Some of you obsessive results checkers like myself, and
like Atrios, apparently, may be wondering why at almost 11am EST the next day the totals in Maine are
still only showing the short side of 50% of precincts reporting. Well here is an update from the
Atrios comment boards by MB of
Wampum:
Okay, so I actually ran the Portland caucus last night, so here's the real scoop, rather than just rumors.
Our last caucus in 2000, we had around 200 attendees.
This year, we expected 1000 (Portland has 22,000 registered Ds). I ordered 1500 ballots, with an extra 1000 on hand, just in case.
We have 20 precincts, but "the Islands" were combined into 1, hence 18 caucus rooms. Thus, we thought we'd have a max of 60-70 people in a classroom (we held the caucus at the largest city HS.)
We used all 2500 ballots. Some precincts had hundreds of attendees, so that classrooms were unusable and participants had to congregate in the halls or move back to the gym.
The caucuses are only for the selection of delegates to the state convention in May. There is no place on the ballot to even designate presidential preference unless you are a delegate or alternate. The only tallies for each candidate are on the chalkboards in the precinct rooms, and unless the convener had the foresight to write down those candidate totals, we many never have the accurate "vote count" you all feel you're entitled to. Oh well.
Yes, we're all backwoods hicks here in Maine. But we have the highest voter turnout in general elections, and we pretty damn good for a caucus on a frigid February Sunday evening as well.
Yes, I have to get back to hand counting those 2500 Portland ballots. 1...2...3...
MB | Email | Homepage | 02.09.04 - 10:32 am | #
Or, as one other Maine-based commentor adds:
In my little town, we smashed a 20 year old caucus attendance record by 50%. The urgency of regime change here is so thick here you can cut it with a knife. Sorry about the reporting delay, but something very significant is happening here that bodes well for all of us.
It looks like it could be a very good spring, summer, and fall ...