It’s Election Day, and you know what that means…open thread on a Tuesday!!
Are there lines at the polls? Any issues at the precincts? Any last minute concerns about the ballot? etc, etc…
If you don’t know where you need to vote, you can access the State’s voter webpage to pull up the address of your assigned precinct. Happy voting Decatur!
angelo
angelo
angelo
Steve
Scott
LeeOnCandler
LeeOnCandler
Upatoi Boy
Rick Julian
riderchad
DHer
Don the Don
AJC Attempts to Explain the “e” in Clairemont Avenue
Good luck Tony.
You got him off on the right foot i guess…
No lines, no issues. Winnona Park polling station ran as smoothly as always.
And the best part is, according to Steve, voting gives me the right to bitch and moan. Looking forward to it.
As I said before: http://www.decaturmetro.com/2015/10/30/free-for-all-friday-103015/#comment-559659
It’s morning in Decatur again.
Let’s make Decatur great again.
Rock the vote.
A chicken in every pot and a porch on every house.
+1. On the list for next year’s Fest: more chicken.
No line at First Christian Church, 9:30.
I’m pretty sure I was given the wrong ballot. This happened the last time there was a local election. I live in District 1, but I got a District 2 ballot. The dividing line between the districts is at our backyard, so I can see how it could happen, but the thought of the bureaucratic wrangling involved in trying to get it straightened out again irks me.
The District 2 ballot is more exciting so I’d keep it. You get to vote for a contested School Board race as well as a contested Commissioner race!
At least you voted!
True that! However, I’m experiencing voter guilt for not having researched the District 2 school board race!
That’s how I feel when I vote for all those obscure positions during State and County positions. They all sound like the “Fat Controller” in the original Thomas the Tank Engine stories. Luckily, most are uncontested positions so there’s no dilemma.
Each District 2 school board candidate has a website. Look there and compare their experience, education, and the effort they have already made in their life to reach beyond their immediate circumstances. Here are their websites:
Tom DeSimone – http://www.desimoneforboard.com/about.html
Tasha White – http://www.tashawhite4schoolboard.com/#!biography/cji7
They are both nice, good folks, but the experience of DeSimone — the Georgia Truancy Intervention Project, multiple pro bono cases as an attorney, Leadership DeKalb, among others – seems far more extensive to me. I also think that, given the issues this board is going to face over the next few years, between the bond issue, constructing a new school, redrawing school lines, etc. — his training as an attorney will be an asset. I happily voted this morning for DeSimone.
But she couldn’t vote in her own commission race–that’s a bummer. And what we’re supposed to do is not cast the ballot, but speak up beforehand. Unfortunately.
My wife says they told her she was voter #99 around 9am at First Christian.
“I’m pretty sure I was given the wrong ballot. This happened the last time there was a local election. I live in District 1, but I got a District 2 ballot. The dividing line between the districts is at our backyard, so I can see how it could happen, but the thought of the bureaucratic wrangling involved in trying to get it straightened out again irks me.”
If you’re not confident you received the right ballot, please contact the city, probably Peggy Merriss, the City Manager. If you’re right, the issue seems like it could justify candidates contesting the election.
In my experience, someone does an analysis that the misdirected ballots would not have made a difference in the direction of the election. So nothing is done. Nothing is fixed. It happens again. Makes the recipients of misdirected ballots feel real positive about going to the effort to vote.
I had to contact the county. At first they insisted that I did live in District 2. I asked them to direct me to a district map so that I could compare it to the City’s map. After getting transferred multiple times and sitting on hold for many minutes, someone finally told me that yes, the county was wrong — they have us in the wrong district. I can go back and have someone at the polls call the elections office, who will tell them to give me a provisional ballot so that I can vote again. I’m not sure I have the time or energy for that, but what I really hope is that they will finally correct their records for future elections.
I hope you do it because I bet nothing will get changed for the future if you don’t make it a pain in the butt for them.
You can also file a complaint with the Secretary of State. They have a complaint form on their website.
http://sos.ga.gov/cgi-bin/emailelectionscomplaint.asp
The turnout at First Baptist this morning was brisker than I expected. Maybe there will actually be a decent turnout? The winners may be those who can best get the vote out.
Vote for me!
The link up top appears to be broken. Like our political dialogue.
HEY-O. I’ll be here all week.
D’oh! Fixed now.
Voted about 10:15 at Oakhurst Baptist. No line but already over 300 ballots cast.
500 at 3:00 pm
Holy Trinity was moving briskly around 8:30 this am–was in & out in about 6 minutes.
I’ll be interested to see whether former Mayor Floyd’s negative email (circulated by current Mayor Baskett) will have an appreciable effect on the District 1 & At-Large Commissioner races. I voted for Tony Powers (as I’d planned all along), but decided to vote for Mr. Trumperi instead of Mr. Drake after reading that message.
My household’s votes changed for the very same reason.
Same here.
Another household that went Powers/Tumperi directly as a result of that email. Might not have given Eric much thought otherwise.
+2 at our house.
What was this negative email from mayor Floyd? Didn’t get it, although I did get Ridley’s attack mail piece on Tony Powers.
See http://www.decaturish.com/2015/10/email-from-former-mayor-blasts-candidates-in-nov-3-elections/ for the sordid story.
Thanks Tom! Not sure how I missed it given how often I check that site.
That said, I have not felt this strongly about a commissioner’s race in some time. And I agree wholeheartedly with Floyd and Baskett!
I had seen the Floyd letter but had not read Ridley’s verbose response. Seeing it simply confirms my decision to vote for Powers and Tumperi. I just don’t get Ridley.
No issues at Renfroe this morning other than I assumed you went in through the front. Not the case. Voting is around back.
I voted at First Christian about 45 minutes ago and was voter #138.
Does anyone know what the approximate number of registered voters in City of Decatur is?
According to the DeKalb Voter Registrar’s Office, there are 12,925 registered “active” voters in the City of Decatur. An active voter is one who has voted recently. There are actually 16,993 voters on the rolls, but that includes the roughly 4,000 inactive voters, many of whom have moved away or died. You may recall that six years ago, the incumbent at large school board member, Valarie Wilson, lost the vote on election day, but the early voting and absentee ballots swung the election just back into her column. So, every vote really counts, even here in Decatur!
Yeah, a little historical research would show that it’s not unusual for a local election to be decided by a small number of votes, so the power of one vote is amplified.
So when calculating the official voter turnout, which denominator is used? The number of active voters? Or the number of registered voters?
So if we assume 16,500 adult voters in Decatur, what is the population of decatur? I’ve been using the figure of 20K for years now.
We’re currently between 20,500 and 21,000.
Go with 13,000, the figure for the total number of registered active voters. Don’t include the in active voters. As those of us who tried to get the closure of Westchester elementary school on the ballot learned the hard way, a huge percentage of those inactive voters are truly no longer in Decatur.
Renfroe at 10:30 had no wait but a steady stream of comers and goers. 3 or 4 stations set up and most stayed in use while we were there.
Voted around 8:00am at First Baptist. They’ve got a pretty efficient set-up again this year and it looked like a somewhat steady turnout. I was in the dark about the DeKalb County Board of Ethics question. I’m sure it’s my fault for not having researched it.
Sorry but the wording, or lack of, for the Dekalb referendum on ethics changes was ridic. They might as well have asked “hey, what’s about that stuff with government, ya know?”
good traffic at Oakhurst Baptist this morning at 8:00.
think i’ll lay down and take a nap now—spending $75 million is exhausting.
Even more exhausting if you factor in the physicality of holding your nose while you vote for it.
Noted No. Didn’t have to hold anything. Still exhausted.
You must have one heck of a nice house!
Despite the lack of denominator, based on the reports of an unusually heavy turnout for a local election (i.e. “steady”), I’m predicting/guestimating a 27% turnout. So. every. vote. counts.
My “I Voted” sticker got me a free coffee at Revolution Doughnuts. Technically, I think it’s illegal (for them, not for me) but I didn’t think about telling them until after I left. Hope the feds don’t come down on them too hard.
It’s only illegal if they bribe you to vote for a particular candidate.
They may not be supporting a particular candidate, but a particular candidate does support them: http://www.decaturish.com/2015/10/candidate-qa-james-johnson-decatur-city-commission/ (see last line of Q&A)
Vive la révolution! Mais laissez-nous manger des beignets!
I’m glad someone noticed that. I really hate waiting in that line!
I have found you to be a very witty candidate but you don’t need to curse so much.
OTS, but how long has the “Like” thumb been here?
Two or three months.
It was to be a try it & see thing. Looks like DM’s “elected” to stick with it. While I think it’s had that dampening effect on discussions that I feared it would, I’ll probably start “liking” stuff since that’s what he wants us to do.
I sure haven’t noticed any dampening of discussion.
Anyone know of watch-the-results gatherings in Decatur this eve?
Tony Powers is having one at The Square Pub.
Tony Powers is going to be a Square Pub
Scott Drake will be at Mac McGee’s
Brian Smith will be a The Universal Joint
I am unclear of the rest, you can see where my voting lies.
Tasha White will be at the Imperial
Eric Tumperi will be at The Marlay House.
Thanks, all.
Voted at First Christian Church at 1:00 — poll worker told me they’d gotten about 260 voters to that point. EidleonDrexel above said he was voter #138 at a little before 10:30. Not sure how this rate compares to expectations, but when I was there there were maybe 10 voters and steady activity coming and going.
Seemed like a decent turnout for an all-local election. Maybe we’ll crack the 20 percent mark this time around. (Kinda sad to say that would represent a “decent” turnout!)
Anyone here vote in the Lavista Hills or Tucker proposed districts? Wondering what that turnout is looking like.
I was #183 at noon at Holy Trinity. Hoping I was just ahead of the lunch rush– only 3 folks came in while I was there.
Until today I didn’t know that Holy Trinity serves as a voting place for both District 1 and 2. (My friend and I each received the correct ballot for where we live.) Doesn’t a combined location muddy up the reporting of the results?
Why?
I guess my question doesn’t make much sense. It’s just that I don’t recall ever seeing two Districts’ worth of results in the summary for my precinct. Guess I’ll get to see it soon enough! :0)
1 Like
smartypants! yessirree, that’s how I like it– said and signed! :0)
Just voted at First Baptist. In and out in 5 min.
I am so proud of our City that we finally have so many contested races after such a poor history on that front. I hope future candidates are not discouraged or intimidated by the tough conversations that we had in the closing days. Speaking as someone who has perfected the practice of losing elections, I can tell you that running a contested race is really a tough gig — on the candidate and, even more, on their family. If you are not someone that the traditional Decatur powers are backing, then the path is all the more daunting, but those voices are the most important ones we need to hear.
Thanks to all of the candidates and, even more, to their families. I hope this set of contested races is a harbinger of more to come (except for the incumbents that I like and, even more importantly, except if the world gets so cockeyed that I become an incumbent, in which case everyone should just shut up and vote for me).
Salute!
Suggestion: at 7:15 tonight walk into your front yard and remove all of your campaign signs. I am proud of the candidates I supported and was honored to have their signs in my front yard. As of 7:01 PM, however, the campaigns end. The time begins to pick up where we left off before the campaigns on our challenges and opportunities, with thanks to all who powered the dialogue of the last weeks.
So what’s the best place to check for results and when are we likely to know which party to attend?
http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/GA/DeKalb/57678/155813/en/summary.html
Unofficial Winnona Precinct Results as posted at the precinct:
Commission At Large:
Powers – 538
Ridley – 97
Commission South Side Seat:
Johnson – 60
Smith – 545
BoE Southside Seat:
DeSimon – 250
White – 357
Bond:
Yes – 571
No – 93
DeKalb Ethics Proposal:
Yes – 573
No – 26
Will be interesting to see whether Ridley or “No” on the bond gets fewer votes city-wide.
So if you go to a precinct, you can find unofficial results like this? E.g. at First Baptist?
Yes. They are taped at the entrance you used to vote.
Man, I’m still always learning something new on Decatur Metro! All these years, instead of biting my fingernails election night, I could’ve been driving around town and looking at a local precinct results after 7 PM. Who knew?
Why are you still here commenting when you should be going out and getting First Baptist for me??
http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/GA/DeKalb/57678/156100/en/summary.html