Report from the local early voting place

[jmowreader]

The early-voting station in Fayetteville, NC, is on Russell Street between the courthouse and the bus station. I went there today.

There was a decent line when I arrived--it went about halfway up the wheelchair ramp on the side of the building. This was at 10 am.

While I waited to go in, I asked the poll worker about turnout. This is the fourth day of polling, the early-voting station is not close to where anyone lives, and so far they've had "over 3000" voters.

Of the people who had any sort of political marking at all on them, I counted one Shrub bumper sticker (the "W for President" model, not a "Bush-Cheney" one), one Bush/Cheney button, a handful of Kerry/Edwards bumper stickers, a few Kerry/Edwards buttons, and some state/local race stuff--a little bit of Burr signage, one Bowles button, some county commissioner stickers.

I feel good about this one. And yes, I voted for John Kerry, plus Erskine Bowles, Beth Troutman (she's running against Robin Hayes for the District 8 House seat), Mike Easley, all the Democrats I could. I made sure that in nonpartisan races, anyone whose sign had the word "conservative" on it (several of them did) did not receive my vote. It's time to debushify our government.

[crispini]

1. You're allowed to wear political stuff at the polling place?

Damn. We're all like, "NO POLITICAL STUFF AT ALL." and everyone knows it. Electioneering, it's called. No political CONVERSATION either.

[Lex]

2. Here in NC the poll workers can't engage in any political speech

or buttons, etc. while inside the polling place.

But the VOTERS can wear buttons in to vote, or have stickers on their car.

[Lex]

6. Also, I will add

that political signage, flyers given out, etc. CAN occur NEAR the polling place, but they have to be several hundred feet away from the actual voting spot by law.

[HFishbine]

8. 50 feet

Under NC law.

on edit: from the entrance.

[jmowreader]

12. I'll amplify that

There is a sign outside every polling place that reads "No Electioneering Beyond This Point." Anyone attached to a particular campaign must cease their politicking at that line, but they can politick their asses off anywhere before it.

The only politicking I saw going on was for Judge Tyson, one of the guys who advertises himself as conservative.

[SammyWinstonJack]

4. I was just going to ask that .

I was under the impression that was not allowed.

[jmowreader]

10. The voters can wear anything they like

The poll workers have to remain neutral.

[Lex]

3. Thanks for report from Fayetteville NC.

I think a lot of Bush support has eroded from the military voters as well as the towns that surround them.

:hi: from Durham NC.

[Eric J in MN]

5. Should we donate to the North Carolina Democratic Party? nt

nt

[HFishbine]

9. Could be worth it

Kerry has pulled within 3 points of Bush in NC in the latest poll.

Donate here: https://www.d4d.org/ncpldg.htm

You might also consider a contribution to Bowles (he's running for John Edward's old senate seat): https://www.72server.com/bowles2004.com/contribute.html

[HFishbine]

7. Good for you!

Bowles is behind in the latest poll, I hope that doesn't hold.

I may not vote in the Governor's race. Easley really set me off when he said in the last debate that he'd be happy to sign a state constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriages.

[jmowreader]

11. Hey, he's better than Patrick Ballantine

Ballantine is hard-line Repug on "family values" issues, believes that every problem our state has can be solved by cutting taxes, and is running against Meg Scott Phipps. (Meg Scott Phipps was Commissioner of Agriculture from 2001 to 2003. One of the North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture's duties is running the North Carolina State Fair. This gets good: One of Phipps' first acts upon taking office was replacing the midway vendor for the NC State Fair with a company called Amusements of America, replacing a vendor that wasn't all that good. People liked Amusements of America's midway presentation a lot. Later, we found out that Amusements of America had given Phipps $6,000, a guy named Jimmy Drew gave $25,000...there were a total of eight people outside the government, plus Phipps, plus three Phipps aides, who went up the river for their role in this scandal. Phipps herself received four years in federal prison--Amusements of America is based in New Jersey.)

I wasn't fond of filling in the arrow for Easley, but a vote not cast is a vote for a Republican. Remember those famous words: "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice."

[HFishbine]

13. Yeah, I know.

But I also agree with Ballentine and disagree with Easley on the lottery. It's a dillema.