For President-elect Obama, who urged a new era of unity in his speech in Chicago Tuesday night, the new political reality offers the possibility of an easier time getting his agenda through Congress.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Democrats are ready to work with Obama, and work on new bipartisan cooperation.

“We must take a very deliberate, steady course for America,” she said. “That is exactly what Barack Obama is prepared to do as the next president of the United States.”

Senator Chuck Schumer spoke bluntly about what the strengthened majority means for Democrats.

“The days of [Republican] obstruction are over, and in a bipartisan way, we in the Senate and my colleagues in the house will work together to turn America in the right direction after eight long years,” Schumer said.

More…

Democrats gain five more Senate seats

Associated Press, November 5th, 2008

WASHINGTON – Democrats fattened their majority control of the Senate on Tuesday, ousting Republican Sens. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and John Sununu of New Hampshire and capturing seats held by retiring GOP senators in Virginia, New Mexico and Colorado.

Piggybacking on the excitement level raised by presidential victor Barack Obama and his voter-registration and get-out-the-vote drives, Democrats increased their effective majority to at least 56 seats in the 100-member Senate.

They did not turn over a single seat to Republicans. All Democratic incumbents on the ballot prevailed.

Four races with Republican incumbents remained to be resolved — in Alaska, Oregon, Minnesota and Georgia.

But Republicans stopped a complete rout, holding the Kentucky seat of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and a Mississippi seat once held by Trent Lott — two top Democratic targets.

North Carolina state Sen. Kay Hagan, little known politically before her run, defeated Dole — a former Cabinet member in two Republican administrations and 2000 presidential hopeful. Dole had tried to tie Hagan, a former Presbyterian Sunday school teacher, to atheists in an ad that appeared to backfire.

“What we were able to accomplish in a little more than a year is a testament to how hungry people are for change,” Hagan told a victory rally in Greensboro.

In New Hampshire, former Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen defeated Sununu in a rematch of their 2002 contest.

In a pair of western races, Reps. Tom and Mark Udall took over Senate seats held by retiring Republicans. Tom Udall, the son of former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall, defeated Republican Rep. Steve Pearce to succeed Pete Domenici in New Mexico. Tom’s cousin Mark, the son of the late Rep. Morris Udall of Arizona, won the Colorado seat held by Republican Wayne Allard, who did not seek re-election. More…