Blog-IT-o ergo sum

	11/3/2004

US Election Certification

Perhaps this is what Senator Kerry may have meant regarding passing a global test.

WASHINGTON, 2 November 2004 - The OSCE election observation mission to the 2 November U.S. elections will present its preliminary findings and conclusions at a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington (First Amendment Lounge) on 4 November at 9:30 am.

6:06:50 PM

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I lost my job and all I got was...

Kurt Vonnegut is now a contributing journalist to the New York Times writing under the pen name of Elizabeth Becker.

"Some residents of Kannapolis have accepted the end of their textile industry and are looking to the popularity of stock-car racing for redemption. The town has built the Dale Earnhardt Plaza to celebrate its native son and have erected a statue of him that stands sentry over the doomed factories."

5:26:04 PM

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Willpower

In my forum discussion at Irving Park Elementary, I mentioned a case in point where a school system was saving something in the $500,000 to $700,000 range in a $3.7 million dollar annual budget for maintanence by outsourcing its janitorial service.

This was certainly not a slam dunk decision. During a public forum the board had to have the fortitute to withstand the whithering appeal of the 30 workers being let go and their friends. But the board did hold firm.

Does GCS have this kind of willpower?

5:19:22 PM

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Word of the day ... after

Eleutherophobia

5:12:59 PM

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Thanks to my poll workers

jeffpollworking Let me not forget to thank all my poll workers yesterday:

My wife, Alex, Max, Jordan, David, Hunter and Jeff!

Thanks team!

Except for Jeff, we all had some good eats last night at East Coast Wings before heading downtown to the Old County Courthouse.

Note: The picture of Jeff here shows how absolutely dead almost the entire District 7 became after about 12:30pm yesterday. I drove around looking for the hottest poll but talking to workers they all dropped off to a trickle half-way through lunch. Wait times were down to 30 minutes to no one in line whatsoever. It was a slooow afternoon in District 7. Voters should have waited till the end instead of waiting in line for 1-3 hours earlier in the cycle.

4:45:36 PM

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Libertarians coming to a door near you...

rachaeldavidson Not having obtained the minimum 10% vote totals yesterday in the US Senate and Governor's races required by the severe ballot access laws of North Carolina, the LP of NC has begun its campaign to begin raising signatures again so our candidates can appear on the ballot in 2006.

As our astute pre-election pollsters had identified this was going to be the case we were able to begin this process as of election day yesterday. (Doing this during early voting is denied per state law.)

rachaelwinstead In Guilford County our most successful petitioner at the polls yesterday was Rachael, a friend of NC Senate candidate Rusty Sheridan. She picked up a few hundred signatures from both voters and pool workers alike. A tribute to the gentlemanly campaign in District 7 for Board of Commissioners, Rachael found that the poll workers at Greensboro Day school for both Mike Winstead and Mike Barber were more than happy to keep the spirit of competition alive by signing the LP ballot access petition.

rachaelbarber How can you refuse someone that offers to hold your sign and do your job while you help us out. Both these guys showed real class and even without someone as effervescent as Rachael I am sure they would have been happy to put their name on the state mandated petition we have to seek signatures on.

Unfortunately, we did not find that this good spirit at the grass roots campaigning level works itself up the chain. Here are our reports from encounters with two well known Democrats yesterday at the polls. Apparently their public boasts of support for tolerance and diversity do not cross party lines...even to the party that supposedly steals votes from their main competition:

LP poll worker and constituent Seth Ilys: "Hello Congressman Price, would you care to help keep the Libertarian Party on the ballot in North Carolina?"

Congressman David Price (waving hand), "No, No, No thank you. I don't sign petitions. (adding with a warm smile I hope you keep your ballot line..."

LP poll worked and prospective constituent Susan Hogarth: "Hello Mr. Bowles, could you help us keep the Libertarian Party on the ballot in North Carolina?"

Mr. Erskine Bowles: "No, I'm sorry. I do wish you well though. And (with genuine fake sincerity) I support your effort!"

You can see how it would not be hard for someone like Michael Moore to document aristocratic political leaders acting like jerks to regular people.

4:36:46 PM

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Non-Voting voters

Yesterday (and over several other days) in Guilford County "the most important election ever in anybody's lifetime" occurred.

In this life or death struggle however, 13 out of every 100 people casting ballots, whether by understanding or ignorance or write-in, choose not to confer any legitimacy upon either of the two demopublican candidates.

Guilford County Unofficial Results
Presidential Race	votes	%
Kerry	89,407	51.3%
Bush	84,167	48.3%
Badnarik	831	0.5%
Total Presidential votes	174,405	100.0%
Total Ballots Cast	200,563
Non votes for President*	26,158	13.0%

*Including Badnarik non-votes for demopublican Presidential candidates = 13.5%.

3:37:22 PM

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County Comish Election Results

Well, I didn't win. But it was worth it.

District 7 Comish

Total

%

Barber

13020

48.01%

Winstead

13487

49.73%

Capo

612

2.26%

I did beat the spread as they say, which was certainly one of my targets. However, with the general consensus that GOP leaning voters are more apt to vote for Libertarians, a Barber victory by a tiny margin would likely have put my campaign more on the map.

Looking at the 467 vote spread between Barber and Winstead also means it sure would have been nice to get things just a few hundred more votes tighter. I could have enjoyed sitting back and watching the excitement of a recount.

As it was though, it was certainly still exciting being part of perhaps one of the most expensive County Commissioner races in the state. Winstead $100,000 plus and counting and Barber in the neighborhood of $30,000 --- that's a lot of money for a job that pays about $14,000/year. Must be something more to it ya think?

I do want to thank the 612 people who voted for me. I know who many of you are because you told me. Others I can guess by looking at the precinct results. I did do best in my home precinct so I can stay on good terms with my neighbors.

My family is a bit tired this morning but they all enjoyed being part of the action.

I follow with a few quick post election commentaries before getting right back to work...stop the FTAA and all that.

3:33:32 PM

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