This is a call for volunteers for the Great 2008 Election Results Live Blogging Project. Between now and election day I'll try to post a couple of these diaries a week (and probably daily in the week leading up to election) calling for volunteers for this project.
But first, let me explain what this project is below the fold.
To see the past diaries, just view diaries tagged under Election Day Live Blogging
What is this project and how will it work?
What are the obligations of volunteers?
Choosing races to Cover
What is this project and how will it work?
This project is an attempt to organize and consolidate the work of live blogging election results on election day.
This project will rely on volunteers who will live blogging results on election night.
On election night, a Mothership diary will be posted which will link to all of the live-blogging diaries that people have created. That diary will also keep track of results generally, including the balance of power in the Senate and House, governor races, and, of course, the Presidential Election.
In 2006, we did our best to try to make live blogging as consistent and as easy as possible. You don't need any technological knowhow other than how to post a diary to do a live blogging diary.
What are the obligations of volunteers?
If you wish to volunteer for a live-blogging diary, we have a few requests:
- Our top priority is for people to blog our priority races listed below. You may blog other races if you wish, but we would prefer that, as long as priority races remain, that you volunteer to blog those.
- It would be preferable to consolidate similar races together. That could mean that all the races in a single state are being blogged in a single diary, or, if there are several house races and they need to be split up into multiple blogs, that adjacent house races be blogged together.
- While I can't force any minimum number of races that you'll blog, my preferred minimum is 3 races per a diary, with a goal of around 5 racer per diary. Exceptions include states where there just aren't that many races to blog.
- This year we prefer that people create diaries as or just before polls are closing. So that I know you are part of this project, please include the tag Election Day Live Blogging on your diary, as well as any tags applicable to the races you are blogging. If you really, really wish, you may pre-create your diary, though please do so within a week of the election. There is suggested text that you can put in your diary in the template linked below if you wish to pre-create your diary. This is not really suggested, but you may do so if you wish. If you do do that, please try to post it at a non-peak time. Of course, you can always create your diary now and just save it, and then post it on election night, too...
While I'll probably create graphs from my spreadsheets, I think I'll also suggest that people also use the embedded versions of the daily kos political scoreboard in their diaries as well. This would be easier, faster, and more efficient than people trying to update numbers themselves. I'll try to create a new template for people to base their diaries off off soon.
As for the spreadsheet, in the past couple of days I've come across a possibility updating information on the spreadsheets without needing to have hordes of people updating results manually. There are still issues to work out, both from the source of my data as well as (mostly) through editgrid, but I am reasonably optimistic that it should work. It's probably more of an issue of how much I'll want to kill myself after setting up the spreadsheets rather than whether I can set them up.
Races to Cover
The following is the list of priority races that people can volunteer to live blog (incumbent party listed first):
Note: If you have any races or propositions you'd like to add, let me know. Also, some of these races - especially house races - there may be viable 3rd party candidates that I don't know about.
Alaska
[AK-AL]: Don Young (R-i) vs. Ethan Berkowitz (D)
[AK-Sen]: Ted Stevens (R-i) vs. Mark Begich (D)
Alabama - alpolitics
[AL-02]: Jay Love (R) vs. Bobby Bright (D)
[AL-03]: Rogers (R-i) vs. Segall (D)
[AL-05]: Parker Griffith (D) vs. Wayne Parker (R)
Arizona
[AZ-01]: Sydney Ann Hay (R) vs. Ann Kirkpatrick (D)
[AZ-03]: John Shadegg (R-i) vs. Bob Lord (D)
[AZ-05]: Harry Mitchell (D-i) vs. David Schweikert (R)
[AZ-08]: Gabrielle Giffords (D-i) vs. Timothy S. Bee (R)
[AZ-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
California - evolutionarybeagle
[CA-04]: Tom McClintock (R) vs. Charlie Brown (D)
[CA-11]: Jerry McNerney (D-i) vs. Dean Andal (R)
[CA-Prop-1]: High speed rail
[CA-Prop-4]: Parental Notification
[CA-Prop-8]: Gay Marriage Ban
Colorado
[CO-04]: Marilyn Musgrave (R-i) vs. Betsy Markey (D)
[CO-Sen]: Bob Schaffer (R) vs. Mark Udall (D)
[CO-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
Connecticut
[CT-04]: Christopher Shays (R-i) vs. Jim Himes (D)
[CT-05]: Christopher Murphy (D-i) vs. David Cappiello (R)
Delaware
[DE-Gov]: Jack Markell (D) vs. Bill Lee (R)
Florida
[FL-08]: Ric Keller (R-i) vs. Alan Grayson (D)
[FL-13]: Vern Buchanan (R-i) vs. Christine Jennings (D)
[FL-16]: Tim Mahoney (D-i) vs. Tom Rooney (R)
[FL-18]: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-i) vs. Annette Taddeo (D)
[FL-21]: Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-i) vs. Raul Martinez (D)
[FL-24]: Tom Feeney (R-i) vs. Suzanne Kosmas (D)
[FL-25]: Mario Diaz-Balart (R-i) vs. Joe Garcia (D)
[FL-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
Georgia
[GA-08]: Jim Marshall (D-i) vs. Rick Goddard (R)
[GA-12]: John Barrow (D-i) vs. John Stone II (R)
[GA-Sen]: Saxby Chambliss (R-i) vs. Jim Martin (D) vs. Allen Buckley (L)
[GA-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
Iowa
[IA-04]: Tom Latham (R-i) vs. Becky Greenwald (D)
[IA-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
Idaho
[ID-01]: Bill Sali (R-i) vs. Walter Minnick (D)
[ID-Sen]: Jim Risch (R) vs. Larry LaRocco (D)
Illinois - dmsilev
[IL-06]: Peter Roskam (R-i) vs. Jill Morgenthaler (D)
[IL-08]: Melissa Bean (D-i) vs. Steve Greenberg (R)
[IL-10]: Mark Kirk (R-i) vs. Daniel Seals (D)
[IL-11]: Marty Ozinga (R) vs. Debbie Halvorson (D)
[IL-14]: Bill Foster (D-i) vs. Jim Oberweis (R)
Indiana
[IN-03]: Mark Souder (R-i) vs. Michael Montagano (D)
[IN-06]: Mike Pence (R-i) vs. Barry Welsh (D)
[IN-09]: Baron Hill (D-i) vs. Michael Sodrel (R)
[IN-Gov]: Mitch Daniels (R-i) vs. Jill Long Thompson (D) vs. Andy Horning (L) - CityLightsLover
[IN-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D) - CityLightsLover
Kansas
[KS-02]: Nancy Boyda (D-i) vs. Lynn Jenkins (R)
[KS-03]: Dennis Moore (D-i) vs. Nick Jordan (R)
Kentucky - Hill Jill
[KY-02]: Brett Guthrie (R) vs. David Boswell (D)
[KY-03]: John Yarmuth (D-i) vs. Anne Northup (R)
[KY-Sen]: Mitch McConnell (R-i) vs. Bruce Lunsford (D)
Louisiana
[LA-04 (D)]: Willie Banks (D) vs. Paul Carmouche (D)
[LA-04 (R)]: Chris Gorman (R) vs. John Fleming (R)
[LA-06]: Don Cazayoux (D-i) vs. Bill Cassidy (R)
[LA-Sen]: Mary Landrieu (D-i) vs. John N. Kennedy (R)
Maine
[ME-Sen]: Susan Collins (R-i) vs. Tom Allen (D)
[ME-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
Maryland
[MD-01]: Andrew P. Harris (R) vs. Frank Kratovil (D)
Michigan
[MI-07]: Tim Walberg (R-i) vs. Mark Schauer (D)
[MI-09]: Joseph Knollenberg (R-i) vs. Gary C. Peters (D)
[MI-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
Minnesota
[MN-01]: Tim Walz (DFL-i) vs. Brian Davis (R)
[MN-02]: John Kline (R-i) vs. Steve Sarvi (DFL)
[MN-03]: Eric Paulsen (R) vs. Ashwin Madia (DFL)
[MN-06]: Michele Bachmann (R-i) vs. Elwyn Tinklenberg (DFL)
[MN-Sen]: Norm Coleman (R-i) vs. Al Franken (DFL) vs. Dean Barkley (IP)
[MN-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
Missouri
[MO-06]: Sam Graves (R-i) vs. Kay Barnes (D)
[MO-09]: Blaine Luetkemeyer (R) vs. Judy Baker (D)
[MO-SOS]: Robin Carnahan (D-i) vs. Mitchell Hubbard (R)
[MO-Gov]: Kenny Hulshof (R) vs. Jay Nixon (D)
[MO-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
Mississippi
[MS-01]: Travis Childers (D-i) vs. Greg Davis (R)
[MS-Sen (B)]: Roger Wicker (R-i) vs. Ronnie Musgrove (D)
Montana
[MT-SOS]: Brad Johnson (R-i) vs. Linda H. McCulloch (D)
[MT-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
North Carolina - bear83
[NC-08]: Robin Hayes (R-i) vs. Larry Kissell (D)
[NC-10]: Patrick McHenry (R-i) vs. Daniel Johnson (D)
[NC-Sen]: Elizabeth Dole (R-i) vs. Kay R. Hagan (D) vs. Chris Cole (L)
[NC-Gov]: Beverly Perdue (D) vs. Pat McCrory (R) vs. Michael Munger (L)
[NC-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
North Dakota
[ND-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
Nebraska
[NE-02]: Lee Terry (R-i) vs. Jim Esch (D)
[NE-Sen]: Mike Johanns (R) vs. Scott Kleeb (D)
[NE-02-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
New Hampshire
[NH-01]: Carol Shea-Porter (D-i) vs. Jeb Bradley (R)
[NH-02]: Paul Hodes (D-i) vs. Jennifer Horn (R)
[NH-Sen]: John Sununu (R-i) vs. Jeanne Shaheen (D)
[NH-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
New Jersey
[NJ-03]: Chris Myers (R) vs. John Adler (D)
[NJ-05]: Scott Garrett (R-i) vs. Dennis Shulman (D)
[NJ-07]: Leonard Lance (R) vs. Linda Stender (D)
[NJ-Sen]: Frank Lautenberg (D-i) vs. Dick Zimmer (R)
[NJ-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
New Mexico
[NM-01]: Darren White (R) vs. Martin Heinrich (D)
[NM-02]: Ed Tinsley (R) vs. Harry Teague (D)
[NM-Sen]: Steve Pearce (R) vs. Tom Udall (D)
[NM-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
Nevada
[NV-02]: Dean Heller (R-i) vs. Jill Derby (D)
[NV-03]: Jon Porter (R-i) vs. Dina Titus (D)
[NV-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
New York
[NY-13]: Bob Straniere (R) vs. Mike McMahon (D)
[NY-20]: Kirsten Gillibrand (D-i) vs. Alexander Treadwell (R)
[NY-24]: Michael Arcuri (D-i) vs. Richard L. Hanna (R)
[NY-25]: Dale Sweetland (R) vs. Dan Maffei (D)
[NY-26]: Chris Lee (R) vs. Alice Kryzan (D)
[NY-29]: Randy Kuhl (R-i) vs. Eric Massa (D)
Ohio
[OH-01]: Steve Chabot (R-i) vs. Steven L. Driehaus (D)
[OH-02]: Jean Schmidt (R-i) vs. Victoria Wulsin (D)
[OH-07]: Steve Austria (R) vs. Sharen Neuhardt (D)
[OH-15]: Steve Stivers (R) vs. Mary Jo Kilroy (D)
[OH-16]: J. Kirk Schuring (R) vs. John Boccieri (D)
[OH-18]: Zack Space (D-i) vs. Fred Dailey (R)
[OH-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
Oklahoma
[OK-Sen]: James Inhofe (R-i) vs. Andrew Rice (D) vs. Stephen Wallace (I)
Oregon
[OR-05]: Kurt Schrader (D) vs. Mike Erickson (R)
[OR-SOS]: Kate Brown (D) vs. Rick Dancer (R)
[OR-Sen]: Gordon Smith (R-i) vs. Jeff Merkley (D) vs. David Brownlow (C)
[OR-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
Pennsylvania
[PA-03]: Phil English (R-i) vs. Kathleen Dahlkemper (D)
[PA-04]: Jason Altmire (D-i) vs. Melissa Hart (R)
[PA-06]: Jim Gerlach (R-i) vs. Bob Roggio (D)
[PA-08]: Patrick Murphy (D-i) vs. Thomas Manion (R)
[PA-10]: Christopher Carney (D-i) vs. Chris Hackett (R)
[PA-11]: Paul Kanjorski (D-i) vs. Lou Barletta (R)
[PA-15]: Charlie Dent (R-i) vs. Siobhan Bennett (D)
[PA-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
South Carolina
[SC-Sen]: Lindsey Graham (R-i) vs. Bob Conley (D)
[SC-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
South Dakota
[SD-Sen]: Tim Johnson (D-i) vs. Joel D. Dykstra (R)
[SD-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
Tennessee
[TN-04]: Lincoln Davis (D-i) vs. Monty Lankford (R)
Texas - The Red Pen
[TX-07]: John Culberson (R-i) vs. Michael Skelly (D)
[TX-10]: Michael McCaul (R-i) vs. Larry Joe Doherty (D)
[TX-22]: Nick Lampson (D-i) vs. Pete Olson (R)
[TX-23]: Ciro Rodriguez (D-i) vs. Lyle T. Larson (R)
[TX-Sen]: John Cornyn (R-i) vs. Rick Noriega (D)
Vermont
[VT-Gov]: Jim Douglas (R-i) vs. Gaye Symington (D) vs. Anthony Pollina (P)
Virginia
[VA-02]: Thelma Drake (R-i) vs. Glenn Nye (D)
[VA-05]: Virgil Goode (R-i) vs. Tom Perriello (D)
[VA-11]: Keith Fimian (R) vs. Gerry Connolly (D)
[VA-Sen]: Jim Gilmore (R) vs. Mark Warner (D)
[VA-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
Washington - sarahnity
[WA-08]: Dave Reichert (R-i) vs. Darcy Burner (D)
[WA-Gov]: Christine Gregoire (D-i) vs. Dino Rossi (R)
[WA-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
Wisconsin - Miss Blue
[WI-08]: Steve Kagen (D-i) vs. John Gard (R)
[WI-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
West Virginia
[WV-02]: Shelley Moore Capito (R-i) vs. Anne Barth (D)
[WV-SOS]: Charles Theophilus Minimah (D) vs. Natalie Tennant (D)
[WV-Pres]: John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
Wyoming
[WY-AL]: Barbara Cubin (R-i) vs. Gary Trauner (D)
Stand-bys, Admins
I'm also looking for people who may be available as standbys in case either a) someone doesn't show up with their live blog or b) someone's blog is overrun with comments and we need a 2nd blog of that race.
I'm also looking for 2 or 3 well respected members of the communities who can share admin abilities with me on the spreadsheets. That simply means that I'll give them permissions to edit all the spreadsheets in the project.
Blog stand-bys:
SallyCat, the dogs sockpuppet, sardonyx (late races)
Sidof79
Spreadsheet stand-bys (if needed):
NY brit expat (early races)
sardonyx (late races)
Spreadsheet duty:
dmsilev, sarahnity
Suggestions
Of course, if you have any suggestions, questions, comments, corrections, etc., feel free to post them.
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