GOP Outperforming Dems in Mail-in Ballot Tally
The last few days have seen local Republicans crowing over various social media outlets about the “voter enthusiasm gap”. What this is all about is that the Registrar of Voters for San Diego has been steadily releasing information on the number of mail in ballots they have received, broken down by party affiliation. (You can tell this because of differences in the return envelope, indicating party affiliation if any.) Who people are actually voting for won’t be known until June 5th.
What the GOPer’s are talking about is the spread in favor of Republicans in terms of those ballots that have already been received. The Daily Fishwrap ran an article Tuesday that said Republicans had a six thousand vote lead over Democrats in mail-in votes. Another way of looking at would be that, Republicans, who are more likely to vote by mail, have returned two percent more ballots when compared to the total number of Democrat/Republican ballots mailed.
What this means, so we’re told over at conserv blog SDRostra, is that Republican voters are ‘out performing’ Democratic voters. This isn’t really all that surprising, because historically primary elections skew to the right side of the aisle. None-the-less, there are some people who don’t share SD Rostra’s enthusiasm.
Former School Board member and commenter extraordinaire Francis Zimmerman has filed a complaint with the County Registrar, saying the she fears the release of this data will influence voters and could sway final election results. County Registrar Deborah Seiler didn’t agree, telling the UTSD that providing this information is in the public interest. Since the process is automated the costs involved were negligible, according to Seiler. Nearly 50%of all mail voters will have voted by Saturday.
If You Haven’t Voted Already…
Mail-in voters now outnumber voters who go the polls, and the trend towards voting by mail is increasing steadily. For those who prefer to do the deed in person, polls open at 7 a.m. this coming Tuesday and remain open until 8 p.m. If you haven’t registered to vote you missed the boat for this election; you can register for the next election by going here and filling out the form. Mail in voters should mail no later than Friday to insure that their ballots will be received in time to be counted. (Late ballots are round-filed.) If you do not know where to go to vote, call the registrar at(858) 565-5800 (the link they put up on their website for this information doesn’t work). You can vote by fax if you forgot to mail in your ballot: fax your ballot to 858-694-2955.
Election Day Coverage
A really unique group has come together to ‘live blog’ Tuesday’s election results. The OBRag, City Beat, The San Diego Free Press (New!) andSD Rostra are doing a joint project on the evening of June 5th. There will be coverage from downtown San Diego and various locations around the area. It should be fun.
For More Information
The OBRag has posted an amazing amount of stories about the candidates and the issues.
OR Rag endorsements are here.
Who the San Diego Left Endorses in the June California Primary
For info on Statewide (28 & 29) propositions go here .
We covered local Proposition A here and Proposition B here & here.
Mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio got lots of love (Not!):
DeConstructing DeMaio – Part One: Papa Doug’s Loquacious Lovefest
DeConstructing DeMaio – Part Two: Shooting Fish in a Barrel
DeMaio Deconstructed, Part III: The Psychology of a ‘Political Sociopath’
Carl DeMaio Is a Dangerous, Mean-Spirited Liar and other Tales of Fear & Loathing…
Fondly recalling the Union-Tribune’s introduction of Carl DeMaio
Nathan Fletcher Gets the Business;
“Independent” Fletcher Tells U-T San Diego: “I haven’t changed a single position.”
Flunking Fletcher: Forget What His Friends Say, Remember His Record
Still Searching for Fletcher’s “Move to the Middle”
Bonnie Dumanis tells her side of the story:
Bonnie Dumanis: “You know me, San Diego”
Bob Filner really does get our Love here:
Editorial: OB Rag Endorses Bob Filner for Mayor of San Diego
Filner Releases Pension Alternative to Prop B
Bob Filner Not Doing San Diego Any Favors by Not Releasing Pension Details
Filner Brings Pension Plan Into Focus
The Race for Mayor, 2012 – Dear Congressman Bob, Don’t Count Your Chickens…
The 51st Congressional Race:
A Ragster’s Personal Endorsement of Denise Moreno Ducheny…
The 52nd Congressional Race was debated hot and heavy:
Scott Peters shows his mettle in the 52nd Congressional District race
A Ragster’s Personal Endorsement of Lori Saldana
Is Scott Peters the Democrats’ Best Hope for Claiming California’s 52nd District?
Saldaña Banks on Connecting at Grass Roots Level in Race…
Scott Peters’ case for election to Congress comes across as weak kneed
A San Diego Progressive’s Dilemma? Filner Endorses Peters Over Saldana
We talked with OB’s State Assembly Representative
Coffee with Toni Atkins at the Newbreak on Abbott Street
Get Out and Vote!
You have no excuses. Just do it. The real losers in any election are those that don’t vote. Two hundred years ago, you had to be white, male, and wealthy in order to vote. In the early years of the United States, as much as 85% of the population wasn’t allowed to vote. In some states only property owners could vote.
Even today, there are plenty of people who would just as soon that voting is limited o the elite in this country. And then there are the disparagers who plant their “voting is a waste of time” mantra on Facebook and other places throughout the internet. Some of them would rather settle our political differences with bombs or weapons of mass destruction. So just go vote, even if there is only one candidate or issue that is important to you; there is no law saying that you have to fill in the entire ballot.
Don’t forget; stop on by the OB Rag Tuesday evening for liveblogging of the election results.