Steady Voting Through Mid-Afternoon in Johnson County

With slightly more than 21% of the registered voters in Johnson County weighing in, the 2008 election is 3% behind 2004's turnout. However, it continues to trend ahead of the 2004 election in total voting with early voting statistics thrown in, as early voting was up 6% over 2004.

The outlying county voters continue to turnout in higher proportions than their Coralville and Iowa City neighbors. Excluding Iowa City and Coralville, 27% of the vote has turned out in North Liberty, Tiffin, Oxford, Solon, Hills, and the rest of the county with a total of 7,486 votes. Iowa City has a 18% turnout (9,625 votes) and Coralville's turnout is 20% (2,383).

With early voting and today's turnout, we can possibly expect a total turnout of over 80%, which would be the highest turnout in Iowa's history. "It is going to be a record," said Michael Mauro, the state's top election official. "Not only in Iowa but across the country people are making a statement. We are seeing these phenomenal numbers."

If you haven't voted, you can do so until 9 pm tonight. If you are not registered, you can do it (using a provisional ballot) at your polling place.

Post the Vote - Resources for Election Day

You Tube has a kind of neat site for videos related to voting.

More fun stuff from Ode magazine to keep you up to date and informed on all things electoral.

CORRECTION: Turnout Doubles Between 9 and 11 AM in Johnson County

Note: This story has been updated to reflect an important correction to the vote count which is cumulative, not "point in time". My apologies to readers and sincere thanks to John who caught this error. Back after 3 pm's update.

Voters are coming out in higher numbers after a slow start at the polls. According to the Johnson County Auditor's office, almost 13% of all registered voters (11,788) have voted at the polls with over 9 hours left to go. 18% of registered voters in smaller communities outside of Iowa City and Coralville have already voted, while Coralville is at slightly more than 12% turnout and Iowa City is hovering just at 10%.

Some precincts' turnout of note:
Johnson County
Cedar: 30%
Jefferson West: 26%
Jefferson East: 25%
Solon and Big Grove: 23%

In Coralville
Grant Woood AEA: 14%
Wickham: 13%
Coralville Recreation Ctr.: 13%

In Iowa City
Lemme: 15%
Regina: 14%
Horne: 13%

7% Turnout by 9 AM in Johnson County

Voters have turned out early in today's presidential election with 7.03% of the vote already in by 9 am at polling places across Johnson County. Based on the previous presidential election of 2004, the pace for this election is lower with roughly 400 votes tallied. However, when compared to the September school board elections where less than 3000 voters turned out all day, the 6486 votes already in dwarfs that number.

Voter turnout outside of Iowa City and Coralville has been considerably higher with almost 10% of the vote in from smaller communities like North Liberty, Tiffin, and Oxford, as well as rural Johnson County. Within Iowa City, the turnout has been relatively low with 5.4% of the vote tallied. In Coralville, 7.6% of the vote is in.

With almost 42,000 of Johnson County's 92,200 registered voters requesting absentee ballots or voting early, as compared to 34,000 in 2004, voting is this election is still on a pace to eclipse 2004's record turnout.

Turnout information is available at the Johnson County Auditor's website.

POTUS Fun Facts

Here are some fun, but entirely useless bits of presidential trivia:

If elected, not only will Barack Obama become the first African-American/biracial president, he will become the first president with four "a"s in his name, the 4th president with a consonant for a first initial in his first name and a vowel for the first initial of his last name, and the 2nd president elected from Illinois.

If John McCain is elected, he would become the 4th president named John, the second "Mc" to be elected (William McKinley would be the other), the first president from Arizona, and the first president born outside the United States (but to parents who were both American).

The youngest president? Theodore Roosevelt 42 years and 322 days old when sworn in (Barack Obama would be the fifth youngest elected president).
The oldest president? Ronald Reagan 69 years and 351 days when elected (although John McCain would surpass him, if elected).

Obama's Grandmother Passes Away

This is truly sad. From the Washington Post Trail Blog

-- A tragic turn of events for Sen. Barack Obama: his ailing grandmother died today.

Here's a statement from Obama and his sister Maya Soetoro-Ng:

"It is with great sadness that we announce that our grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died peacefully after a battle with cancer. She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility. She was the person who encouraged and allowed us to take chances. She was proud of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and left this world with the knowledge that her impact on all of us was meaningful and enduring. Our debt to her is beyond measure.

"Our family wants to thank all of those who sent flowers, cards, well-wishes, and prayers during this difficult time. It brought our grandmother and us great comfort. Our grandmother was a private woman, and we will respect her wish for a small private ceremony to be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you make a donation to any worthy organization in search of a cure for cancer."

My sincere condolences to Senator Obama and his family.

This Election Has Been Torture...And Speaking Of

How does your Senator or Congressman rank on votes that are against torture?

The NRCAT Action Fund Congressional Vote Scorecards may be useful to you as you consider your vote. The Scorecards rate all incumbent Members of Congress on their torture-related votes.

See here. and here.

Video Predictions for the last day before Election Day

It may not be time to break out the hats and whoopers (whether Josie comes home or not), but it is okay to make some musical predictions...

1) What John McCain is telling his troops can be best said by Kuh Ledesma.


2) What Barack Obama's camp must be thinking it deserves at this point as presented by the Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain.


3) What the third parties are hoping in their own way:


4) What the rest of us are looking forward to saying on November 5th as told by Boz Scaggs.


5) What the Republican Party will likely be doing on November 6th, right Average White Band?


6) What the Democratic Party is likely to say on January 20, 2009


No matter what happens tomorrow, many a teardrop must fall, 'cause it's all in the game.

McCain Goes Positive/Palin Gets Punk'd

There has to be some laughter left as the campaigns wind down to election day. Fortunately, and both John McCain and Sarah Palin prove to be good sports.

John McCain went all "Mavericky" on Saturday Night Live last night with the talented Tina Fey reprising her Sarah Palin impersonation. In the meantime, the real Sarah Palin was caught in a phone prank from a couple of Canadian radio personalities called Le Justiciers Masques (The Masked Avengers)who impersonated to be French President Nikolas Sarkozy and his assistant.

Condolences to Senator Dick Durbin and His Family

Illinois senior Senator Dick Durbin's 40 year-old daughter, Chris, died yestersday after years of battling congenital heart disease. Chris Durbin worked for 16 years for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington in the emerging markets division. She lived with her husband, Marty Johnson and son Alex in a suburb of Washington.

Senator Durbin has been a long time fighter for health care issues. Among his health care achievements, Durbin has worked successfully for increased federal funding to prevent childhood asthma, increase immunizations and expand medical research. He has successfully fought to increase the share of federal funding dedicated to combating AIDS worldwide. He has also been a leader in promoting organ and tissue donation. In the spring of 2004, Durbin put forth a plan to give small businesses affordable choices among private health insurance plans and expand access to coverage for their employees.

Spiritual Warriors Unite?

As a Unitarian Universalist, it is difficult to be critical of others for their beliefs as we are an inclusive religion that embraces many traditions. However, we are also a skeptical bunch. So when I heard about those who practice Spiritual Warfare, I have to admit I didn't know what to make of it, particularly as Sarah Palin belongs to an Assemblies of God church that is affiliated with these believers as some YouTube videos portrayed.

First of all, what is "Spiritual Warfare"? A NY Times article states "adherents believe that demonic forces can colonize specific geographic areas and individuals, and that “spiritual warriors” must “battle” them to assert God’s control, using prayer and evangelism." These believers are Pentecostals, but are a subset of the Apostolic movement. That is to say that not all Pentecostals are Spiritual Warriors.

The former minister in the video with Sarah Palin is seen declaring that Alaska is “one of the refuge states in the Last Days.” This from a prophecy popular in some networks that predicts people will flock to Alaska because of its open spaces and natural resources.

While I believe that people have a right to their own beliefs, it doesn't mean the rest of us can't find them hard to go along with. For me, this seems right up there with speaking in tongues, Dianetics, and other practices that seem to defy my logic anyway. However, I am somewhat comforted by this explanation offered by George Otis Jr., of the Sentinel Group which, according the the NY Times article "has helped spread the movement by producing video documentaries of spiritual warfare" who said, "we don’t respond with guns or violence. If we’ve got a problem with somebody, we’ll go pray.”

I figure if Mr. Otis and I are praying to the same God, it'll all work out. In fact, I kind of hope all religions would resort to prayer to fight their battles--it certainly would keep a lot of people from being killed.

What Does a Patriotic American Look Like?

Despite the incessant polarization that elections bring out among partisans, I am hopeful that we can all agree that campaigns are waged by men and women that believe in democracy. We may disagree vehemently with each other about exactly what democracy means, but no one can deny that there is something innately wondrous about a place in the world where people can make the most important decision about the direction of their country for themselves. This, I believe, is truly what being patriotic is about--seeing our country for all its bumps and bruises and being convinced democracy is worth it.

But it doesn't mean we should see it as running on auto-pilot either. We the People are upholding part of our job as citizens in pushing hard for the vision of America that we'd like to see; by weeding through the crop of candidates, supporting the best ones, and voting to elect them. But, as someone in my local paper pointed out, that is not guarantee enough, if we wish to live in a vibrant democracy.

Once the dust settles from any election, we must continue to petition our government to continue to form that more perfect Union. We should constantly look for ways to increase democracy for all Americans; this includes breaking the two party stronghold, making voting both accessible and secure, and choosing candidates who truly support publicly-financed elections. We should not reward those politicians who say one thing to be elected and do another when they go to work. And finally, we shouldn't wait for other people to ask us to get involved.

The promise of our country is fulfilled by participating in a living democracy: in the doing, not in the being done to. To all those who work every day to keep democracy alive, whether through protesting injustice, throwing your hat into the ring, or teaching the next generation to understand what democracy means and how to play a part, we are all better for it.

Spooky: Palin's Constitutional Rights Attacked by Reporters?

To report the news is the job of journalism, not to be a public relations firm for any particular party or candidate--that's what bloggers are for. ABC reports that VP candidate Sarah Palin feels like her first amendment rights are being stepped on by the main stream media--really?

In a conservative radio interview that aired in Washington, D.C. Friday morning, Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin said she fears her First Amendment rights may be threatened by "attacks" from reporters who suggest she is engaging in a negative campaign against Barack Obama.

Palin [said] her criticism of Obama's associations, like those with 1960s radical Bill Ayers and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, should not be considered negative attacks. Rather, for reporters or columnists to suggest that it is going negative may constitute an attack that threatens a candidate's free speech rights under the Constitution, Palin said.

"If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning, for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations," Palin told host Chris Plante, "then I don't know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media."

However she feels about the way her story has been told in the press, Palin told WMAL she is not discouraged.

"It's sort of perplexing to me, because I'm a practical person and plainspoken also, but just cutting to the chase and calling things like I see them, just like most Americans. But this has not left a bitter taste in my mouth, the bitter shots taken by the mainstream media and by some of the elitism there in Washington," Palin said.

As I have said before, the First Amendment protects free speech, it doesn't mean people have to listen to it. To continually assert that a person is guilty based on the meetings they attend is silly. Would either McCain or Palin call Ronald Reagan a Communist because he had meetings with Leonid Brezhnev and Mikhail Gorbachev?

Hurry Tuesday!

Day of the Dead

From Bloomberg News

Republican presidential candidate John McCain goes into the campaign's final weekend a bigger underdog than any victorious candidate in a modern election.

With four days until Election Day, national polls show his Democratic rival Barack Obama leading by an average of 6 percentage points, and battleground polls show Obama ahead in more than enough states to win the decisive 270 Electoral College votes.

``This election is cooked and done, it's in the warming tray,'' said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

McCain ``is as desperate as a candidate can be,'' said Stu Rothenberg, editor of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report in Washington. ``Less than five days to go and McCain's trailing in half a dozen states of which he can't afford to lose any: Nevada, Florida, Ohio, Colorado, Virginia and North Carolina.''

Illinois Senator Obama yesterday highlighted new government figures showing the sharpest contraction of the economy since 2001, a harbinger of what could be the worst recession since 1981-82. Arizona Senator McCain, meanwhile, was mum on the latest economic news showing the gross domestic product shrank at a 0.3 percent pace from July to September.

Those latest figures, Sabato said, are ``the final nail in McCain's coffin.''

Being that is Halloween, I imagine the McCain/Palin ticket is counting on rising from the dead.

For a different view, check out the Moderate Voice blog.

22% of Large Market TV Viewers Watched Obama

Barack Obama's media buy to be on the air on three of four major networks paid off handsomely as about 22% of television watching households in the 56 largest TV markets tuned in--more than the last part of the World Series. This translates into 33.5 million people (or roughly 10% of the population of the United States). From the Boston Globe

This just in from a Nielsen Co. press release about Barack Obama's infomercial:

* Overall, for the six networks that aired the program simultaneously, the spot had a household rating of 21.7% (meaning that 21.7 percent of all households watching television were tuned to the spot) in the top 56 local markets. In Boston, the rating was 25.7 -- meaning that just over a quarter of local households tuned in.
* In comparison, the final debate between the two presidential candidates received a 38.3 household rating in the top 56 local TV markets. The candidates’ first debate on September 26 received a 34.7 household rating in the top 55 markets; their second debate, on October 7, received a 42.0 household rating in those markets.
* The last presidential candidate to air a paid simulcast was Ross Perot in 1996, which received a national household rating of 16.8.
* Last night, the Baltimore market had the largest TV audience, with a household rating of 31.3, while the Portland (Oregon, not Maine) market had the lowest household rating: 14.2.

For perspective, George Bush's State of the Union address in 2006 received a 26.9% rating (roughly 41.7 million people).

Record the Vote/Voters Scared Straight (Ticket)

Two cautionary tales...

Greg Brown to Play For Flooded Artists

University of Iowa's COGS (UI's graduate student union)is helping sponsor events for the Artist's Recovery Fund, a fund established to aid artists who lost supplies, instruments, and finished work during the June floods.

This concert features world-renowned Iowa City folk musician Greg Brown and an otherworldly cast of supporting artists. Other performers will include Bill Peterson, Nikki Lunden, Comics in Action, Paperback Rhino, and the UI Jugglers.

The concert will be on November 13th at the Old Brick on Market Street near Clinton in Iowa City. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Doors will open at 6:30.

Purchase Tickets at:

The Chait Galleries, 218 E. Washington St., Iowa City, phone # 338-4442
West Music, 1212 5th St, Coralville, phone # 351-2000
The COGS Office in Old Brick, Iowa City, phone # 337-5074

After the Election: Every Day Will Be Game Day for Democrats

If the Democrats have the Super Tuesday many, myself inclded, expect them to have, DNC chair Howard Dean will likely release the loudest scream he's ever produced--and rightfully so. With his Democracy for America grassroots party building initiatives(and Barack Obama's candidacy has certainly helped that)--the Democrats are poised to have a majority in two or perhaps all three branches of the federal government, as well as many gains on the state level.

The crucial step for the Democrats will be to prove that they have earned the trust of those who voted them. This will be a far more difficult thing to accomplish. Whether it is fair or not to say, the last eight years have actually set the bar far higher for the next administration because of the waste of all kinds of capital--human, social, and political.

The issue for the Democrats will be to show discipline and focus in delivering on the campaign promises made. For all of our sakes, we had better hope and be prepared to hold their feet to the fire so that they are not blinded by power (as so often is the case when one party holds sway). The checks-and-balances here are that the Republicans, independents, and the party's own grassroots can be very unforgiving.

I Goofed Up

I neglected to add all the candidates on Iowa's ballot to the poll on the upper right of the screen. So I've restarted the poll with all the choices listed in alphabetical order. Feel free to vote again or for the first time.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Voting in Iowa

As if you needed more reasons to vote...From 866 Our Vote



Make sure your vote is counted---Print the info below and take it with you. Don't let a pollworker tell you you can't vote.
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Upcoming Elections
2008 General Election: 11/4/08

Polling Place Hours: 7 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Voter Registration Information
Click here for an Iowa Voter Registration Guide created by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and its pro bono law firm partners.

Registration Deadlines
As of January 1, 2008, voters may register up to, and on election day.

2008 General Election Registration Deadline: 10/25/2008

Identification Required for Registration
The registration form will ask you to provide one of the following:

Registration After the Deadline for Registration
At any time before Election Day, if you appear in person at the commissioner's office or at a satellite absentee voting station after the deadline for registration, you may register to vote and vote an absentee ballot. To do so, you must complete a voter registration application, make a written oath, and provide proof of identity and residence.

You may establish identity and residence by providing one of the following, provided such identification contains your photo and an expiration date:
A current and valid Iowa driver's license or Iowa nonoperator's identification card
An out-of-state driver's license or nonoperator's identification card.
A United States passport.
A United States military identification card.
An identification card issued by an employer.
A student identification card issued by an Iowa high school or an Iowa postsecondary educational institution.
If the photo identification presented does not contain your current address in the precinct, you shall also present one of the following documents that shows your name and address in the precinct:
Residential lease.
Property tax statement.
Utility bill.
Bank statement.
Paycheck.
Government check.
Other government document.
You may establish identity and residency in the precinct by written oath of a person who is registered to vote in the precinct.
Election Day Registration
If you are eligible to register to vote and to vote, you may register on Election Day by appearing in person at the polling place for the precinct in which you live and by following the above procedure.
How to Check Registration
Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE

Visit the Iowa Secretary of State's Voter Registeration Lookup webpage.

Voting Information
Identification Required to Vote
If you register by mail and have not previously voted in a federal election in the county of registration, you will be required to provide identification documents when voting for the first time in the county unless you provided on the registration form your Iowa driver's license number, or your Iowa nonoperator's identification card number, or the last four numerals of your social security number. If you vote in person at the polls, or by absentee ballot at the commissioner's office or at a satellite voting station, you must provide a current and valid photo identification card, or one of the following current documents that shows your name and address:

Utility bill.
Bank statement.
Paycheck.
Government check.
Other government document.
If you vote with an absentee ballot by mail, you must provide a photocopy of one of these documents when returning the absentee ballot.

How to Find Your Polling Place
Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE

Visit the Iowa Secretary of State's Polling Place Search tool online.

Contact your County Audtor

Absentee Voting
Click here to visit GoVoteAbsentee.org, a resource for absentee voters.

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot at any election:

When, during the time the polls are open on Election Day, the voter expects to be absent from the precinct in which he/she is a registered voter.
When, through illness or physical disability, the voter expects to be prevented from going to the polls and voting on Election Day.
When the voter expects to be unable to go to the polls and vote on Election Day.
Download the Absentee Ballot Application here.

Rules and Deadlines:

Voters requesting absentee ballots by mail may submit a request at anytime before an election but must do so by 5 p.m. the Friday before the election. (2008 General Election Deadline: 5 p.m. on 10/31/2008.)

On Election Day, voters who have been issued an absentee ballot but have not yet returned their absentee ballot to their county auditor have the following options:
- The voter may deliver the ballot to the county auditor's office before the polls close on Election Day.
- The voter can "surrender" the absentee ballot at the polling place for the precinct in which the voter is registered to vote. The voter will then be allowed to vote a regular ballot at the polling place.

If a voter cannot "surrender" the absentee ballot at the polling place, the voter will be allowed to vote a provisional ballot.

If returned by mail, the ballot must be clearly postmarked by the day before the election by an officially authorized postal service and received by the county auditor's office no later than noon on the Monday following the election.