Polls opened an hour ago. I just got back from casting my ballot for Mike Capuano.
Have you voted yet? Who did you vote for? What’s happening on the ground in your area?
[UPDATE] New Poll, but please leave a comment about what was going on when you voted. That is much more interesting (IMO).
Please share widely!
Just cast my vote in South Boston for Mike Capuano. My polling place, which is a war zone on municipal election days was very quiet by comparison. There were signs out front for Cap, Pags, and Khazei, but nothing for Coakley. This was also the case at another polling place I just passed on the bus. I saw plenty of Capuano signs in my neighborhood and the left over results from a weeknd lit drop. From the feel of things, you’d think we were in Capuano’s district.
No lines, but there was the normal primary activity. Activity was similar to other primaries.
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p>I saw 3 Capuano signs, that’s it. Nothing for the other candidates.
Great thread, thanks for starting this! Are you able to add a poll to an existing diary?
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p>I wanted to post a “Virtual Exit Poll”, so that BMGers could note who we actually voted for. Since I just posted last night, I’m apparently blocked (for 24 hours). I wish I had known that. Sigh. Live and learn.
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p>Anyway, I’d like to see a poll with all the candidates added to this thread if it’s possible.
Thanks.
Great post, thanks for adding the poll.
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p>I vote in Precinct 7 in Brookline. At 8:45a, they still hadn’t opened the side door — people who walk may well have thought the polls weren’t open for some reason (that door is always open and it’s on a sidewalk alongside the building).
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p>There were about four people voting when I was there. I didn’t ask how many had voters (silly me, I’ll be more astute next time).
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p>There was one Khazei sign, along with a supporter greeting people. On my way home, I had a chance to talk with one old friend on her way to vote. She tells me I flipped her from Martha Coakley to Mike Capuano — it was their difference on civil liberties that did the trick (she is passionately opposed to the Patriot Act specifically and the expansion of government surveillance in general). She liked Mike Capuano’s passionate opposition, in comparison to Martha Coakley’s hedging.
About 140 at around the same time in Presidential primary.
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p>Scott Brown and Capuano evenly matched for signs. No others despite Coakley’s far greater sign placement Cape-wide. Kind of a goof, as I know people who won’t vote for a candidate unless they have a sign at THEIR polling place, as they think they won’t represent them either if they can’t put out a sign – esp. if they have them other places.
Really – not seeing a sign for a candidate at the poll means not voting for the candidate? Smart campaigns manage their resources wisely and put visibilities either where their volunteers are or where they think it might have impact. (Yes, I realize your not refering to yourself, but this is almost worse than voting for the one you want to have a beer with.)
That said, I agree it isn’t the best way of choosing – but Coakley supporters have covered the Cape heavily, and to not know the ‘custon of the country’ and neglect the polls is a gaffe.
…but lately it seems more and more campaigns have taken a “signs don’t vote” attitude. I’m away, but given past practice (2007 5th CD special for example) I wouldn’t be surprised if there are only a handful of signs at polling places in my town, with some precincts not having any. People should really have their minds made up BEFORE approaching the polls anyway, IMO.
When I was holding a sign for Deval Patrick during the 2006 Democratic Primary, there was just one sign from a Lieutenant Governor candidate. Tim Murray had brought a bunch of people in and just by being there (and by looking friendly to the Deval Patrick person), I bet they got a lot of votes for Lt. Governor that the other two candidates might have nabbed.
In multi-candidate races, I want to know two things:
The signs say nothing about #1 but they communicate a lot about #2.
… but at 7:20 AM in Leominster it was about 17 degrees out and the sun was barely up.
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p>I think it is quite one thing for candidates to ask supporters to hold signs all (or most) of the day in early November (just after the clock change) and quite another to ask them to do so in December. This is a ‘special’ election in more ways than one…
Voted for Mike. No other voters in my precinct while I was there. A Coakley worker and a Brown one outside.
I voted at Keefe Tech in Framingham, the polling place for precincts 10 and 11. I was voter 22 for precinct 10, don’t know about 11. As i left, 5 people came in, 4 from 11, which i think is where the polling place is located, and I think a lot of 10 is on the other side of route 9 so lower casual voter turnout, and a lot of Framingham State students who are probably registered elsewhere. I think i was 60 something in Nov 08 at around 8 AM for comparison.
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p>As far as signs, it was pretty even for Khazei, Capuano, Coakley, and Brown, plus one person standing out for Coakley when I drove by earlier. None for Pags or Robinson.
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p>And I voted for Khazei.
I was voter #77 in one of the North Cambridge voting places. No signs, nothing, if I hadn’t voted there before you’d never know it was a voting location. There was a man standing outside looking official as he waved and said hello to everyone walking in, but I have no idea who it was.
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p>Walked by another voting location on Mass. Ave later and you’d also never know it was an election day.
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p>Though many signs throughout the streets were for Khazai, there were no signs or people at the locations. I live near an old Galluccio office which has suddenly become a Capuano office with old men making campaign phone calls for the past few weeks.
From Midge
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p>Also for every Coakley person you see holding a sign you can bet there are at least two Capuano people on the phones getting their vote out.
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p>Don’t slow down Cap people. In fact, pick it up. You might have the best party of your lives tonight so keep it turned on til 8:00.
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Not as long as usual, maybe 10 folks or so in voting.
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p>Lots of Capuano signs out front. Several Coakley. No Pags or Khazei.
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p>The person at checkout said almost of us registered independents were taking Democrat ballots today.
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p>Incidentally, Red was Democrat, Blue was Republican. Weird.
That’s traditional in the rest of the world…liberal is red and conservative is blue.
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p>All my friends in Europe, CA, and AU think we’re nuts!
That’s traditional in the rest of the world…liberal is red and conservative is blue.
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p>All my friends in Europe, CA, and AU think we’re nuts!
Only Capuano and Khazie signs. Voted at 7:10 sharp and was surprised that 8 people had already voted. I voted for Mike.
in Groveland. Mostly probably doing town business. One guy in the driveway holding a Brown sign. There were no other signs that there is an election going on. I voted for Capuano. We have optical scan ballots. The list is alphabetically ordered and MIke’s name is on top. That may help. I looked at the ballot as if I was a novice and Coakleys name was the one that stood out. There is probably something to be said for name recognition. Driving home I was listening to Charlie Pierce on the Stephanie Miller show said Coakley basically has it locked up. Fingers crossed for an upset.
in Boston 2-6. I was #19 when I voted for Capuano around 7:15 am. Capuano and Coakley signs and volunteers out this morning. Couple of Khazei signs posted pretty far from the actual polling location.
was there with a few old ladies behind me. I voted for Mike.
poll was slow. Didn’t get a count.
Voted around 9 this am at the Holy Name school in W.Rox. Only one other voter in the room holding three precincts. A big Pagliuca bus was double parked in the rotary and a bunch of “supporters” were standing behind giant signs outside the polling place as if they were manning a barricade. It’s clear that Pagliuca’s ground operation was inexperienced and poorly trained or they would know to put the giant signs in the rotary and have people with smaller signs and literature outside the door – not that it would really would have made that much of a difference as far as his chances go.
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p>Note to Steve: next time get a bus with MA plates!
…often have out of state plates. For a while my family owned a motor home which we rented out via a dealer. The dealer was responsible for registration and registered it in Florida, thus it had Florida plates.
when running for office you really want a vehicle with local plates. Especially if you are ultra-rich and can afford the fancy bus in the first place.
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Go here for more reports from the field!
This morning in Needham, there were three sign holders in favor of the local school override, one for Capuano, one for Khazei, and one for Coakley.
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p>This afternoon, there was one for the override, and one for Capuano.
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p>In Needham, we have a lot of people going to the polls primary for or against the override, making the Senate vote the downballot vote.
No signs save a lone tea party patriot with about ten Scott Brown signs.
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p>Low turnout in my polling place, even for a special election.
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p>As far as I know, Mike Capuano leads 1-0-0-0.
Informal survey of 7 of Newton’s 31 precincts had consistent turnout of 20-25% as of 4pm today with 4 hours to go.
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p>And contrary to the televised talking heads who were crowning the queen at 7am, there is lots of previously invisible Khazei support. If this is a 2-horse race, he’s one of them. Voter contact (statewide) over the last 48 hours with Undecideds (who were 76%+ just a week ago) have them breaking for Khazei over 50%. This could be a Seabiscuit-style finish of epic proportions!
I was sign holding from 6 to 9 this morning for Martha. The whole town votes at the senior center so we see everybody. We had nearly 1400 voted by 4PM. More people vote in the late afternoon and evening in Medfield, so final count should be 2000, or so. In a town with around 7000 voters. That puts turnout at between 25-30%. I don’t think that’s bad for a special election in December.
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p>I like all three (sorry Pag’s) and would be thrilled to have any of them a my Senator. Are they Ted Kennedy? No. But Teddy wasn’t Teddy in 1962 either. Frankly, compared to what other states live with, they are all liberals and good ones. Let’s remember that tomorrow.
to give a ride to an elderly voter in Brimfield. Very nice woman, and very excited and determined to vote for Mike Capuano. Will give her a ride in January too. Went to my Town Hall, voted for Mike! Precinct worker states turnout good. No standouts in front. Four illegally planted Khasei signs nearby.
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p>Other than that, no idea where the vote will come in.
Just got home and checked my caller ID, and I have about 5 calls from the campaign too–hee hee!
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p>We were workin’ it.
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p>I voted early afternoon in Somerville Ward 5.1 (Mike’s ‘hood). I was voter 366 which is shocking in a off-season race to me. There have been times I voted in that precinct and I was voter 85 or so at 3pm.
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p>Mike’s peeps are turning out.
Hi All:
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p>I was voter #123 at 4 P.M., and my wife was voter #137 at 4:45 P.M.. Turnout was very light, and we were both glad to cast our votes for Michael Capuano. There were signs for Capuano and Khazei and noone else. Very odd for a highly visible precinct in Roslindale Square.
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p>Wayne Wilson
Roslindale
had about 700 votes. During the 2006 election for Governor, the precinct had about 1800, IIRC. So, for a special election, turnout’s been good here.
Not much signage at all in these parts, and no partisans at the polling place. On my drive from Gill to Amherst I’ve seen two lawn signs for Coakley (Montague, Amherst) and one for Capuano (Leverett).