2018 american midterm elections (national edition)

why did we ever create this awful stupid discursive category of the independent/swing voter as if everyone disillusioned by the present order is angry for the same reasons

because you only have to promise some vague change to get a swathe of em?

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

11 pessimists, 16 delusional optimists

I voted for “republicans keep congress,” but I think the realty will be we win the house by a much smaller margin than we anticipated and we lose all of the tight high-profile contests. I worry we’ll all depressed about a media narrative centered around “what happened to the blue wave?” Likewise, we’ll also be dismayed by low voter turnout and unexpectedly motivated republicans.

I don’t know. I’m not in a good place.

turnout is legit this time, though. it's almost to the level of a presidential turnout in texas.

in NYC, to echo Sean Connery in that Huston-Kipling movie, look at the SHIZE of out ballot! We have to tear it in half to scan it.

Here's how to not mess up the two-page (double-sided!) ballot on November 6. Thanks, @courtneycgross! #NY1Politics pic.twitter.com/Dd746fP2VB

— Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) November 5, 2018

that ballot isn't even half as complicated as the California one

I lovd paper ballots.

I'm just imagining that a yawning chasm will open and swallow the entire country into some belching hellpit tomorrow night so that whatever actually happens will be a comparatively pleasant surprise.

i sure hope cozy bear and fancy bear have a plan to make up for the dems' 10 point generic ballot advantage

Facebook has blocked more than 100 accounts it believes may be engaging in “coordinated inauthentic behavior” hours before the midterm elections, launching an investigation into whether the accounts are linked to any foreign entities attempting to interfere in the election.

Wow, more than 100. Thanks, Facebook.

They should just shut down Facebook for a week.

Gleicher said the investigation began Sunday evening with a tip from U.S. law enforcement, which discovered the suspicious online activity.

So the fuckers didn't even know what was going on until the feds told them. Good job, dickheads.

They should just shut down Facebook for a week.

Obvious, I know, but I had to.

Just waking up, how are those returns looking?

Excellent. Excellent returns.

where are they?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DrUugl7XgAEk7DX.jpg

I'm glad I never saw this the day my lager was spiked with LSD.

lol

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/05/voting-machine-errors-texas-georgia-2018-elections-midterms-959980

The errors — which experts have blamed on outdated software and old machines — would appear to work to the advantage of Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz over Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke, and that of Georgia GOP gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp over Democrat Stacey Abrams.

you don't say. how could this have happened

Hundreds of people in line at Erasmus high in BK waiting to scan their ballots because of broken scanners. Good system pic.twitter.com/9keg8EfXiF

— Hamilton Nolan (@hamiltonnolan) November 6, 2018

NYC city council prez has called on the head of the Board of Elections to resign, etc, bcz of today's chaos.

http://gothamist.com/2018/11/06/midterm_elections_day_liveblog_2018.php#photo-1

The line to vote at my polling place this morning was very long, and it took about 2 hours to vote instead of twenty minutes.

didn't even know what was going on until the feds told them.

tbf, the NSA has a much more robust system for monitoring the content of Facebook than Facebook is ever likely to develop.

2 hours! It took me 15 minutes, but everything was working. Still 10 minutes longer than a typical year.

I voted early, but fwiw it was fast but still more or less one in, one out. My wife went to our regular polling station at 8am this morning and had to wait a while.

Quick and easy, I was out in 5 minutes. Three people walked in ahead of me (at 7:45 AM), two more had arrived by the time I left.

tbf, the NSA has a much more robust system for monitoring the content of Facebook than Facebook is ever likely to develop.

My line was out the door, but it turned out that was just for those with last names M-Z! The A-L cool kids could just walk right in.

This was exactly the reverse of the last presidential election, so I wonder if all of the other A-Ls from last time were deterred/voted early/decided to come at a different time?

My polling place was busy, but they had loads of machines (9 in one precinct out of five for a pop. 7000 town), done in five minutes.

i switched polling places so i can't make a direct comparison but it definitely didn't feel like a usual midterm turnout, i had to wait in line for a few minutes which i haven't had to even in the presidential ones before

I'm glad I voted today instead of early. Took me 15 minutes tops vs at least 1 1/2 hours for early.

538 real-time forecast is 14/15 chance dems take the house, 1/6 they take the senate

i give them a 666% chance of taking both

I miss the other thread

voted in a nearly empty bingo hall in the mountains, there was a man rocking a baby and threatening to send it to jail for breaking election laws

Way early, but McGrath doing OK in KY:

Amy McGrath (D) is now up almost 10% over Andy Barr (R) in Kentucky with 44% reporting.

Trump won in this district by 16%.

— Michael Del Moro (@MikeDelMoro) November 7, 2018

domald twump

I know conservative rural counties report first in Senate and Governor races, but it is nerve wracking to watch

well Sherrod Brown is projected to win at least

it's seriously depressing on how many people will still vote for the GOP candidate.

CLARE MALONE 7:54 PM
An interesting little tidbit from the preliminary exit polls out of Indiana, where Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly is fighting for his seat: 53 percent said that Donnelly’s vote against Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation was important in deciding their midterm vote.

Election day should be a mandatory half day of work everywhere and a full day of fwork where it can be.

theres a ballot initiative here that will effective ban fracking and literally every politician in the state is against it and i want it to win so bad

was not aware that New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Kansas and Indiana are in the south though, nor that any of them seceded, though, so thanks for the update

― Sing The Mighty Beat (sic), Sunday, November 4, 2018 3:09 PM (two days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Oh hey, sorry, 14 states seceded to the Confederacy. I didn't read the article. Everything else I said still applies.

Shalala Wins!

Seems like Donnelly might be in a tight spot. Everything else seems roughly in line with expectations

Lmao Manchin is on the ropes apparently

I early voted in 2016, and had to sit in a room full of working class Trumpsters for 2 hours. I returned to voting in person this time, and of course being a suburban Republican precinct walked to the table, handed my DL, and was in a voting booth within 45 sec.

No elections were remotely competitive, but there was an important constitutional amendment referendum, that might give Louisiana less racist unanimous jury decisions, like the rest of the country.

Shalala Wins!

― I like queer. You like queer, senator? (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn),

some good news! a house seat that has turned from R to D

hmm idk but <3 obv

As always though I'm deeply moved by unperson's totally good faith and sincere shit from a great height

Don't drag me into this. I voted, and am very pleased with how things shook out in NJ.

Hoooooos- Volunteering for multiple people is great! But to say that volunteering for different groups functions as a variety of "things you can do" idk. Obe umbrella to me.

Like, if you eat eight different cookies, you still just ate cookies.

no that counts as eight things see my post above

i think i agree with hoos, affecting multiple events has to be noted

voting is prob more realistic for most tho

if you spend one day volunteering for a candidate, you have done 1x volunteer

if you spend nine days volunteering for seven candidates, you have done at least 7x volunteers

Supposedly there's a drive to cure thousands of unsigned ballots before FL's 5 pm deadline tomorrow. No idea if it'll achieve much but it's to force a recount

some might also want to protect themselves emotionally from being caught up in the news

Whyever would anyone want that

I mean being emotionally caught up in the news is great

*twitch*

Look at most of us for instance, we're the pinnacle of emotional health

*twitch*

*twitch*

W8 we hav twitch streamers up on this bitch

BREAKING NEWS: More ballots are still coming in. #FloridaRecount @SenBillNelson: just received 4,000 more votes. Margin is down to 0.32% and a 26,000 vote deficit@nikkifried: just received 4,000 more ballots. Margin is down to 0.1% and an 8,244 vote deficit #FlaPol #Sayfie

— Juan Peñalosa (@JuanPenalosa) November 8, 2018

That tweet is incomprehensible to me but it has a pungent sweet air

can we PLEASE lock this thread that never should have been used in the first place?

Seems reasonable. Back to US Politics, November 2018: "There is no blame. There is no anything."