11:54am - Took some fried chicken over to some poll workers. I stopped in at Reid Memorial where the Bennett (College) Belles were being brought in to vote in a van driven by State House Representative Dr. Alma Adams. She asked me for one of my High on th Hogg buttons which I hope she will wear all day. She can deliver some votes my way if she is so inclined.
As usual things were hopping at Bluford Elementary - consistently the heaviest voter turn out in any of the majority Black precincts. Mayor ProTem Yvonne Johnson had two poll workers there - her sister and one of her cousins who revcently moved back to Greensboro from D.C. They were encouraging voters to "single shot" Yvonne. This is a longstanding practice in the African-American communtiy and really quite an effective strategy.
Even though voters can vote for three at-large candidates, the "single shot" tactic entails only casting a single vote for a preferred candidate and leaving the other two votes unused. By doing this, the single candidate is propelled in the final voter count brecause no other candidate gains any ground with the "single shot" ballot. I have been told it is like casting 2.2 votes for the "single shot" candidate in the at-large race. There is an algebraic formula to demonstrate the phenomenon but I don't know it.
In Greensboro, the at-large candidate that garners the most votes becomes Mayor Pro Tem. The African American community is concerned that Don Vaughan might out poll Yvonne this time around... which is likely as evidenced by his performance in the October Primary when he was the top vote getter. If enough people "single shot" Yvonne, she can retain her pro tem stature by negating much of Vaughan's advantages in the majority white precincts.
None of this is good news for me I'm afraid.
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9:47am - Just dropped in to check messages and change pants, Jinni says I might make a better impression if I put on my khakis instead of jeans. She always knows best.
Went by Claxton School, good turn out. Saw Bob Skenes and Bruce Ashley stumping and had some good laughs while listening to Bruce get interviewed by WKZL's Murphy in the Morning. Apparently Bruce hired an automatic calling system to put out a last minute appeal to Republican voters. Murphy said that Bruce called him @ 3:00 a.m. and it didn't set too well with him. At least now we know Murphy's party affiliation.
Mary Rakestraw was at Claxton doing a TV interview about the school bonds. Ran into Mayor Holliday at General Greene school. I told him I was sorry I missed him when I came by his house on Sunday doing that door-to-door thing.
I ran into N&R reporter Jim Schlosser at Grimsley H.S. as he was interviewing my friend and poll worker Judy Worsley. The photagrapher got several shots of me in the 1973 International Scout I am driving around - with no top. Having a blast!
9:50:19 AM  
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