Elections

[Vrede too]

Today is one of the few times in my adult life that I'm not voting. Here in Hooterville we have no ballot measures, no bonds, and the option of picking 2 city council candidates from among 2 GOP incumbents and a newbie that's said little more than that she likes the town, will study things and will work hard - no website and no policy agenda that I could find.



I hope y'all have better options wherever you are.

[Vrede too]

The homophobic thread :> , page 212, June 2019:
http://www.blueridgedebate.com/forum/vi ... imm#p97387

Discussion of the first Hendersonville, NC Pride Day;
My note to city council and the mayor supporting it;
Apparently homophobic Councilmember Steven Caraker’s reply accusing me of being Timm Kurtz;
My response laughing at him - never heard back.

11/5/2019 election, 4 candidates including Cracker running for 2 seats. I’m voting for:
Lyndsey Simpson
Debbie Roundtree

Jennifer Hensley looks okay, too. Anyone else have an opinion? Nothing else to vote on, yawn.

Cracker will almost certainly be reelected. We’re pretty kind to incumbents here.

[Vrede too]

Holy crap!

CITY OF HENDERSONVILLE CITY COUNCIL (VOTE FOR 2)

Jennifer Hensley 941 28.82%
Lyndsey Simpson 928 28.42%
Debbie Roundtree 699 21.41%
Steven A. Caraker 688 21.07%
Write-In (Miscellaneous) 9 0.28%

My only slight disappointment is that the black woman, Roundtree, didn't win, but I don't really know that she's any better than Hensley, who I did not vote for. From looking at their websites and my personal experience the only things I knew for sure were that I liked Simpson the most and not Cracker at all.

Council will now be 50% women. Along with a woman mayor, Hendersonville govt became majority female in the blink of an eye.

Dear Council rep. Cracker,

Remember me? I'm the guy that congratulated you on Pride Day only to discover that you're a pitiful homophobe and a paranoid that thought I was Timm Kurtz. Then, when I proved to you that I'm not Timm, you were too gutless to apologize or even acknowledge.

I had to laugh this past week listening to you on the TV. Turns out that you're also a racist and a sexist. You were actually so stupid as to publicly declare that having a White female mayor along with the entirely White male Council is "diverse" enough. This in a city that's 50% or more women and 30% non-White. Wow.

What a thrill it is to see tonight's returns! In a city as incumbent-friendly as Hendersonville it takes real "talent" for an incumbent to come in 4th. You lost to 3 women, including a Black woman. Now THAT is diversity. This could only be more perfect if I someday learn that one or more of the women is a lesbian.

Enjoy your retirement, I sure will.

Peace,
(Vrede too)

[Vrede too]

... Hensley and Simpson, both mothers of young children and business owners, shift the demographic on City Council, joining Jeff Miller and Jerry Smith in December after Caraker and Ron Stephens depart. They are the first women to serve on council since 2009 when Barbara Volk moved up to become mayor....

[Vrede too]

Dear Council rep. Cracker,

... This could only be more perfect if I someday learn that one or more of the women is a lesbian.

Enjoy your retirement, I sure will.

Peace,
(Vrede too)

Lyndsey Simpson is a wife and mother, but I see links to Hendersonville Pride and PFLAG on her facebook page. Close enough .

[Vrede too]

viewtopic.php?p=176236#p176236

So it's finally election day and we get to see what version of Hell we'll be in. At least there won't be so many crappy political ads for a few weeks.
I turned in my ballot earlier this week, and have reasonable confidence that everybody I voted for will win. While some states are working hard to suppress voting, it's remarkably easy here. Registration is easy, including same-day and "provisional" if there's some issue. You can turn in your ballot by mail or at any one of a lot of ballot boxes at places like the library, some grocery stores, etc. or if you want to vote in person you can go to one of the "voting centers" that replaced precincts. There are 245 or so voting centers in San Diego County, 15 just in Oceanside and you can vote at any of them. I'm pretty sure that anybody who wants to vote has an easy opportunity to do so. Yet turnout expected around 50-60% in SD County. Not awful, I guess. I suppose some don't appreciate how good they have it.

Maybe harder for Dems to get enthused in a Dem county where "everybody I voted for will win"?

I think registration is pretty easy here. Sites, along with by mail:

Public assistance agencies
Agencies serving persons with disabilities
Armed Forces recruitment offices
Department of Motor Vehicles
Libraries

10/14: Voter reg ended, except at one stop early voting sites in 4 towns in the county including Hooterville. It doesn't look like one can register on election day, but the early voting runs for a healthy 10/20 - 11/5, five or six days a week.

Absentee voting has never required a reason here. We don't have drop boxes, but how hard is it to slap stamps on an absentee ballot?

The RepuQs have tried to suppress, but so far have been shut down by the courts or Gov veto.

I often voted absentee when I was working because I might have picked up a shift even if I wasn't scheduled to work on election day. Now that I'm retired I like voting in person on election day. Nostalgia and idealism about voting with my hominies, I guess.

My head says tonight will suck nationally, but my heart is a little hopeful. Reports are that early voting has been heavy. I'm seeing long lines on TV in Dem counties - turnout is usually good for Dems, but lines might discourage some.

I used to look at all candidates and rarely vote for a RepuQ or maybe a Libertarian if the Dem annoyed me. Not now, anyone running as an R in 2022 is disqualified and the Libertarians are only running for Congress where there are good Dems running.

Senate: Cheri Beasley (D) has a shot! If she can win here the Dems hold the Senate. Budd (R) is horrible and y'all will be hearing about him if he wins.

House: The lesbian reverend county commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara (D) will lose, but she's had enough money to run a lot of ads. Chuck Edwards (R) will continue NC11's tradition of electing assholes. Not as crazy and stupid as MadCaw, but otherwise even worse.

For better or worse all judicial races are partisan. Makes it easy for me to pick, but folks are afraid of crime and have been duped into thinking that the GQP is tougher on it.

The Dems running for my state leg seats will lose.

Very distressing are the races here where only an R is running:
District Court Judge
County Board of Commissioners District 3
County Board of Commissioners District 4
Clerk of Superior Court
Register of Deeds
Sheriff


The Board of Education is depressing, 9 people running for 3 slots. The Dems only endorsed one, Mary Ellen Kustin - a big red flag. 7 of the other either self-identified as con or are extreme right wing. At least one was endorsed by a state or national group that's shrieking about "groomers" . Along with Kustin I was going to uncomfortably vote for retired teacher Dot Case who hadn't told me enough online. She was outside my precinct, the only candidate there! I told her that she was on the bubble and we had a great chat. My Dreamers t-shirt got her talking compassionately about the undocumented, and a couple of Dem poll greeters there like her even though she's unaligned. I was sold, happily voted for 2 instead of the one I could have picked or the three I was allowed to pick. We'll see.

Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor: 2 running for 2 slots. I wrote in Rachel Carson and Erin Brokovich.

[Vrede too]

... Senate: Cheri Beasley (D) has a shot! If she can win here the Dems hold the Senate. Budd (R) is horrible and y'all will be hearing about him if he wins. ...

Crap, but it was close. MSNBC talking heads are questioning whether the DNC should have given her more help and Obama should have visited . Maybe Biden can find a post for her.

[GoCubsGo]

[Vrede too]

(tweet)

... My head says tonight will suck nationally, but my heart is a little hopeful. Reports are that early voting has been heavy. I'm seeing long lines on TV in Dem counties - turnout is usually good for Dems, but lines might discourage some.

... Senate: Cheri Beasley (D) has a shot! If she can win here the Dems hold the Senate. Budd (R) is horrible and y'all will be hearing about him if he wins.

Ted Budd REP 1,891,342 50.71%
Cheri Beasley DEM 1,755,716 47.08%
Shannon W. Bray LIB 50,812 1.36%
Matthew Hoh GRE 29,163 0.78%
Write-In (Miscellaneous) 2,477 0.07%

Oww, so close.

House: The lesbian reverend county commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara (D) will lose, but she's had enough money to run a lot of ads. Chuck Edwards (R) will continue NC11's tradition of electing assholes. Not as crazy and stupid as MadCaw, but otherwise even worse.

Chuck Edwards REP 173,706 53.94%
Jasmine Beach-Ferrara DEM 142,910 44.37%
David Adam Coatney LIB 5,447 1.69%

Coulda been worse.

For better or worse all judicial races are partisan. Makes it easy for me to pick, but folks are afraid of crime and have been duped into thinking that the GQP is tougher on it.

Looks like everyone votes partisan.

NC SUPREME COURT ASSOCIATE JUSTICE SEAT 03
Richard Dietz REP 1,950,323 52.59%
Lucy Inman DEM 1,758,273 47.41%

NC SUPREME COURT ASSOCIATE JUSTICE SEAT 05
Trey Allen REP 1,941,991 52.39%
Sam J. Ervin IV DEM 1,764,509 47.61%

NC COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE SEAT 08
Julee Tate Flood REP 1,941,252 52.62%
Carolyn Jennings Thompson DEM 1,747,634 47.38%

NC COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE SEAT 09
Donna Stroud REP 2,012,454 54.60%
Brad A. Salmon DEM 1,673,631 45.40%

NC COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE SEAT 10
John M. Tyson REP 1,951,890 52.95%
Gale Murray Adams DEM 1,734,513 47.05%

NC COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE SEAT 11
Michael J. Stading REP 1,953,052 53.06%
Darren Jackson DEM 1,727,967 46.94%

Reddish purple state blues. A thought: A generalized campaign arguing that Dem judges are better might have been more successful than individual judges running on their qualifications.

The Dems running for my state leg seats will lose.

NC State Senate District 48
Tim Moffitt REP 54,070 64.95%
Jay Carey DEM 29,183 35.05%

NC HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 117
Jennifer Capps Balkcom REP 24,060 59.15%
Michael Greer O'Shea DEM 16,618 40.85%

... The Board of Education is depressing, 9 people running for 3 slots. The Dems only endorsed one, Mary Ellen Kustin - a big red flag. 7 of the other either self-identified as con or are extreme right wing. At least one was endorsed by a state or national group that's shrieking about "groomers" . Along with Kustin I was going to uncomfortably vote for retired teacher Dot Case who hadn't told me enough online. She was outside my precinct, the only candidate there! I told her that she was on the bubble and we had a great chat. My Dreamers t-shirt got her talking compassionately about the undocumented, and a couple of Dem poll greeters there like her even though she's unaligned. I was sold, happily voted for 2 instead of the one I could have picked or the three I was allowed to pick. We'll see....

#1 Jay Egolf 24,017 20.57%, not my pick, car dealer, probably not extreme.
#3 Shelia Dale 16,970 14.53%, not my pick
#4 Mary Ellen Kustin 15,852 13.57%, my pick barely lost
#5 Dot Case 15,174 12.99%, my pick barely lost
#7 Heather Sowry Ray 7,767 6.65%, very bad
Idk if the #2 & #3 winners are mainstream cons or extremists. Whatever, I lost.

This sucks.

[Vrede too]

(tweet)

Interesting to me:

2022 NC Exit Polls

Some highlights, not including the usual gender, race, etc differences:
Rs are old.
Moderates voted D.
Suburban voted R.
Rs are less educated.
Rs View of Donald Trump 96% Favorable.
Rs are huge 2020 and current election deniers.

[GoCubsGo]

2022 NC Exit Polls

Some highlights, not including the usual gender, race, etc differences:
Rs are old.
Moderates voted D.
Suburban voted R.
Rs are less educated.
Rs View of Donald Trump 96% Favorable.
Rs are huge 2020 and current election deniers.

The biggest surprise to me is suburbia voting R.

Paying $100 to fill up their gas guzzling SUVs is apparently draining and overriding.

[Vrede too]

2022 NC Exit Polls

Some highlights, not including the usual gender, race, etc differences:
Rs are old.
Moderates voted D.
Suburban voted R.
Rs are less educated.
Rs View of Donald Trump 96% Favorable.
Rs are huge 2020 and current election deniers.

The biggest surprise to me is suburbia voting R.

Paying $100 to fill up their gas guzzling SUVs is apparently draining and overriding.

C'mon, they drive minivans, Priuses and Teslas, too. It was only 55-44, so sort of close. Not so surprising when one considers that Whites voted R 62-37.

CNN posts exit polls for several states including FL, but not IL.
https://www.cnn.com/election/2022/exit- ... ona/senate

[GoCubsGo]

C'mon, they drive minivans, Priuses and Teslas, too. It was only 55-44, so sort of close. Not so surprising when one considers that Whites voted R 62-37.

Nah, they peaked years ago. SUVs replaced them.

[Vrede too]

C'mon, they drive minivans, Priuses and Teslas, too. It was only 55-44, so sort of close. Not so surprising when one considers that Whites voted R 62-37.

Nah, they peaked years ago. SUVs replaced them.

Is Joe going to boost EVs in suburbia?


A new lamb to the slaughter:

Rep. Caleb Rudow announces run for NC District 11 seat

[GoCubsGo]

A new lamb to the slaughter:

Rep. Caleb Rudow announces run for NC District 11 seat

Have his meds been checked for suicidal tendencies?

[Vrede too]

A new lamb to the slaughter:

Rep. Caleb Rudow announces run for NC District 11 seat

Have his meds been checked for suicidal tendencies?

I have not followed him an iota. Maybe he's doing it for the networking or to get an appointment from Gov Josh Stein?


TIL on PBS: If you signed up for the No Labels Party in NC there is no one you can vote for in the primaries Political Darwinism.