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February 5, 2008

Senescent Dominion
Posted by Avram Grumer at 08:40 PM *

Virginians are so eager to vote in the primaries that they’re turning up at polling places today, even though their state’s primaries are next week. The Mother of Presidents has boundary issues.

(via McMegan)

Comments on Senescent Dominion:
#1 ::: Erik V. Olson ::: (view all by) ::: February 05, 2008, 09:41 PM:

Hey, dey had the same problem up der in Wisconsin.

#2 ::: Serge ::: (view all by) ::: February 05, 2008, 09:43 PM:

Cursed time warps!

#3 ::: ethan ::: (view all by) ::: February 05, 2008, 10:32 PM:

Senescent Dominion is totally my next band's name.

#4 ::: Rich ::: (view all by) ::: February 05, 2008, 10:42 PM:

ethan at #3 -

"Senescent Dominion is totally my next band's name."

I claim it as my guild name on World of Warcraft!

(or maybe, when I am a wealthy man of property, my palatial estate)

#5 ::: Tom S. ::: (view all by) ::: February 05, 2008, 11:35 PM:

This probably has something to do with the fact that the Washington Post(at least online) listed Virginia in a front-page text box with the Super Tuesday states a few days ago. I think it had the correct date attached, but the proximity with the list of Super Tuesday states probably confused some folks. I know I was puzzled for a little while.

#6 ::: Marilee ::: (view all by) ::: February 06, 2008, 03:48 AM:

I heard that on the news. Then I laughed about it in email to a friend in AZ and it turns out until I told her, she thought everybody who hadn't already voted would vote on Super Tuesday. There are primaries until June. She and her husband just registered to vote this year, but they registered for No Party, which means they couldn't vote in the primaries. She's changing to Democratic.

#7 ::: John L ::: (view all by) ::: February 06, 2008, 06:38 AM:

In Florida, though, they had voters show up yesterday to vote and found out their primary was --last week--.

#8 ::: Debbie ::: (view all by) ::: February 06, 2008, 07:09 AM:

Don't at least some states have early voting? Or is that just for some types of elections and not primaries?

#9 ::: Cat Meadors ::: (view all by) ::: February 06, 2008, 08:17 AM:

I know CA had early voting for the primaries - that's why they're saying Clinton did so well.

Like I said in that other thread, I'm not sure what to think about the people who called to complain about not being able to vote. On the one hand, yay for attempted civic participation! On the other, once you actually got to the polling place and saw all the "VOTE HERE FEB 12th"* signs, I'd think you'd just quietly go home and chuckle quietly to yourself over your very understandable mistake. The ones who got all up in arms... maybe they should take that extra time to rethink their votes.

*Maybe not all the polling places have these. I pass two on my way home from work, but they're both in Alexandria, so it's possible other localities don't do that. Then it's a little more understandable, I think.

#10 ::: Michael ::: (view all by) ::: February 06, 2008, 08:32 AM:

This happens pretty much every election cycle in non-Super-Tuesday states, I find. Us DC residents are just giddy that, for probably the only time in our entire lives, our votes might actually have an effect on something. The MD people I guess feel the same, and the Virginians, well, they are easily confused so it's not shocking they're who showed up early.

#11 ::: Keith ::: (view all by) ::: February 06, 2008, 08:58 AM:

Same thing happened in Texas and their primary isn't until March. And Washington state, which has theirs on Feb. 19.

Slow down folks! We still have ten months to go! Pace yourselves.

#12 ::: Maeg ::: (view all by) ::: February 06, 2008, 09:49 AM:

In MD here, and only realized a few days ago that we weren't a Super Tuesday state. So I sulked.

Seeing how close it is, and will be, I no longer feel quite so sulky. Now I just feel somewhat panicked, because I still can't quite decide between Obama and Hillary. I've been following Patrick's endorsement thread avidly, and it's helping.. but only a little.

#13 ::: Richard Brandt ::: (view all by) ::: February 06, 2008, 12:28 PM:

Marilee @ #6: A woman at the county elections department told me that Colorado's primary is in August.

#14 ::: Tazistan Jen ::: (view all by) ::: February 06, 2008, 02:27 PM:

A woman at the county elections department told me that Colorado's primary is in August.

And so it is. But our *caucus* was yesterday. Obama won by a lot, though I caucused for HIllary.

#15 ::: CaseyL ::: (view all by) ::: February 06, 2008, 02:35 PM:

And Washington state, which has theirs on Feb. 19.

No, not really. Washington state is.... wierd.

The Democratic caucuses are this coming Saturday, Feb 9,and the delegate assignment will be decided then.

The "Democratic" primary on Feb 19 is really meaningless: it awards no delegates at all.

The Republican primary on Feb 19 assigns... 1/3 of the delegates, with caucuses assigning the rest.

In short: If you're a Democrat, and you want your vote to count, you MUST participate in the Feb 9 precinct caucuses.

#16 ::: David Harmon ::: (view all by) ::: February 06, 2008, 03:30 PM:

I can believe it... the hype about Super Tuesday even penetrated to my low-media lifestyle here in... VA. Now I just need to track down where my polling place will be....

#17 ::: Caroline ::: (view all by) ::: February 06, 2008, 03:52 PM:

I can believe it. Friends of mine in Florida went to vote in the Democratic primary knowing that their vote might well end up being purely symbolic.

One of my Virginia friends is volunteering, so he knows when the primary is. I just told him to work with his girlfriend to make sure everyone they know goes to vote in the primary.

Said friend also opined that maybe my primary vote would count for the first time ever. I don't know if the dead heat is going to go on quite until May -- but it's nice to think that my vote might do something. I'm a Democrat living in a red state, so it certainly never does anything with regards to presidential elections.

I keep on thinking "This is what happens when people are genuinely excited about the candidates, rather than feeling they have to make the best of a mediocre lot."

#18 ::: Nicole J. LeBoeuf-Little ::: (view all by) ::: February 06, 2008, 04:12 PM:

Tazikstan Jen - I was trying to figure that out myself. I remember voting in, and working the polls for, the 2004 Primary Election here in Colorado. But my google-fu was apparently weak in trying to find out what exactly is up with that.

So, we have both Caucuses and Primaries in Colorado. And I know the content of the Primary ballot is partially determined by how close the State Caucus is on some of the races, because I remember leaving the '04 State Caucus all happy that the delegate votes had been close enough that the Miles v. Salazar contest would be decided in Primary.

But I am missing details beyond those generalities. Can you explain, or, better yet, point me towards a resource so I can (as Patrick puts it) RTFM?

Thanking you from the bottom of my embarrassed, ignorant heart!

#19 ::: David Harmon ::: (view all by) ::: February 06, 2008, 06:50 PM:

ethan @#3: "Senescent Dominion is totally my next band's name."

Rich @#4: I claim it as my guild name on World of Warcraft! (or maybe, when I am a wealthy man of property, my palatial estate)

Hey guys, Cohen the Barbarian wants to have a word with you.... ;-)

#20 ::: Tazistan Jen ::: (view all by) ::: February 07, 2008, 12:54 AM:

Nicole, there is nothing wrong with your heart or Google-fu. Colorado is confusing because it changes every election. Some years there's a primary (for president) some years not. This year, the caucuses are what matter for the presidential race, because they elect the delegates to the county convention (there are also assemblies - for state stuff), from which a subset of delegates go to state assembly, and from those, a lucky few are elected to go to the national convention in Denver.

The primary will happen and people will vote for who will appear on the ballot for other races, like House of Representatives. But it has no presidential impact.

#21 ::: JESR ::: (view all by) ::: February 07, 2008, 01:27 AM:

Casey L @15, I just found out today that I could have gotten a proxy waiver for the Saturday Democratic caucus- I'm just starting on insulin and am not convinced that hanging out in a place where I'm not in charge of timing is a good idea. My husband and probably our son will be attending. While I was at Group Health this afternoon two of the receptionists were occupying their down time trying to figure out where their caucuses were meeting.

I'm sending in my ballot and voting for one of the three people who are on the ballot and who closely matched my political beliefs according to a live journal meme. That I think all three of them are unelectable is irrelevant: they've all dropped out of the race anyway.

I hate the primary election mess in this state, even more so since I loved the old blanket primary to pieces.

#22 ::: Sylvia ::: (view all by) ::: February 07, 2008, 01:14 PM:

JESR--you probably already know this, but if you know whom you want to support in the WA caucus, you don't actually have to stay the whole time. You can show up, sign in registering your support for your candidate, and go home. Once you've signed in, your vote will be counted in the assignment of delegates (unless your candidate has too few votes to get any delegates) whether you're there for the full hour and a half or the first thirty seconds.

(If anyone is looking for more info about how the WA caucus is run, there's a slightly cutesy but informative guide here:

http://fusewashington.org/about/163/caucus )

#23 ::: Nicole J. LeBoeuf-Little ::: (view all by) ::: February 07, 2008, 07:35 PM:

Tazistan Jen - Thanks for the explanation. That actually sounds a lot like what I remember from 2004, actually.

Will confirm my Dem affiliation so I can vote in that one.

(Although affiliating Independent was probably why the Republicans were sending me their material, and it was immensely satisfying to fill out their surveys with lots of write-in commentary.)

#24 ::: Erik Nelson ::: (view all by) ::: July 19, 2011, 07:06 PM:

... the election's today, right?

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