The Political Whore

By Peter Schorsch
PoHo contributor
Peter Schorsch is a political consultant and writes St. Petersblog 2.0.

There is a mis-editorial in yesterday’s St. Petersburg Times claiming that early, mail-in voting is causing frustration in several municipal elections in Pinellas County:

Some candidates were surprised, too. Local election campaigns don’t typically kick into high gear until about six weeks before Election Day. But in mid-January candidates, started hearing from residents who had ballots and were frustrated that they had seen no information about the people running for office. Candidates scrambled to try to connect with those voters, and in some cases had to order more campaign materials — and incur extra costs — for a campaign season that grew by weeks.

I’m sorry but if the only frustration with Supervisor of Election Deborah Clark’s promotion of voting by mail is with candidates caught off guard by early balloting, then spare me the hand-wringing. Serious candidates for local office should hire political consultants and staff knowledgeable enough to help prepare them for the accelerated election calendar.

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For weeks, I had heard about the long lines for early voting, a lot of it from my colleagues, some of whom waited two hours or more.

With each new tale, I became more and more committed to … voting on Election Day. Now there’s an idea!

I felt sure I would be redeemed by a short, efficient trip to the voting booth. Hoping to miss the rush hour, I chose to show up about 9:15 a.m. at my precinct in northeast St. Pete. How did it all work out? Did I turn out to be smarter than my co-workers? Here’s a quick video diary of my Election Day experience.

Fuck Deborah Clark. The Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections has proven herself incompetent this election cycle. Unless two hour wait times to vote are your idea of a job well done. In that case, you must be a Republican with voter suppression on his mind, because under no other objective evaluation could what is currently going on at at the three (THREE!) sites for early voting in Pinellas County be called a success.

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Barack Obama aired his half-hour “Obama Infomercial” as the candidate called it on last night’s Daily Show. (Time called it a “mini-convention six days before the election.”) The production leaned heavily on tug-at-the-heartstrings profiles of “real Americans” and some very specific policy proposals. In case you missed it:

• Florida gets much love as the candidates crisscross the state.
• Millions vote early, immediately smash televisions…
• …but not necessarily the Youth Vote.
• Bill stumps with Obama in Kissimmee. Three words we enjoy in any sentence: Bill, stumps and Kissimmee.
• McCain to LAT: Screw your journalistic principles, gimme that damned Obama video.
• Larry King was in town yesterday? I knew there was a reason I felt really icky all day.
• One of the 2,466 keyboardists who ever played with Jerry Garcia is dead.
• The worst part is that I had a ticket for game 6.
• There you go again, Sarah Palin.
• Can someone explain how the U.S. faces deflation after the Fed has created all this money?
• Trouble ahead for Facebook?
• 15 technologies that are about to change everything.
• God help us all: The Beatles go digital with their own edition of Rock Band.

I couldn’t hold out until Election Day to cast my ballot, as much as I wanted to, but the thought of trying to juggle my journalistic duties with my constitutional responsibility to vote got to be a bit overwhelming. So, I thought, I would pop down the street to the West Tampa Library and vote early.

I’ll jump to the conclusion: this paper ballot stuff sucks and I long for the days of the touch-screen machine.

I lit out of the office at about 11:30 a.m. to vote, and after circling the block once found a parking spot. The entire street on the north side of the library was full, as was the parking lot across the street, in back of the post office. I got in line with what looked like about 60-70 people ahead of me, as Obama volunteers handed out literature and a poll watcher came by with bottles of water. The poll watcher made a crack about not having any Scotch to go with the water, and I damned near left the line to go get one. Would have taken the edge off the cold and the wait ahead.

They let people inside in groups of 15, and each group took about 15-20 minutes to cycle through, so I spent about 45 minutes in line outside and another 15 or so inside until I got to the woman manning the voting computer. “Your picture ID, please,” she said. I had to repeat to her my current address, then read a placard that threatened me with jail if I was bullshitting her about anything, then sign my name on an electronic keypad instead of the old paper record. What a pain in the ass. There was an elderly lady next to me who, I swear, like tried to sign the electronic keypad 30 or 40 times without it registering. She apparently couldn’t get it right or muster enough strength to have the pen make an impression. What a nightmare.

After I did all that song and dance, the poll worker hit a button and my paper ballot started spitting out of the printer. This printing process took about 30 seconds or so, as opposed to the digital cards that touch-screens used to have, which took almost no time to program. I then was handed my two paper ballots inside of a “privacy folder” and was directed to a voting booth. The black felt-tip marker at the booth worked, just barely, and I started marking the two pages.

Now, here is where I screwed up.

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Deb Clark’s decision to limit early voting in Pinellas County to just three locations has resulted in long lines and prompted widespread criticism, a partisan call for a grand jury investigation, and now the installation of “wait clocks” showing people waiting in hour-plus lines just how long it will take to discharge their democratic duties.

Jack Killingsworth, a Democrat running against Clark, sent out this news release today:

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It’s official, from the Obama campaign:

Jimmy Buffett to Headline Last Chance for Change Rally & Concert for Barack Obama
in Tampa Nov. 2nd
Free Concert Information at FL.BarackObama.com

TAMPA – Two days before Election Day, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2, the legendary Jimmy Buffett will hold a free concert in Tampa to support Barack Obama’s Campaign for Change.

A Florida resident, Buffett will perform for thousands of Florida voters – for free – to urge them to cast their votes for Barack Obama on Tuesday, November 4. Obama’s Campaign for Change encourages voters to cast their ballots during Early Voting, which ends Saturday, November 1 in most counties.

Tickets can only be obtained by visiting one of the Campaign for Change Early Vote information tables at locations listed below and are limited to two per person. Visit FL.BarackObama.com or call 1-877-2FL-OBAMA for more information.

Ticket drop details after the jump.

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