The view from the voting machine at King County Elections accessible voting center in Tukwila
Just got back from casting my ballot, and that was the view from behind the voting machine at King County Elections’ accessible voting center in Tukwila, WA. There were about a dozen people waiting to use the machines at about 11 AM, with another dozen filling out paper ballots. And remember, this is in a county that conducts elections entirely by mail. (Well, obviously, almost entirely.)
Elections workers told me that I came at good time, as things had been much busier earlier in the morning, and they expected crowds to back up again during the lunch hours. Meanwhile, mail-in ballots continue to arrive at a near-record mid-term pace.
Another 170,000 ballots arrived this morning, bringing King County’s running total up to 580,000, or roughly 54% of registered voters, with another large batch of ballots expected to arrive this afternoon. Typically, Tuesday and Wednesday are the days with the largest number of received ballots.
This leaves county elections sticking to their projected 68% turnout rate, or roughly 720,000 returned ballots, up from a 65% turnout rate and 635,753 ballots cast in 2006, the previous midterm election.
Of course, that’s just a projection, but in an year when Republicans are supposed to benefit from a huge enthusiasm gap, it is interesting to note that dark blue King County’s 68% projected turnout is actually a couple of ticks higher than the 66% rate Secretary of State Sam Reed is projecting for Washington state as a whole. Furthermore, King County elections officials tell me that they’re actually projecting 69% turnout for Seattle proper, with the less Democratic rest of the county coming in at 67%.
Huh.
Again, these are just projections. But they sure do seem at odds with the national narrative.
The national narrative is odd.
I believe the Seattle/King County Democrats are anxious to push back on the Enthusiasm Gap narrative
68 percent? Needs to be higher.
Voters of King County! Please VOTE!
It will be interesting when King County pushes the vote count button..hopefully shortly after 8PM and not waiting until everyone else has reported. The ballots need to be sig checked and loaded. They should be ready to go @ 8PM.
Lots of R’s watching closely every step.
I have heard about some of the so-called system improvements…but there is still a huge human element in getting this right.
Again, I continue to say Murray by 2-3 points.
Goldy’s photo won’t change my guess.
3. YLB spews:
Once again, Arschloch++++ continues to believe there are more than a couple dozen folks who actually read his comments!
It’s hysterical.
It’s like YLB feels he is speaking to all of Washington from his mom’s basement while his wife is out working to support his lazy ass.
Enthusiasm? Yeah…right.
Obviously, the crowds are roving bands of ballot stuffing, mailbox dwelling felons going from accessible voting center to accessible voting center doing their dirty deeds under the watchful, and approving eye, of Dean Logan.
Better watch out where you pull out your camera, you could have SPD’s SWAT team, armed with machine guns, knocking you to the ground and stepping on your neck. If they’ll do it to a disabled vet over a couple of pot plants that he had a prescription for what’s to stop them from doing it to you?
5 – And then there’s that most silly of KLOWNS who posts Scott Rasmussen 700 times or more in not as many days.
Crazy KLOWN indeed.
It used to be worth a good chuckle or two to see how fast the world FRAUD would ring out from the fever swamps of the (un)SP comment threads..
Now?? Who cares? Pretty boring.
It is also the last day to cast your vote in the ever-so-important Mock, Paper, Scissors semi-annual Macaca Awards.
Vote Democratic today and vote often. I’m personally busing in hundreds of Mexicans to vote in King County.
I hope the huarachis and mariachi music doesn’t raise any suspicion.
This won’t be the last time we hear of this in the next few days:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyo.....t-Realized
Right wingers + vote suppression = so what’s new?
The rethuglicans would be happy to go back to only white land owners being able to vote.
I really like that accessible voting center. I have a friend who is in the hospital and may or may not get out today, but he has not had access to his mailbox. So last week I went down to the Tukwila Center (really just down near Boeing Field on East Marginal) and got him a duplicate ballot, sat down with him while he voted, and mailed it for him that day!
Another Democrat for Patty Murray. Fuck those bastards.
DO NOT question the official (conservative) media “story”. Liberals are not enthused and everyone loves the Tea Party and Republicans now. That’s the story, stick to it!
Remember, if you repeat something enough times it’s LIKE it’s true! LOL
EVERY midterm after a new election swings toward the opposing party. It’s the nature of the political cycle. It wasn’t referendum on Reagan, HW Bush, Clinton, W, or Obama really. We just have amnesia and forget this happens EVERY time.
Curious. Did the KLOWN’s spamming of the comment threads with Scott Rasmussen missives 700 times or so throughout this election cycle dissuade anyone from voting?
I didn’t think so.
@6
ACORN bussed all those people in so Goldy could take that picture. The whole thing’s staged and all those people are illegals who want to impregnate our daughters and steal our stuff.
17 – Oh my keep that quiet – ld may go down there and “stomp some heads”.
@1
The real narrative for this election is the lack narratives that make any damn sense.
I’ve voted 6 times already and I still have 6 hours until the polls close!
Honestly voter enthusiasm is always a good thing for democracy, whatever it does for either party.
If Murray wins because a lot of people voted as they believed their best interests dictated, that’s the way the cookie crumbles. If Rossi wins for the same reason, I personally believe our state will be better served. The will of the majority is what matters. My personal opinion doesn’t, except as it expresses itself on a ballot.
Re 20
You’re getting behind, Proud. Vote early and vote often.
I bet (un)SP has detected FRAUD a dozen times before lunch and has got the video to “prove” it.
Should be all over Breitbart by the end of today.
w/ guest commentary by Don Juan O’Keefe and (hubba hubba) Hannah Giles.
@20 Six already? Good for you. I only sent in two ballots for myself and two for the cat – I registered her under both “Furrball” and “Fuzzbutt”. I forgot all about registering dead people this year. My bad.
@21: i appreciate that.
So you went to the accessible voting center in Tukwila. Hmm. According to the KC website…”KC votes entirely by mail”. Unless:
====
In a vote-by-mail elections environment, all registered voters will receive a ballot in the mail 20 days prior to the each election that they are eligible to cast a vote.
Voters with disabilities will have the opportunity to cast a private and independent ballot at an accessible voting center. The equipment at these locations provides audio and visual technology which allows voters with limited vision and physical disabilities to vote independently. ”
===
So what made you eligible to go and use this service…just curious. From all I know (and from meeting you in person), you don’t strike me as someone who would need the accessible voting service. Could anyone use it ?
——————————————————————————–
26 – I believe the answer is yes. If you’re just one of those folks who yearn for going to a polling place on election day – it’s there for you.
Pudge over at (un)Sound Politics does this as well as more than a few people to his left like Goldy.
I kind of miss it myself. I’ve been around long enough to conclude that with every advance in convenience and automation (people often call it technological progress) you lose a little something in return. Oh well.
However I don’t miss being looked up and down by some right wing poll worker like some miscreant, having my id checked and being asked to repeat my address and if I still live at that address.
KC voting is a joke. Regardless of Goldy’s anecdotal assessment of voter turnout, D’s will unfortunately prevail because fradulent votes WILL be counted here.
As the man said: It’s not who votes, it’s who COUNTS the votes………..
Bank shot! I registered as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and voted the same way!
Pretty soon you’ll be able to look me up at (un)SP’s voter database!
I love being famous!
My will states that when I die, I’ll be buried in King County, WA – so that I can continue to vote………
28 – Oh my, the mountain comes to Muhammed!
More vote suppression fun:
http://www.news-record.com/con.....ed_turnout
Missourah always has its share of good stories:
http://stlbeacon.org/issues-po.....hallengers
How many of you read the narrative that came with the PPP poll Darryl posted yesterday showing Rossi leading by 2 points.
You really ought to read it.
http://www.publicpolicypolling.....101330.pdf
It actually explains that Washington appears to have one of the largest “Enthusiasm” gaps and explains what that means and how it came about. It may or may not be accurate as it is still within the margin of error…but it makes a few irrefutable points. Murray is getting clobbered by Independents who went for Obama…and Obama’s popularity has really declined.
I still think Murray will pull it out by 2-3 points…or do I???
What we have is a euthanasia gap. Not near enough right wing strays have been put down.
slingshot–
Typical Leftist Pinheaded KLOWN response….violence.
I would never call for hurting a KLOWN or even silencing one.
After all, KLOWNS are all mouth and no ears.
And the more they talk, the more the average Joe knows he wants nothing to do with Atheist Progressivism.
Keep talkin’ slingshot
@30
Last time the WSRP sued about the vote count the Democrats had more votes after the lawsuit than they did before it. It would seem that not making claims of vote fraud and not filing lawsuits would be in the WSRP’s best intrest.
What time today do you think it’s safe to steal a Rossi sign? I need a new archery target.
69% turnout in Seattle in a midterm! That is impressive. We need to have mail in voting in every state.
I certainly hope this is a sign that the low Dem. turnout that the pollsters are counting on is way off.
Although the NBC exit poll that has 41% of people saying they are “conservative” isn’t a good sign. Crossing fingers that all of the polls are off. What else can we do at this point.
dutch @26,
Anybody can vote in person if they so choose. It’s mostly used by folks who lost or never received their ballots. You’re given a choice of the machine or another paper ballot.
And FYI, provisional ballots are cast on a separate machine.
Bellevue City Hall was a zoo at 5 PM when I went over to drop off my ballot.
Close to 200 people were waiting in line to vote (supposedly a 3 hour wait) and there was a steady stream of people like me dropping off their mail-in ballots.