I didn't expect to be live blogging the Wisconsin recall this early, but I'll keep updating as new information arrives. The first thread is here, but to summarize—turnout is through the roof everywhere, from Dem areas to Republican areas.
This is actually a good sign—there are more Democrats in Wisconsin than Republicans. Our biggest danger is that their crowd turns out in greater numbers than ours—something that happened to tragic results in 2010.
Still, Republicans are highly motivated. If we're to win, we have to do it by turning our people out. Turnout is crazy huge in Dane County (Madison and environs), and encouragingly good in Milwaukee. If Milwaukee turns out big, we can get our upset victory.
Jesse LaGreca is in Wisconsin today and snapped this photo:
In Wisconsin, today. (Jesse LaGreca)
12:32 PM PT: Conservative conspiracy pushed by the Breitbarts that the unions are busing in people from Detroit to boost Democratic numbers.
Of course, you'd have to bus in like 50,000 people, which is something like 625 buses or half of Greyhound entire fleet of 1,250 ... but who is counting? And why Detroit? Obviously, it's because black people live there, but black people live in places much closer to Wisconsin than Detroit.
But hey, it's not our place to try and decipher wingnut logic.
12:34 PM PT: In case you thought I was joking about crazy bus conspiracy theory, here it is:
And it's not just one tweet.
12:49 PM PT: Virtual phonebanking will ABSOLUTELY make a difference today. Help with the get out the vote efforts! The winner will be the team who worked hardest.
12:52 PM PT: It shouldn't even be close:
12:56 PM PT: No hard numbers, just confirmation that a shiton of people are voting.
No statewide figures were available, but local election officials offered fairly similar accounts of a heavy turnout in communities large and small, in both Democratic and Republican areas.
In many places, election officials said turnout was as strong as, or stronger than, it was for the 2010 gubernatorial election. A few even compared it to the 2008 presidential election.
If turnout is like 2010, we're fucked. If it's like 2008, we can pull this off.
I noted this in the last liveblog, but it bears repeating:
Heavy turnout in Milwaukee led the city's Election Commission to call out the reserves.
Extra poll workers were sent to polling places at Becher Terrace, Bradley Tech High School, Keenan Health Center, Morse Middle School, Rufus King International School Middle Years Campus, and Cass Street, 53rd Street, Grantosa and Parkview schools, said Sue Edman, the election commission's executive director.
The backup workers were needed to handle long lines, partly because a significant number of new voters were registering at the polls, Edman said.
But don't start celebrating just yet:
But Walker's base also appeared to be turning out strongly. In the Village of Pewaukee, where the Republican beat Barrett by more than a 2-to-1 margin in 2010, 1,300 voters had cast ballots at the village's two voting sites by 11:15 a.m., in addition to 700 absentee ballots previously cast, according to Paul Boening, the village's deputy clerk. The village has 4,500 registered voters, of whom about 3,700 cast ballots in 2010, Boening said.
In Delafield, a lunch-hour rush hit Christ the King Lutheran Church, where by noon 2,076 voters, including absentees, had cast ballots.
Gina Gresch, the City of Delafield Clerk-Treasurer, said 4,688 voters are registered in the city. She said at least 100 new voters registered on Election Day. Delafield also went for Gov. Scott Walker by a better than 2 to 1 margin in 2010.
In Brown County, Deputy Clerk Sandy Juno said, "We're hearing from the (municipal) clerks that they feel the turnout today so far has been busier than what it was in the 2008 presidential election. We've had requests to print 15,000 additional ballots. As of yesterday, we had already printed over 100,000."
Washington County Clerk Brenda Jaszewski also reported heavy turnout.
1:13 PM PT: More on the bus conspiracy, from Fox Nation:
On WMAL’s The Chris Plante Show today a Michigan resident by the name of "Mike" called in to discuss how he had infiltrated a Michigan Union's organized bus convoy, en-route to vote in the Wisconsin recall election for Democrats.
The caller claimed that Michigan’s “Democrat Unions” had organized a convoy of 4 buses, filled with Michigan Democrats, with the intention of voting for Tom Barrett in the Wisconsin recall election.
Caller “Mike” describes “Greyhound size buses, filled to capacity” with a good amount of “freebies” available, “They treated me to lunch!”
The caller also points out that the organizers did not tell union riders that it is illegal to vote in Wisconsin if you're from another state.
The caller refused to leave his name or contact info. So basically, the right wing is rallying around some random person on a random radio show, spreading a conspiracy that unions are busing in FOUR BUSES WORTH of black people from Detroit. Because, you know, 320 extra votes will completely and radically change the complexion of an election that will feature millions of votes.
Sigh.
