Free Republic

With the start of early voting, the first ballots will be cast today for presidential primary elections in Harris County and surrounding communities. Here are basics on voting before the March 4 primaries: • All registered Texas voters, including 1,826,231 people in Harris County, can vote in the Republican or Democratic primary, early or on Election Day, regardless of how they voted in the past. Participation in a primary does not restrict how voters can vote in the November general election. • Bring your voter registration card or other form of ID for the fastest treatment. • Any voter in...

Voters in California have been encouraged to use mail-in absentee ballots for years now. The idea is to increase participation. And it has. But this year some voters are wishing they hadn't done it. Mary Wirth, an adjunct law professor at Hastings College and Sunset District resident, got an e-mail Wednesday morning from one of her closest friends. She'd voted early, but then changed her mind on election day. "She had outrageous buyer's remorse," Wirth said. "She said, 'I feel like such an idiot.' " Join the crowd. It wasn't just that some voters made their selection early and then...

BOCA RATON, Fla. — A surge of early voting by Florida Democrats and Republicans has startled officials here and injected additional complexity into the state’s presidential primaries on Tuesday. Democratic candidates are not overtly campaigning here because of the Democratic National Committee’s decision to penalize the state for moving its primary to an earlier date than authorized by the national party, but the number of early votes cast suggests intense interest in the race. The activity appears fueled in part by unofficial efforts by Florida supporters of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Senator Barack Obama of Illinois....

WASHINGTON -- For many people, the question this year isn't just which presidential candidate to vote for, it's when. States have done backflips to make it easier for people to vote in advance of election day. Presidential candidates are turning cartwheels to lock in early votes. But in a campaign as volatile as this one, people have to decide whether it makes sense to vote too far ahead. The race is so unsettled that today's champ can be tomorrow's chump. California, for example, is one of more than 20 states voting on Feb. 5. But people have been able to...

I've been doing my best to keep up with data on Republican and Democrat use of absentee ballots and early voting. Both of these are said to be good predictors of turnout. Here's what I have so far: State of Maryland Party identification is 52% D 23% R according to the Pew Center. About 78K Democrats requested absentee ballots. If requests had been proportional to registration 34,2320 GOP voters would have made requests. The number of requestors has been TWICE the expected number: about 68K. These numbers are nothing short of remarkable--and all that is necessary to explain The Washington...

More Republicans than Democrats have voted early in Mecklenburg County, a potentially crucial indicator for Tuesday's election. Election Day is still three days away, but more than 18,000 people have already voted. In the past two major elections in Mecklenburg, the party that dominated early voting controlled the board of county commissioners and chalked up victories in other major races. Through Wednesday, registered Republicans outnumbered Democrats, 43.2 percent to 39.1 percent, according to an Observer analysis of in-person early voting. The strong Republican turnout bucks national predictions of Democratic success, and could leave power over property taxes, parks and school...

LITTLE ROCK — Early voting has been going smoothly in most counties across the state, officials said Tuesday, although at least one county dispensed with electronic voting machines because of technical problems. Early voting began Oct. 23 for Tuesday’s general election and ends at 5 p.m. Monday. Election officials said early voting turnout has been about the same or heavier than it was at this time in the last midterm election. Pulaski County Election Commission Chairman Kent Walker said 17,500 people had voted in the county by mid-afternoon Tuesday, which is more than the 14,700 who voted during the entire...

Broward Supervisor of Elections spokeswoman Mary Cooney said it's not uncommon for screens on heavily used machines to slip out of sync, making votes register incorrectly. Poll workers are trained to recalibrate them on the spot -- essentially, to realign the video screen with the electronics inside. The 15-step process is outlined in the poll-workers manual.

This year more voters than ever will cast ballots early. The result may be that we get the final election results late. It's possible we won't know which party controls either house of Congress for days or even weeks because of all the disputes and delays caused by absentee ballots. Thirty states now allow anybody to cast an absentee ballot without having to give an excuse for missing Election Day. That's up from just 20 states six years ago. Several other states also allow early voting at government buildings or even grocery stores. This year, it's expected that over one...

Election officials say Tennessee’s tight U.S. Senate race and proposed constitutional amendments for elderly tax relief and banning samesex marriage have drawn voters to the polls in relatively high volume during the first few days of early voting. Through Saturday, more than 159,000 people had cast early and absentee votes statewide, according to the Tennessee Division of Elections. State Election Coordinator Brook Thompson said Tuesday that early voting turnout is at a higher pace than 2002, the last comparable statewide election. However, it is hard to determine if there will be a greater total turnout for the Nov. 7 election...

I knew this would happen. DUmmies making complete jerks of themselves at early voting. I did my own early voting yesterday. It was real simple. Touched the screen next to my selections, checked out the review, and hit the red button to cast my ballot. In and Out. No problem. Of course there would have been a problem had I chosen to make a complete jerk of myself as DUmmie movie_girl99 proudly presented herself in her THREAD titled, "my voting experience in Texas yesterday." So let us now get a sneak preview of the havoc the DUmmies will reap...

All GOP: Get Out There and Vote - EARLY If You Can! I Did! My email I sent out around 9 a.m. this morning: -------------------- Howdy, Ya'll !! I have NOW done my Civic Duty and have cast MY vote! After I pushed that ONE button, all I saw was a SEA of R's!! Straight Ticket Republican !! No dang Democrap got my vote, and likewise for the LIBERALtarians. Straight GOP for me! Take THAT, Carole Keeton-Strayhorn-Rylander (or whatever name you're using this week!). Take THAT Chris Bell and Kinky Weed Friedman! And all you other clowns, too! FIVE...

Friends, lurkers and media, The debate between Tom Gallagher and Charlie Crist vying to be the Republican Primary winner to become Florida's next governor is MUST SEE TV and is on NBC statewide tonight, August 28th at 8:oo pm est. Watch and listen carefully. 1. Which candidate actually answers the questions. 2. What is the degree of difficulty of the questions? 3. Who acts like a grownup? 3. Who's the biggest namedropper on the stage? 4. Who makes promises to do fab things with your hard earned money that you'll never see again? 5. Who do you trust during times...

The Maryland State Board of Elections yesterday said a petition for a referendum that would bar early voting has failed to get enough signatures. The petition fell 138 signatures short of the 17,062 needed to put the referendum on November's ballots, said Donna Duncan, deputy administrator of the elections board. Thomas W. Roskelly, chairman of group that collected the petition signatures, demanded a public recount. "This whole thing is being done in private," said Mr. Roskelly, who learned of the signature shortfall from reporters. "Is politics involved in this whole process? The answer is: 'You bet.'?"

Story last updated at 4:36 a.m. Saturday, March 4, 2006 Early voting wraps up, draws 'strong turnout' BY ELLIOTT BLACKBURN AVALANCHE-JOURNAL Turnout for Lubbock County early voting was higher than normal but not record-setting, according to numbers released Friday night. Just under 12,000 voters had cast ballots at early election polling stations before voting ended at 7 p.m. Friday. That accounts for less than 8 percent of the 155,000 registered voters in Lubbock County. Those were good numbers, Lubbock County Republican Party Chairman Robert Pratt said. "It's a good, strong turnout," Pratt said. "But it's not a record for the...

On election eve, voting officials from Florida to Oregon were already dealing with problems that could slow down voting and lead to court challenges if results are close. Four years after the Florida debacle in which thousands of votes may not have counted, CBS News/New York Times poll conducted Thursday through Saturday found that most voters — 70 percent — were not concerned or not very concerned about whether their vote will be counted this year. But Republicans and Democrats have traded charges for weeks over alleged voter fraud or plans to intimidate people trying to exercise their franchise. Nowhere...

MIAMI People broke out lawn furniture and reading material as they got in very long lines on the last day of early voting in Miami. About 500 people stood in the sweltering sun at the Miami-Dade County elections department, where the wait at midday was more than two hours to cast a ballot. One person says Floridians are used to it -- saying it's like standing in line at Disney World. Others said they simply wanted their ballot to count, fearing a repeat of election problems four years ago. Early voting ends at three p-m in Miami, but anyone on...

There is a report circulating that Kerry is leading 56-39 among early voting in Florida. This report has been grabbed with teeth by the mainstream media. I debunked it yesterday, and I'll debunk it again! The number comes from a Quinnipiac poll conducted earlier this week. 944 voters were polled by Quinnipiac. Of those 944 voters, 17% said they already voted. That is 160 people! Of those 160 people, 56% voted for Kerry, 39% voted for Bush. That is... Out of those 160 people, 89 (EIGHTY-NINE) voted for Kerry, 62 (SIXTY-TWO) voted for Bush. The media is hyping a poll...

Voters across Bexar County turned out in droves Friday, standing in lines for hours to cast their ballots in the final day of early voting in an election season that already has seen turnout records smashed. Those eager to vote, and afraid of how long lines might stretch on Election Day, braved heat and long waits for their chance to choose the country's next president. Including the 35,162 votes cast Friday, 256,531 people have cast ballots in person, smashing the county's early voting record of 195,168 set in 1992. It took Norma Gonzales, a nurse, about two hours to complete...

President Bush and Democratic challenger John Kerry remain locked in a close race for Florida's 27 electoral votes as they head into the final days of the 2004 campaign, a new poll indicated Thursday. Among 16 percent of Florida voters who said they had cast early ballots, Kerry received 56 percent of those compared to Bush's 39 percent. [Editor's Note: NewsMax's Insider Report first revealed early voting results --

Today is the last day for early voting and the number of Galveston County residents who cast their ballots has already surpassed the previous presidential election. As of Wednesday, more than 48,400 people in the county had cast their vote, compared to the approximate 44,700 who voted early during the last presidential election in 2000. “It’s been busy,” said County Clerk Mary Ann Daigle. “We’ve already surpassed (early voting) in the last presidential election. People have been out voting and the lines have been heavy. Our phones have been ringing off the wall.” During the first eight days of early...

October 28, 2004 - Bush Has 3-Point Lead In Florida, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Republican Has Slight Lead In Senate Race President George W. Bush has scratched out a narrow 49 - 46 percent lead over Democratic challenger John Kerry among Florida likely voters, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Independent candidate Ralph Nader gets 1 percent, with 4 percent undecided. This compares to a 48 - 47 percent matchup, with President Bush on top, in an October 21 poll by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN uh-pe-ack) University. Among the 16 percent of Florida voters who say they already...

CBS radio, hourly news blurb, said poll shows Kerry has 56% of early FL voting, suggesting Dems have bettter GOTV in FL.

Early Voting w/ Colonel Bud Day Where: Water-Sewer Building 1804 Lewis Turner Blvd Fort Walton, FL When: Event Begins: Thursday, October 28, 2004 4:00pm Event Ends: Thursday, October 28, 2004 What: Colonel Bud Day will be leading a host of Vets to the polls to vote for President Bush this Thursday at 4:00 pm at the Water-Sewer Building (1804 Lewis Turner Blvd) in Fort Walton. We want to encourage you and all other Bush Supporting Veterans to come out this Thursday afternoon to cast your votes for the President. Col. Day will be there at 4:00 to greet all of...

ABC News reported Tuesday that polling of people who have already voted shows George Bush with the lead over John Kerry by a significant margin, 51% to 47%. The network reports that this early voting represents 1 in every ten voters who will likely vote through Election Day. But the poll results "doesn't mean Bush is 'winning' the absentee vote; the difference is within sampling tolerances. And among all likely voters, including those waiting for Election Day, the race is essentially tied: Forty-nine percent support Kerry and 48 percent Bush, with 1 percent for Ralph Nader in interviews Friday through...

Question for Floridian freepers. What has changed that allows people to vote, at the polls, prior to election day? I understand absentee mail in ballots but I cannot find any information regarding the change (and why) to allow voting prior to election day at the polls. Thanks.

By Brittany Wallman Staff Writer October 23, 2004 ......... As a result, with early voting taking place in busy public places like City Halls and libraries, voters are voicing complaints of being blocked by political mobs, or being singled out for their political views. Others say they have been grabbed, screamed at and cursed by political partisans of all stripes. Republican Rep. Tom Feeney of Oviedo said the antagonizers are "Kerry thugs" out to harass Bush voters. "If you ask me whether I believe there is an organized effort to intimidate Republican voters, the answer is absolutely yes," said Feeney....

1st day sets voting records BY NANCY MARTINEZ Times staff writer One ballot at a time, hundreds of thousands of voters in Texas rewrote history Monday, casting more votes on the first day of an early voting period than ever before, state and local officials confirmed Tuesday. Laredo's 1,577 voters Monday, described by officials as moderate when weighed against the 97,076 people registered to vote in Webb County, didn't break any records, but local officials say they're optimistic about the overall turnout. Tuesday, elections offices across the state were buzzing with calls from people seeking information on voting sites. For...

Former first couple cast votes for son 12:40 PM CDT on Monday, October 18, 2004 Associated Press Click to watch Reggie Aqui's video report HOUSTON -- President Bush got at least two votes today as early voting got under way in Texas—from his parents. The Bushes cast their ballots at the Metropolitan Multiservice Center on West Gray. Former President George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush cast ballots at the Metropolitan Multiservice Center on West Gray. They had to wait in line just like everyone else. “I think things are going well,” Mrs. Bush said after casting...

If I die in the next couple of weeks, it won't count as a vote for the Poodle!

Has anyone decided to vote early? Were the lines long? Do you think long lines are a bad or good indicator for Bush?

They waited in line, just like other voters:

Early voting begins in Texas today 10-18-2004 BUSY polling place this morning!That pretty much sums it up. I went to my local polling place early and got there about 2 minutes after they opened and there were already 5-6 people in there ahead of me. I commented to the election official about how I was surprised there were already folks there and he said he was expecting it to be a "mad rush" or to that effect.Anyway, I gave him my voting card and he asked if that was still my correct address on the card. It is, of...

WASHINGTON – Thursday night's presidential debate, likely to be watched by some 50 million Americans, could change the course of the entire campaign. But for some voters at least, the outcome will be irrelevant, as they've already cast their ballots. In a gradual but significant change to the political process, many more states are now allowing people to vote ahead of Election Day, without having to provide the usual excuses. The idea is that, in an age when many Americans are juggling demands of work and family and are increasingly strapped for time, more convenient forms of voting may help...

Early Ballots Could Weigh Heavily In Fall Election As More Voters Make Choice Before Election Day, Parties Aggressively Woo Prospects August 18, 2004 Many Americans don't realize it, but large-scale voting in the tight 2004 presidential race will begin well before Election Day in many battleground states. Some analysts estimate that nearly one in three voters will mark ballots before Nov. 2 -- accelerating efforts by both parties to mobilize targeted constituencies. Indeed, early voting has become increasingly appealing to time-pressed voters in recent years, and far easier as well. It looms large in the 2004 contest for several reasons,...

Early voting will start today 20% to 40% may cast ballots before March 9 primary election 01:57 AM CST on Monday, February 23, 2004Associated Press AUSTIN – After a year of divisive state politics and months of presidential election hype, many Texas voters will have their first chance to cast a ballot for state and federal representatives today. Registered voters can vote at any designated polling place – a convenience not allowed on the day of the election, when voters must report to their assigned location. Jennifer Waisath, spokesman for the Texas secretary of state's office, said early voting for...

Early birds, long lines: Crowds, complex ballot slow the process `I didn't think I'd have to wait an hour' BY SOFIA SANTANA, EVAN S. BENN AND MARTIN MERZER mmerzer@herald.com Election officials call it ''convenience voting,'' but it didn't seem all that convenient Friday. Thousands of voters hoping to avoid long lines on Election Day found themselves enmeshed in long lines four days before Election Day. Many advance voting sites were jammed Friday as early birds confronted lengthy, complex ballots and relatively few machines at six locations in Broward County and 14 in Miami-Dade County. Was it a harbinger of things...