Cellar exit poll - Election 2006
 

Just for kicks, I figured I'd put up a Cellar exit poll for those in the US.
Please indicate (anonymously) how you voted or if you won't be voting.

Then we can see how close we are to the country at large when the results come in.

Edit: You can vote for more than one category.

My motto: Throw the Bums Out!

It's a good motto.

The hell with anonymity...I plan to vote a straight Democratic ticket for the first time in my life this evening when I finally get to vote. Yes, I know, Dems are scum, too...but I can hardly see how they can hose things much worse than they've been hosed already. At least they might ease the burden of my indigent son a little bit by rolling back some of the cuts that were shoved down his already-below-the-poverty-line throat since they took over Missouri.

I am also voting in favor of Missouri Proposition 2 (the Stem Cell Research Initiative - a Constitutional amendment which will prevent Missouri from enacting laws dealing with stem cell research which are any more stringent than those that the Feds allow...but which the local opposition refers to as an incentive to abortions, an inducement for young women to sell their eggs, and a guaranteed path to human cloning on the public dollar). I plan to vote against Prop 3, a new 90+ cent per pack tax on cigs, because, even though I don't smoke anymore, Missouri hasn't shown that they do anything with such revenues except throw them into the General Fund. They don't fund anti smoking education, improve schools or fund public health with the dough, so screw 'em.

There are a couple of local sales tax initiatives which I will vote in favor of, because I support my new suburban municipality in its efforts to modernize and provide state of the art facilities to its residents. I will also vote in favor of a school bond issue on the ballot.

Elspode, you sound very informed on the issues. Good for you.

I was a little shocked when I got to the polls today and hadn't completely done my homework. It was a three page ballot. I knew the races well, but I only knew of one proposed amendment to the state constitution, when there were three, and while I knew there would be some bond issues, we had 7 of them. It took me a little longer than I originally planned to read through all the proposed language and think about it before voting. When I left the polling place, I took a sample Democratic Party ballot from one of the people passing them out outside, and I had voted right down the party line.

I'd be curious to hear of any problems anyone encounters as well while trying to vote. My only problem was that the ballot was so long, it was taking everyone a long time to read through it, and the line moved slowly. But it wasn't bad enough to complain. Only a half hour.

Bully for you!

As I've gotten older, I find myself drawn more and more into the political scene. I don't tend to participate in the debates here because I am most decidedly not a partyline kind of guy. I'm a social liberal and pretty much a fiscal conservative. There's an inherent clash in those two philosophies these days as one side is pretty much "shove the sick and old out into the snow and let 'em die" mentality, and the other is "cradle to grave care, baby". I happen to think that we can be fiscally responsible while still taking care of our infirm and elderly in a decent manner. I believe the reason we don't is that people are seen as commodities off of which to make profit, and nothing more. I believe that hard core Capitalism is responsible for that, and that the only way to soften and humanize our world is to remove some of the profit incentive from keeping people healthy.

Spiraling medical and drug costs are disproportionate to what you are buying. Essentially, we're being told, "How much would you spend to stay alive?" The answer, these days, is, "How much do you have?"

That's wrong.

Hoping my votes count in Ohio and we get the change we so desperately need.

Also hoping that Big Brother doesn't tell the whole state they can't smoke. Smokers and non-smokers alike can make choices as to what establishments they frequent. Restaurants non-smoking? Fine. Bars? Leave it up to the freaking bars.

I had gone over the ballot (3 page in OK) that was in the newspaper over the weekend, so I had it all planned out and the actual voting process was quick. I went on my lunch hour and there was no hassle at all.
I always vote in presendential elections but never in primaries because I'm not affiliated with a party. I don't always vote in mid-term elections but I did this time.

I'm probably the least political person on the planet. I just hate all the lies and negative campaigning. You know, in high school when the person running for class president was promising all sorts of great stuff and then got in office and we realized that the administration really had a lot to say about decisions and the class president really could not do whatever she pleased, I realized too that the country is run pretty much the same way. It does not matter what a person running for president says he will do, he cannot always do exactly that because there are so many other people involved in decision making. It almost does not matter who is president. Which party has control of congress is a much more important issue sometimes.

Who made this poll? Why would you put "other" with independents and Libertarians. Libertarians are a significant political party.

So what are you going to do for me when you win, Radar? :D

Hi Radar, sorry I didn't include a slot for Libertarians. I didn't give the poll a lot of thought.

How's election day coming along for you? Is everything going smoothly?

I voted "a mixture of the two" in the thread poll before I realized that I could choose more than one option. So add in another person voting Independent/Libertarian in some of the bigger contests. I don't think Kinky will win, but there's always a chance I suppose.

We had a 9 page ballot, including a lot of judges and local positions like Comptroller, and 7 bond propositions. I voted four up, three down. We don't need any more "art centers", new playgrounds, or "diversity education centers," IMHO.

9 pages! Holy cow. How slow was that line moving?

Dems, one Rep, some Indis.

My polling station had 12 booths, and I spent about 15 minutes there total, half in line and half actually voting. But maybe other polling stations in the city were more crowded, I don't know.

see that little island of blue in Kansas?
Guess where I live?

It took me about an hour to vote today, a healthy line. It happened that when I was up, I got to use the one new touchscreen (oooh!)- it took about 3 x as long, but then printed out the dark bubbled ballot that I put in the counter. Voted straight D, for instant runoff for city elections (to give those 3rd candidates a chance) and to restrict the use of transportation tax funds for transportation projects.

Very short ballot here. I voted Democratic against the two Republican enablers of Bushwar, Sen. Santorum/ Rep. Sherwood. Voted Republican for Swann for Guvnah and Pickett for State Rep to try to keep Philly in check. Voted no on the debt measure. No Libertarians available here so I sent cash out West.

Leaving now to execute my civic duty, with equal parts pride and trepidation.

Updates to follow.

Georgia On My Mind
 

Since I live in the Peach State, even the Democrats are kinda Republican. I feel that, outside of Atlanta, it's kinda useless. But I did vote.

It's those Bench appointments you need to study up on. As you all know, they are non-partisan.

There were three people in line ahead of me to vote. This is unusual. Typically there are no people ahead of me in line. Since there were two voting machines, the line moved fairly quickly.

There were no positions lower than State House Rep on the ballot, and only one initiative (about funding for Gulf War I vets).

There were NO independent candidates for any of the seats, but you could still vote Straight Green or Straight Libertarian. I suppose that would be one of those "making a statement" kinds of votes.

i voted for some dem, some rep in the races that mattered. i voted for libertarians or other third party candidates in the other races.

Colorado had a 9 page ballot, also. It took about 45 minutes to vote in my little town because they asked if I wanted to use touch screen or paper. I asked if Diebold had a part in either method, and they said "no," so I innocently said touch screen. Well, out of 12 voting machines, only one was touch screen, so there was an extra wait for that. I liked how it let you review your votes at the end and make sure you had put in the responses you really wanted to. I voted all democrat except for the candidate for local sheriff whom I am acquainted with. He made up his very own party for his campaign - not independent, not Libertarian, just something like the Joe Smith for Sheriff party (JSS).

I voted for a zillionth of a cent tax increase to help the schools around here. Lord knows, the schools in this part of the world need all the help they can get. And I voted for Colorado to join with some other states to sue for the money we have to spend enforcing Federal immigration laws.

Excuse me! Why is this poll only for US? Given the influence (and arogance) of the US govt, I think it only fair that the whole world gets to vote not only on your polls but also in your elections..... you do believe in Democracy, don't you?

Like it or not, the biggest dog on the block gets to call the shots. You Brits should have hung onto to your empire. Then YOUR policies might be influencing us, instead of the other way around.

GEORGE W. BUSH - RESUME'

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20520.


I was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1976 for driving under the influence of alcohol. I pleaded guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver's
license suspended for 30 days. My Texas driving record has been "lost"
and is not available.

MILITARY

I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. I refused to take
a drug test or answer any questions about my drug use. By joining the
Texas Air National Guard, I was able to avoid combat duty in Vietnam

COLLEGE

I graduated from Yale University with a low C average. I was a cheerleader.

PAST WORK EXPERIENCE

I ran for U.S. Congress and lost. I began my career in the oil business in Midland, Texas, in 1975. I bought an oil company, but couldn't find any
oil in Texas. The company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock.

I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that
took land using taxpayer money. With the help of my father and our friends in the oil industry, including Enron CEO Ken Lay, I was elected governor
of Texas.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS


I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies,
making Texas the most polluted state in the Union. During my tenure, Houston replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in America

I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of billions
in borrowed money.


I set the record for the most executions by any governor in American
history.

With the help of my brother, the governor of Florida, and my father's
appointments to the Supreme Court, I became President after losing by over 500,000 votes.



ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT


I am the first President in U.S. History to enter office with a criminal record.

I invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing cost of over one
billion dollars per week.

I spent the U.S. Surplus and effectively bankrupted the U.S. Treasury.

I shattered the record for the largest annual deficit in U.S. History.

I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any
12-month period.

I set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period.

I set the all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the
U.S. Stock market.

In my first year in office, over 2 million Americans lost their jobs and that trend continues every month.

I'm proud that the members of my cabinet are the richest of any
administration in U.S. History. My "poorest millionaire, " Condoleeza
Rice, had a Chevron oil tanker named after her.

I set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips by a U.S. President. I am the all-time U.S. And world record-holder for receiving the most corporate campaign donations.

My largest lifetime campaign contributor and one of my best friends,
Kenneth Lay, presided over the largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in
U.S. History, Enron.

My political party used Enron private jets and corporate attorneys to
assure my success with the U.S. Supreme Court during my election
decision.

I have protected my friends at Enron and Halliburton against investigation or prosecution.

More time and money was spent investigating the Monica Lewinsky affair
than has been spent investigating one of the biggest corporate rip-offs in history.

I presided over the biggest energy crisis in U.S. History and refused to intervene when corruption involving the oil industry was revealed.

I presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S. History.

I changed the U.S. Policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded
government contracts.

I appointed more convicted criminals to administration than any President in U.S. History.

I created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the largest bureaucracy
in the history of the United States government.

I've broken more international treaties than any President in U.S. History.

I am the first President in U.S. History to have the United Nations remove the U.S. From the Human Rights Commission.

I withdrew the U.S. From the World Court of Law. I refused to allow inspectors access to U.S . "prisoners of war" detainees and thereby
have refused to abide by the Geneva Convention.

I am the first President in history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 U.S. Election).

I set the record for fewest numbers of press conferences of any President since the advent of television.

I set the all-time record for most days on vacation in any one-year period. After taking off the entire month of August, I presided over the worst security failure in U.S. History.


I garnered the most sympathy for the U.S. After the World Trade Center
attacks and less than a year later made the U.S. the most hated country in the world, the largest failure of diplomacy in world history.

I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously protest me in public venues (15 million people), shattering the record for protests against any person in the history of mankind.

I am the first President in U.S. history to order an unprovoked, pre-emptive attack and the military occupation of a sovereign nation. I did so against the will of the United Nations, the majority of U.S. citizens, and the world community.

I have cut health care benefits for war veterans and support a cut in duty benefits for active duty troops and their families-in-wartime.

In my State of the Union Address, I lied about our reasons for attacking Iraq and then blamed the lies on our British friends.

I am the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security.

I am supporting development of a nuclear "Tactical Bunker Buster," a WMD. I have so far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden [sic] to justice.

RECORDS AND REFERENCES

All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now in my father's
library, sealed and unavailable for public view.

All records of SEC investigations into my insider trading and my bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.

All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my Vice-President, attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review. I am a member of the Republican Party.

IF YOU ARE A U.S. CITIZEN, PLEASE CONSIDER MY
EXPERIENCE WHEN VOTING IN THE 2006 MIDTERM
ELECTIONS!

ah..... thanks for the explanation, marieschick. Now I understand American Democracy.

Welcome to voting in Philadelphia.

In one sense, I agree with Jay (as much as it pains me to say) however, we as citizens of the world must put our faith in our American friends and hope that they will do the best thing by us in the end. After all, how would you feel if American's has a say in who was voted into power in your country?

I'd also like to add that, if it weren't for the French, the US would in all possibility still be under the influence of the British government, so nothing is really as black and white as telling someone their country should have held onto their power over other nations.

why, thank you, Alia...... and yes, you are right, we should have faith in our friends.... but our perception is perhaps clouded...do they really vote on the sexual predilections of the candidates, swayed bythe advertising budget of the parties? Perhaps, you might say, that is their affair....

... and yet.....

what happens in the USA elections affects the rest of the world profoundly.

Perhaps the best way forward would be to put the USA under UN control.

Well that's not likely to happen when the UN is a puppet for the US to play with.

I can't say whether the citizens of the USA will make the right decision. I'm not even sure if I know what the right decision would be. It's very complicated, and the outcome is not likely to provide an evident answer in the short term anyway.

Elections in the USA during modern history have had a profound effect on the rest of the world, and will continue to do so until such time as their reign as world leaders is over. Then we'll just complain about the new one - whoever it might be.

Perhaps then, the citizens of the USA will lament their glory days, just as the British empire does...as do the French, Greeks, Egyptians etc...

I'm sure your own local town councils have more sway over your life than the US Congress, in terms of what happens on an every day basis. Your own culture has more of an effect than anything else.

mmmmmmm........ I'm not convinced that my borough councils anti-litter crackdown inspired the 7/7 bombers....

I think world events have a marked effect on local events. Both are intertwined and not easily separated, so to try and deny that US elections have a profound effect on events in other countries is simply not true. Perhaps the effects are not immediate, but if Regan had one thing figured out, it was the 'trickle down' effect.

Believe me, the citizens of the USA hold the fate of many far more than their own countrymen in their hands during this election.

Did you or anyone you know get blowed up?

Dem for Senate/House, Dem for all the locals, though I would have voted just about any flavor other than Rep for locals. No Yes Yes on the props.

Hey, I got to vote for a fellow physicist. Pretty cool.

Yep.

In Iraq.

What's the ratio now of Americans (and our allies like the Brits, Aussies, and Canadians) who have been killed in one of the stupidest wars since Vietnam to the number killed in 9/11. What about the ratio of Iraqi civilians compared to American civilians killed in 9/11? Where is the man responsible for it all? Jr. doesn't know and neither does anyone else. The people responsible for 9/11 were Saudi's. If we couldn't stomach going to Afganistan to find Bin Laden, shouldn't we at least have attacked Saudi Arabia?

And going back to your original question, there were probably a few Brits and Aussies who got blown up in 9/11. However, I notice that our faithful allies (at least on this board) are not hugely impressed by Jr.'s response.

Yeah, our election effects them. As our allies, their young men get to go to Iraq and get killed just like ours do. Let's hear it for another Gallipuli.

I wasn't asking you, so shut the fuck up and don't respond to any of my posts again.

whoa, jesus, harsh!

Truth hurts, eh? Fine, I will never again respond to one of your posts if you agree to do the same for me.

Holy snapping frog shit! That was rough.

About Gallipoli, let's remember how the Brits couldn't read their maps and sent thousands of young Australians to their deaths at the hands of the Turks.

There's records of poorly handled war strategies everywhere you look throughout history.

Hindsight is a great equalizer.

I found two ballot initiatives, one I had forgotten about, one raising $20 million for Iraq veterans and a 1 mil tax for our tiny township library, raising about $20,000 per year.

I am still willing to cross the aisle and vote for Republicans who are truly independent, which can still happen at the state level. The recent suspension of voting in Congress to allow Cheney and the Republican leadership time to strongarm members of Congress shows that at a national level the strings are very much there.

Now however, moderate Republicans can grow a spine and point out to the leadership that voting the party line might get them some support from the national committee but still lose them the race in the end.

This election will be a victory for middle-of-the-road Repbulicans and Democrats, who will have the power to resist the fringes of their parties.

Some Republicans, some Libertarians, zero Democrats because the Jackass Party isn't keeping the Republic. Voted against most of the initiatives -- it's difficult to get an initiative that is well crafted legally around here, so a high degree of skepticism is in order, I think. These initiatives run to bond issues to fund this or that allegedly worthy endeavor, but a vote against government indebtedness is usually what I cast, deeming it generally best. Voted favorably for all the Judiciary positions, knowing nothing derogatory about any of the candidates. After dropping off my absentee ballot and my wife's, I schmoozed with the poll workers for about a quarter hour. This is our area's second election with the new polling machinery, and it looks to be rather smoother going than the first.

Once again, Marichiko demonstrates she doesn't know any better, doesn't want to know any better, hasn't the vision ever to know any better -- like she has real trouble seeing that the world is better with a shortage of its Saddams than a surplus. Mari, you like dictatorships, particularly foreign ones where they get really nasty out there, much better than I do. You're not enlightened, you know.

So your unqualified support of a President who more than doubles the national debt to 8.5 trillion is because......

UT's always hated me. Nothing new there. There were a number of reasons for the slaughter at Gallipoli. Historians argue it to this day. "Mistakes were made." Ahem. Here's a passage from Wikepedia:


And neither are you. I have answered you at length in the past and been met with only obscenities for a reply or silence when even your foul vocabulary fails you. Get back to me when you have learned the art of logic and your writing skills have progressed beyond graffiti on an inner city wall.

Well I'm not going to dispute what's on Wikipedia that's for sure. There are many sources about the historical aspects of the conflict at Gallipoli. In fact, we have a national day of mourning/celebration called ANZAC day in order to remember those who served in Gallipoli. It is fairly well accepted that it was the British in charge and it was the British who used the Australian and New Zealand soldiers as what is commonly referred to as 'cannon fodder' that morning and till the end of the war. This conflict has gone a long way towards creating the antagonism which now exists to a lesser or greater extent between Australians and Brittons.

Also to add, there were a huge number of Australian soldiers involved in the Boer War in Africa which occured before the turn of the century. Not such a historical conflict for citizens of the US, but certainly a sad time for Australian families.

Absofuckinglutely no.

I voted Democrat in all of the big offices. The only local office election that I voted in was University Regent, where I voted for Darlow because her position on the current 'big issue' was "I haven't made up my mind yet."

I voted against the "Michigan Civil Rights Initiative", which would ban affirmative action programs. I don't have a strong stance on the issue, but I dislike the deceptive language used by it's proponents.

I voted for a dove hunting season, and against a lengthy amendment to the Michigan constitution which would restrict the right of eminent domain.

...the Democrats cannot win a war, and haven't done so since Truman. (Ann Coulter may be quite right about them, and about why.) This war needs to be won. None of the present leadership of the Democratic Party can get the job done. Since I've understood for decades that there is no such thing as a cheap war, I'm not fazed at the price of fighting one.

W has the vision to overthrow dictators. This vision is conspicuously lacking across the aisle. I go with the vision, thanks.

Were there any surprises in this reply? :right:

Why does the war need to be won, and how do you define winning UG? And which war are you talking about anyway?

Voted for Santorum and Sherwood even though Sherwood is a bonifide ass even in good Rep times.

If W can go and promote this dumbass with a straight face...I guess I can vote for him while wincing. :blush:

Felt pretty good about voting for Swann. He's not under investigation. Not yet anyway.

Pickett has been actively pro 2a for as long as I can remember.

Using enlisted men as cannon fodder was not unique to any nation. That is what generals did; that was their knowledge of war and their appreciation of lower classes. I believe there is an old movie based upon a real world WWI event where soldiers were court marshaled because they did not charge. Well, 1/4 of them immediately died to machine guns as they rose from the trench. Did not matter to top management who ordered them into that frontal assault anyway.

A famous Gen MacArthur quote addressed that saying "frontal assault is only for mediocre commanders". His was radical thinking for WWI and was only becoming acceptable fact in WWII. That misguided concept of a frontal assault created a Maginot Line.

Such total disrespect for the troops back then was not unique to WWI British Generals. Also was another problem that we still grasp with today. Gallipoli was about fighting a war for political reasons - with little regard to military realities and consequences. One should start by asking, if Gallipoli had succeeded, then what? What would it have really accomplished? The embarrassing conclusion is little. So why was it conducted? One must study the political agendas of Churchill and his peers of that time.

Meanwhile, I am totally confused by JayMcGee and Aliantha posts. If you are so concerned what America does, then why were you both so silent about new American laws that make it legal to kidnap, hide, and torture you? You want a right to vote in America? Hell. I saw neither respond appropriately when S3930 was made law - so that you can be denied rights under the Geneva Conventions and so that you can be denied access to the International Red Cross. Americans passed these laws, in part, because you endorsed extraordinary rendition, torture, and secret prisons by being so silent.

Though I wish we could have ousted Cheeseburger Montgomery as AG, I'm proud of Ohio today. Governor and Senator...wow. This red state is turning blue!

The peeps have spoken.

Well, he asked about the voters in the US because, well, the voters in the US just had an election. Doofus.

You want to vote in the poll, click a circle. Knock yourself out. Feel the thrill of Democracy for yourself.

By the way, how did you vote?

ch'y'ahh right!

Well #88 didn't poll too well (I haven't seen the numbers yet) so I guess there won't be an investigation. He picked the wrong election cycle.


edit- Swanny won my township.

You've demonstrated at length that you don't get it. And if telling you you're still wrong amounts to obscenity, clearly your notion of obscenity could stand some review.

Mariko, if you think you've got the stuff to shut me up, it's just one more example of how little you know.

Aliantha, how many wars are there? I say there is only one single war that America is involved in. Afghanistan and Iraq are not separate wars -- the only ones pushing that view are those who want America to lose the overall war on terrorism, and such persons set themselves against humanity's cause in the process of gratifying their egos or their fascistic urges. What these fights are are campaigns in the overall war.

We are not yet involved as any kind of belligerent in the other dust-up du jour, the Darfur genocide. You ask me, it's time for a regime change in Khartoum -- a complete one, and with the traditional punishment for architects of genocide: hanging by the neck until dead, dead, dead.

Winning is defined as repairing failed states. Admittedly, Iraq and Afghanistan aren't the most promising of materials for the repair work, as they have real problems with disunion -- no great enthusiasm at the grass roots for functioning in the world as nation states. Nonetheless, getting these disconnected, enfeebled states (with air-quotes or without, as you will) into a connection with the overall global economy that is enriching to their peoples, and friendly to the rest of the world, is what will win. The areas, for they are regions and almost all of Africa, that are not connected significantly in dollars and cents terms to the rest of the global economy will be the sources of troubles for the world until such time as these areas are connected and prosper, each after their fashion.

Why choose Swann over Rendell? That's one I really can't understand.