Houston Blogs: TheVote

Voting Problems In California? (With Update)

UPDATE:!! 5PM Pacific

So less than an hour after the initial post...I got this email/press release from the Clinton campaign:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 5, 2008 Contact: Luis Vizcaino, (310) 721-2415 lvizcaino@hillaryclinton.com    ***Media Advisory*** CALIFORNIA HILLARY CLINTON CAMPAIGN TO HOLD CONFERENCE CALL REGARDING DECLINE TO STATE BALLOT RULE CALL AT 4:45 P.M. PACIFIC In response to the Obama campaign’s absurd call with California reporters challenging the Decline to State Voter ballot process, California State Director Ace Smith will hold a conference call at 4:45 p.m. today to discuss the rules.   Media interested in participating in the call should call  Fabiana Yu at 714 627 3303 or fyu@hillaryclinton.com  ### Paid for by Hillary Clinton for President

So I called the number...got the conference call number and code...and took part in the conference call.

The Clinton campaign is contending that the Obama camp is "cynical" for complaining about "decline to state" voters not getting a chance to cast their ballots.  They contend that they informed their voters for weeks about hwo to go through the process the correct way.  And they say it's the Obama campaign's fault if its "independent" voters don't know what to do.

I told the campaign about the issue here in Burbank...where the polling judges were misinformed about the rules..and asked if they're finding that is a problem statewide.

They said there are always problems with voting...and then turned it back to Obama.

Again...KABC says they've gotten calls about this all day...but that it doesn't appear to be an overwhelming issue.

But here's a Huffington Post article dated last week which predicted the problem to some degree...

and here's a link to a late afternoon LATimes article detailing some of today's glitches (including the "decline to state" issue)

Thanks for reading.  TA

BELOW IS THE ORIGINAL POST (330PM Pacific):

So we're here outside of Burbank City Hall to report live on today's California primary...

It's a polling place today in Los Angeles County.

And it's also where there might be a voting problem...

Two men approached us and asked if we worked for the local ABC owned station, KABC Channel 7.  We told them that we work for ABC in Houston, but that we're using KABC's live truck.  That didn't seem to bother them...because they proceeded to tell us that they were denied the right to vote.

One said he was an independent.  The other said he was registered "declined to state"...meaning he had no political affiliation.  They both asked for our help.

In California, "declined to state" voters are not allowed to vote in the GOP primary.  They can however ask for a Democrat ballot at the polling place and vote as a Democrat.  It's called a modified closed election.  Both of the men wanted to vote for a Democrat.

I called KABC and asked if they knew the rules and if there had been any problems with people voting.  The assignment desk told me that they'd been receiving calls all day from people claiming they were turned away as independents.

So I got out a Los Angeles County Registrar media guide that I printed out before I left Houston.

here's the media guide

I gave them a couple of phone numbers to try...and then I found the rule that apparently allows them to vote.

see them here by clicking on the image below...

I gave one of the men my copy of the rules and told him to show it to the polling judge.

After more than 30 minutes of waiting...and a talk with a supervisor...he says they allowed him to vote in the Democratic Primary.

He was the man registered "declined to state".  The man who said he was an independent left without voting.

I called the media number for the county registrar to ask about this.  I got a recording and left a message...

We'll see if this is isolated...or if there's more of this going on here...

It seems to me it is an ignorance of the rules and not intentional suppression...but that's just my take on it.

Thanks for reading.  TA

Election Day In Sunny SoCal

I'm not a big California person....

But the weather sure is beautiful.  And it's a great day to vote.  So the expectation is that the turnout could approach or exceed record numbers.

I spoke to a congresswoman from El Monte, Ca...a suburb of LA, and she says the Democrats are ready for a huge turnout.

Here in CA, GOP voters must be registered as GOP voters.  Voters in the Democrat primary may be either declared Democrats or the may be Unaffiliated.  They just have to tell the polling place that they want a Democrat ballot.

click on photograph to enlarge

That means Democrat voters will probably exceed GOP voters.

The polling places were busy early. 

There are no candidates here today...but their campaign staffs are working hard.  Most of them have machines ready to get supporters to the polls.

There is no electronic voting here.  They use the punch cards...complete with chads. good old fashioned punch ballots

We'll see if this causes a delay in the results tonight as some are predicting...

Thanks for reading. TA

Hangin' With Romney

Despite California being a huge prize...there aren't that many candidates here in LA these last couple days.  Most are heading back to their home states to vote on Super Tuesday.

The only candidate in LA on Monday (other than Bill Clinton who was in Southern California early in the day) was Mitt Romney...and he spent the whole trip in an airplane hangar.

click picture of Romney press conference to enlarge (note little girl in red...she's a fifth grader who won a contest to report for the Scholastic Kids Press Corp...here's a link to her work)

Romney flew in around 730pm pacific time to an airport in Long Beach...he was gone by 9pm.

It was a pretty big rally...maybe 1000 people...most of which, Romney joked, were the candidates family.

He was joking...but in a press availability after the rally he did have 20 or so family members there for support.

Romney seems to have more energy here than he did in NH.  Maybe it's because his poll numbers are on the way up in the final hours instead of the other direction. 

The crowd was loud and enthusiastic.  Romney seemed to soak it in...and if he mentioned Ronald Reagan once...he mentioned him 50 times.

Romney is really trying to position himself as the conservative candidate.  McCain appeals to the moderate wing of the Republican party...and so Romney is narrowing in on what makes him different. And that's why he wants Huckabee out of the race.

I think candidates do this a lot.  Sen. Joe Lieberman swayed farther left once he became a VP nominee. John Edwards went left to distinguish himself.  George W. Bush went right in 2000...

I asked Romney about his rise in the polls and to what he attributes that surge.  He says he thinks a variety of things but that his message finally getting through is big.

I also asked him about the challenge of campaigning in so many states at once.  He says he loves the pace.  He says it's what makes this fun. 

We'll see how much fun he's having after the votes are in Tuesday night.  It could be a blast.  It might not be...if, as McCain is predicting, the Senator from Arizona becomes the presumptive nominee.

Thanks for reading.  TA

Talking To The Endorsinator

When we travel out of state to report...it's sometimes spur of the moment and we hit the ground blind.  Other times, we know about the trip in advance and can make some plans ahead of time.

Before our trip here to LA, I made some calls to various campaigns.  Only two called me back...Hillary Clinton's and John McCain's.  We discussed options for profiling the campaigns' efforts once we arrived.  We exchanged phone numbers...email...and I hoped for the best.

Sometimes these things work out...somethimes they don't.

As soon as we landed this morning...

click picture of LAX to enlarge

I was on the phone with both camps again...to firm up tentative plans to shoot video and talk to supporters.

McCain's Los Angeles volunteer coordinator, Luis Alvarado, gave me an address and told me to hurry over.

It was about 20 minutes from the airport he told me...and he said there would be plenty of people making phone calls to get out the vote.

When we arrived at the small VFW Hall in the LA suburb of Gardena...we learned the phone bank effort was also a rally featuring Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Good planning meets good luck sometimes.

He was about an hour and half late.  But he gave an energetic speech...explained he's endorsing McCain because of his military record and his conservative approach to finances (his words...not mine).

click photograph of rally to enlarge

We were told by the Gov's staff that there would be no questions from the press (we've heard that before).

So as the Gov left the building out the front, we left from the back.  We caught him (as did afew others) as he exited the building.  But it was too crowded...so I swung around to the door of his vehicle and managed to ask him a question before he got into his SUV. 

Here is the unedited exchange:

Thanks for reading.  TA

It's About TIME

When I travel for business...I almost always stop in the airport gift shop and buy a couple of news magazines.  Usually they are ones to which I don't subscribe at home (The Economist, Money, Newsweek).  I pick the ones that have the cover stories that most interest me.

I am reminded about this for two reasons...

One...I flew here to California today to cover Tuesday's Super Duper Mega Amazing Fantastic Primary and so I picked up a couple of magzines at IAH...

An two...because I've been saving one that I picked up while travelling to Florida last year...to cover astronaut Lisa Nowak's well-publicized drive from Clear Lake to Orlando.

Former Astronaut Lisa Nowak

It's a TIME Magazine dated February 5, 2007. Here's a link to the issue online.

Here's a picture of the cover:

The cover reads: Only 648 Days until the election! {Why so many candidates are jumping in early} A guide to the most wide-open race since 1928. (click here to read blog post about '28 race)

On the top of the cover (from left to right) Clinton, McCain, Obama, Giuliani, Edwards, Romney, Biden, and Brownback.  No pictures of Huckabee or Paul...

I reread the article today and here are the observations I found particularly interesting...

The cover story is entitled "Open Season"...and it begins by discussing how early these candidates had to get into the race.  It profiles Mike Huckabee's pending decision...and then asserts there are:

20 actual or assumed or wished-for candidates-nine Democrats and 11 Republicans-a field that narrowed by one when John Kerry dropped out on Wednesday.

It does not reveal who was "wishing for" whom.  I also didn't realize that John Kerry had ever declared that he was running...and so I was unaware he dropped out.  I checked FEC records.  And while Kerry never filled out a Statement of Candidacy, he did file paperwork for the organization "John Kerry For President" Inc.  He then terminated the group on January 27, 2007.  Read the paperwork here.  so I guess he kinda dropped out...even though he never officially declared he was running. 

One interesting part of the coverage is the "Time Election Index" (here's an online link to it...it's dated 1/25/07...so it's pretty consistent with my magazine).  It is a generalized guide to the field with some basic polling information.

What I found most useful was a poll that asked the question, "If the Democratic/Republican Primary in your state were being held today, which candidate would you support?"

The results (on 2/5/07):

Democrats: Clinton 40%, Obama 21%, Edwards 11%, Al Gore 9%

Republicans: McCain 30%, Giuliani 26%, Newt Gingrich 14%, Romney 5%

How much some things have changed...and how others have not...

There's also a small piece about online activists...and the influence of blogs...

Just thought you might find a year's worth of perspective kinda cool as we get within 24 hours of Super Tueday.

Thanks for reading.  TA

Which Way Did The Golden State Go?

As most people know...we are not a TRUE democracy.

We are a representative democracy...a republic...where we elect people to vote on behalf of us.

It even works that way in the elections themselves...where our votes are translated into something else.

In the primary, the voting is all about delegates.

In the general election, the focus is the electoral votes (as we clearly saw in 2000).

Both are based on each state's population...

That's why California seems to be such a big deal in the primary and in the general election.

It hands out the most delegates of any of the states participating in Super Tuesday...

But is it?

In 2004...California went with John Kerry...giving him 55 electoral votes. He lost.

In 2000...California went with Al Gore...giving him 54 electoral votes.  He lost.

So for people with short memories...or who are just too young to remember...California may NOT seem that important as to who becomes President.

But take out the two Bush victories this decade...and California voted for the winner every time in 5 straight elections.

In 1976, the state voted for Gerald Ford and he lost to Jimmy Carter.  But in 1972 and 1968 CA supported Richard Nixon.  He won both times.

So of the last 10 presidential elections...California has voted for the winner 7 times.  That's a pretty good record. (though my wife reminds me that 70% is a C in most schools)

Turning to the primaries now..

California picked the eventual nominees of both parties in 2004, 2000, 1996, 1992, and 1988. Republicans also picked the eventual nominee in 1984 and 1980 (Ronald Reagan).

But the Democrats did not pick the eventual nominee in 1984, 1980, or 1976.

So the CA GOP voters are 7 for 7 in picking a nominee.  The CA Dems are on a streak of 5 straight.

So, while California has more than 22 million eligible voters...at least 15 million of whom are registered...it doesn't always mean that they have the impact we sometimes think they do.

It might be the biggest prize on it's first ever Super Tuesday vote...but will it be fool's gold?

We'll see as we begin our reports tonight from Los Angeles.

Thanks for reading.  TA

Off To The Left Coast

Maybe that's not the best title for a blog entry when writing about politics...

But Monday, bright and early,  photographer Stephen Davis and I head to Los Angeles to cover California's primary.

California is the biggest prize on Super Tuesday (ahead of NY and Illinois) and offers a big chunk of delegates on both sides.  For Democrats 441 are available...21% of the 2025 needed to win the nomination.  The GOP has 173 on the table...that's more than 14% of the 1191 needed to head to the general election.

I don't know exactly what to expect there.  We likely will not run into a bunch of the candidates as we did in New Hampshire.  But we may see a couple...

And it's always interesting to see what voters think in other states.  NH is different from TX is different from CA.  We'll definitely take the pulse of the constituency there.  I already have a map of polling places to visit...(it comes free with a map of stars' homes and a subscription to US Weekly)...

Right now the polls (I know...the polls...) have Clinton and McCain leading.

But with Romney hitting hard on the economy and Oprah stumping for Obama on Sunday...

  Courtesy Chicago Sun-Times

you never know what could happen.

The last time I reported from LA was the night Arnold Schwarzenegger won the recall election and replaced Grey Davis as California's governor in 2003. (click here to see the original recall petition) 

What a great state to visit politics...

And we'll start bringing it to you live on television Monday night at ten on Eyewitness News.

I'll be updating the blog several times on Monday and Tuesday with thoughts and photographs.

I hope to hear your comments...and as always...

Thanks for reading.  TA

The Big Prizes

Tonight and tomorrow are the final debates ahead of Super Tuesday.  Tonight it is the Republicans who take to the stage at the Ronald Reagan Library in California (without Giuliani).

Photo Courtesy Reuters

Thursday it is the Democrats.

Photo Courtesy Reuters

The Democrats should be particularly interesting with Edwards now out of the mix. 

This being said...I am looking ahead to next Tuesday.

I will be in California on election day.  Eyewitness News Reporter Miya Shay will be in NY.  They are the two HUGE delegate prizes in what will be the largest single day primary in US history.  And we will have live coverage for you from those key states throughout the evening on ABC13.

Speaking of California...

Here's an interesting article from Politico.com (co-sponsor of the GOP/DEM debates tonight and tomorrow).

It discusses how many of CA's voters have already cast their ballots.  As much as 50 percent may vote by mail.  If that's the case...the Giuliani/Edwards dropouts may not mean as much as one would think.

It also comments on CA's relevance to the primary process.  It was one of the many states that moved up its election day.  And it's turning out to be a real bonus...given the competition on both sides. 

California has 173 delegates at stake for the GOP...NY has 101 (and it is winner take all).

The Democrats have 441 and 281 delegates up for grabs respectively.

Clinton and McCain lead the polling in both states by wide margins...we'll see what happens after those debates...and how they affect the two biggest prizes on the biggest day so far in VOTE08.

Thanks for reading.  TA