I Voted In the Michigan Caucus Today -- Ask Me Anything

[GiovanniC]

I found the voting very... unusual. I'm used to everything being confidential, but there was absolutely no confidentiality at all. They just give you a paper, you fill out your name, address, phone number, etc., certify that you're a Democrat, and then you check off your choice for the nominee. On the back is a poll where you can choose what issues are most important to you.

I voted for General Wesley Clark.

My main issues were the Economy and Terrorism.

When I finished voting, a woman took the paper from me, looked it completely over, including who and what I voted for, and then said that she would take it over to the guys who were counting (I got there at 3:50, and the polls closed at 4:00). It made me a little nervous, actually, because I'm used to casting my vote in, say, a lock-box or whatever. I just hope the lady wasn't a shady fan of another candidate.

[Jerseycoa]

1. Do you know when the results start coming in? nt

[5thGenDemocrat]

2. Results are to be announced at 8 pm EST tonight

John
Voted online.

[pollock]

12. Caucus closes at 4 PM.

Michigan voting is closed as of 4 pm.

[GiovanniC]

3. Well...

At our caucus site the votes were being hand-tallied by an old guy who looked like he was 112 years old. As long as his abacus keeps working, our results will probably be known around 5 pm, I would think.

[pollock]

4. No "War in Iraq " issue on the ballot.

Isn't it odd that Michigan Dems. would put "terrorism"-clearly a Bush term-rather than the more obvious and direct "war?"

[GiovanniC]

5. Yeah,

and the rest of the choices sucked pretty bad, too.

One of the issues was "tax relief". Well, whenever I hear that, I think of tax cuts, and whenever I think of tax cuts, I think of the top 1% getting tax cuts while my family and friends get screwed. That could have been worded, say, "tax fairness" and I might have chosen that. The rest wasn't much better. It was an odd setup.

[pollock]

8. Who does that set up benefit?

Terrorism. Tax Relief. Aren't these Republican code words?
Suspicious....When party officials say that most Americans side with them on the issues, you wonder why their candidates don't win all the time then.
The Michigan Democratic Party seems to have stacked the deck against any candidate who was making the Iraq war a major issue.

[GiovanniC]

9. Also

"Education Reform" was there, too, if I'm not mistaken. Which brings to my mind charter schools and vouchers.

I'm curious if that was a statewide thing or if that was just my caucus site.

[pollock]

10. It seems statewide.

Where is your caucus? If you vote on internet, the wording on the ballot is the same as you say.

[GiovanniC]

11. Jackson, MI

It looked like it was a statewide thing, not a local one, but I was just wondering.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

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[pollock]

14. What do you want to say?

You think going to a caucus site is any different?

[GiovanniC]

15. Exactly.

I didn't vote online because I'm a chronic procrastinator. But when I got to the caucus site, I expected confidentiality like you get during any other time I've ever voted. But there was no confidentiality. I was sat at a table in front of three girls, apparently site volunteers. If they were so inclined (they probably weren't), they could easily have seen my name, address, phone number and candidate choice. No privacy, no confidentiality. When I asked where to take my ballot, a woman came over and took the ballot, then proceeded to look it over "to make sure I did it right". So she definitely saw who I voted for, and then she said she would take it over to the guy who was counting the votes, but she could just have easily shredded it for all I would know. So I personally don't see how internet voting would have been any worse.

[NWHarkness]

16. Huh?

How does filling out an optional checklist of issues, after you have picked your candidate,"stack the deck"?

[pollock]

17. Those were literally the words used on the ballot.

"tax relief" rather than tax fairness, for example

[Upfront]

7. No Surprise

The power structure backs more B###. lite Kerry. Sure they chose a B###. issue.

[Turbineguy]

6. I discovered 2 close neighbors today

at the local caucus place. It was wonderful.