We've got great things happening in Louisiana, and it all means good news for Kerry and for Democrats running for the House and Senate.
First, absentee voting is starting with a huge bang. All over the state, the parish courthouses have been overrun with voters. Here in Ouachita Parish, we typically have 1000-2000 voters during the absentee period, with the vast majority voting on the Saturday (we vote Oct 21-26, Thursday thru Tuesday except Sunday). Yesterday during the first day, a Thursday, we had over 800 voters in our Parish, near the record for a single day which has always been a Saturday. Today the courthouse once again has voters down the hall, out the doors, and down the sidewalk. I usually vote on Saturday and I've never seen voters lined up outside the building. We are set for record-shattering absentee turnout which will free us up to work on record-shattering Election Day turnout.
Now, we also have great news from an informal poll of newly registered voters. Read about it below and take the quiz.
Here is what a local group that registered 550 new voters had to say when they completed their polling of those voters.
As many of you know, a group up here in Ouachita Parish registered more than 550 new voters during the weeks leading up to the VR deadline. We've been polling those new voters over the past week and we now have results. Remember this is NOT A SCIENTIFIC SAMPLING.
Of the 550 plus, we were able to get responses from 472.
94% were from Ouachita Parish. The rest were from Caldwell, East Carroll, Richland, Franklin, Union, Morehouse, Lincoln, and Tensas, with 3 from East BR and 2 from Orleans.
The 550 contained party breakdown of
47% Democrat
41% Other
12% Rep
The party breakdown of the 472 responses was similar. These are newly registered voters, mostly from the Super Wal-Marts in Monroe and West Monroe.
President
Kerry 76%
Bush 14%
Nader .5%
Undecided or wouldn't say 9.5%
Senate
Kennedy 28%
John 19%
Vitter 19%
Morrell 17%
Undecided or wouldn't say 17%
5th District Congress
Blakes 59%
Alexander 19%
Scott 16%
Undecided or wouldn't say 6%
REMEMBER THIS IS NOT A SCIENTIFIC SAMPLING OF VOTERS. THIS IS A SAMPLING OF NEWLY REGISTERED VOTERS ONLY, AND ONLY THOSE COLLECTED FROM 3 DIFFERENT REGISTRATION LOCATIONS.
But we do think that it shows a strong trend for change among those who have gotten themselves registered for this election, many of whom were middle-aged or older and had never voted. We had 2 people in their 80s who had never voted before and dozens of women age 40 and up who had never voted.
Take heart. These are the people we always say don't get polled, and we're right to think that they're bucking the trends of the "official" polls. And they WILL be voting. We asked them, and 98% of those we got responses from said they DO PLAN TO VOTE.
Isn't this great news? We've been right all along about the inaccuracy of the national polls that don't include those 12 million or so new voters. I can tell you that the Tisa Blakes Campaign is very happy about these results.
Now, here in Louisiana we have gone twice for Clinton and we are going to go for Kerry in 2004. Money would help all of our efforts, of course, so if you have some to give, please do so. And we don't have a single Kerry yard sign, button, bumper sticker, flyer, or push card in a 20-parish area in northeast Louisiana. If you are in a "true blue" state and have materials to spare, please ship them to Barbara Gremillion, Victory in 2004 Democratic Headquarters, 1314 Sterlington Road, Monroe, LA 71203. We won't stop working until it's time to cast 9 electoral votes for John Kerry.