Thank You, Sweet Readers
Thanks to your generous donations, we were able to pay for mailing pre-filled application to Vote By Mail to 12,000 Texans over the age of 65, pay for 50 4X4 highway signs for Beto, provide 700 stamps for personal postcards to Democratic voters, pay for campaign school in Austin for a young first time candidate (which was a great investment), buy and distribute 400 Had Enough? signs …
… pay for 16,000 pre-filled voter registration applications with return postage paid to progressive voters who have moved into Fort Bend County and not changed their voter registration, rented a booth for the Scarecrow Festival next week that volunteers will staff, donated $500 toward this mailing to Fort Bend, Harris, Galveston, and Brazoria Counties that’s going out next week to Democratic women who rarely vote in off year elections …
See big one here, and pay for 50 hours of canvassing. I’m certain there’s more I’ll remember when Kyle balances the books.
You guys are freeking amazing. You really are. Pat yourselves on the back.
I know you’re all pretty much tapped out this late in an election cycle, but I’d love to pay some folks to reach out to Democrats who haven’t voted between the three days between the end of early voting and election day.
And everybody thank Kyle Longhofer, the nerd lawyer who keeps us all out of trouble with the Texas Ethics Commission, which is a damn big job, without hollering at me more than I’m already used to. And he does it for free, plus he brings Ben wonderful presents from Disney World.
P.S. – Bubba just called and he said that some of the small counties along the Gulf Coast keep calling him about the Had Enough signs but we’re plum out. His office is a designated pick up location for yard signs. He bought 100 more himself for early voting polling locations to encourage straight ticket voting. I’d like to buy 100 more. They are 2.25 each with the planting wire attached.
Holy Toledo! You’ve been busy!
1OT, but any of you with interests in Florida, AL, GA, SC, NC, VA, DE, MD, etc need to get ready for Hurricane Michael’s MAJOR hurricane to tropical storm conditions, with rainfall from 12+ inches to 4″ all along Michael’s path.
Earlier forecasts in the past few days had projected Michael to be a minimal storm, that has now changed for the (much) worse, Michael will be at least a Cat 3 at probable landfall in the Florida Panhandle.
Hurricane Michael will cut across N Florida and the whole SE US, bringing strong winds, tornadoes, and lots of rain to areas still recovering from the recent major hurricane. Michael will then enter the mid Atlantic coast near Cape Hatteras and cruise up to the whole East Coast as a strong storm, though not expected to be of tropical storm/hurricane status. It then heads for the British Isles.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/?atlc
2“The updated NHC forecast is near the upper-end
of the guidance and calls for rapid strengthening over the next 24 hours, and brings Michael to major hurricane status. After that time, most of the intensity guidance slows down the rate of
intensification, perhaps due to a slight increase in southwesterly shear. Weakening is expected after landfall, but the forecast track keeps a portion of the circulation over water along the southeast
U.S. coast, so Michael is predicted to remain a tropical storm through 72 hours. The system should become a powerful extratropical low off the U.S. Mid-Atlantic coast in about 4 days.”
I have read that votes by mail are less likely to be counted. Is this true? They can’t toss them all out, can they?
3@Jan K,
4I always vote in person. There’s no way to track a mailed-in vote once they leave your hands…so they could get “lost” or tossed. And it would be your word against theirs that you even mailed it.
Does Act Blue realize that some people want to donate but don’t want to fill out all the personal information that AB requires? This is the third cause I’ve been rebuffed for not filling out my address, phone number, retired or not, etc. They should make it as easy as possible. (And writing/mailing a check is more effort than necessary. Can’t they have a page for curmudgeons?
5John, under Texas law, I have to report all donors, your hometown, where you work and what you do for a living. In the alternative, you can send me a check but I need your address and occupation. Sorry, Buddy, but we follow the law here at Juanita’s because there’s too damn many lawyers hanging around.
6Jan, I have worked early voting vote counts for 20 years. You can call them to ask if your ballot got there and they can tell you. Once they have arrived, they are tracked from beginning to end. I am so sold on the process that I vote by mail. It also leaves a paper trail that can be recounted in a close race. Also, if your ballot is a little screwy like may your mark a little bit into another candidate’s box, a team of both Republican and Democrats try to determine voter intent. Just make sure you have good Democrats on the vote count.
7I vote on a machine that counts paper ballots. I fill in every single one of those little blobs to vote for Democrats. I am afraid to fill in the straight ticket blob becaus that would be such an easy hack, and all the numbers would be right. Just a thought, those lying sacks of garbage are cheating somehow!
8I get that you need SOME information and that’s probably a good idea, all things considered. But Act Blue also insists on a full mailing address, cell phone number, and email address. Even if I don’t mind typing all that out, (and I do)who wants to be on yet another data base? They won’t take the donation without all that extra personal information.
Thanks for responding.
9Here in WA state, where it’s ALL vote by mail, you can go somewhere online to see that your vote has been received.
10John @9etc,
Most of those requirements are for compliance with federal and state election laws. About the only ones not required by law are cell phone (I think landline # is req if exist) and email (so they can contact you about Actblue stuff if needed).
I don’t think that ActBlue has ever directly bothered me with any type of ‘spam’, or that they themselves sell their database listings to candidates and/or others. It’s possible though, I use a phone # that I almost never answer, nor open unknown email.
Probably have to read Actblue’s ‘privacy policy’ to find out.
But yeah, I hate to have my info on anybody’s (probably insecure) databases. I don’t even let my (small) utilities ‘keep’ my CC, etc info on hand.
If you can ‘trust’ Paypal, it is probably the best way to disburse your money. Paypal does not divulge your banking info (CC, acct #’s, etc) to payees. All a payee sees is a Paypal account. This prevents payees from having knowledge of your actual bank accts. Of course Paypal itself knows all.
However I have been deluged by many candidates (often nowhere nearby) email and snailmail junk.
11I suspect that they got access from either the state or federal databases.
I’m pretty damned sure that the Texas SoS office sells a lot of database info packages to anyone paying for it.
I made a group donation through ActBlue to a bunch of Dem candidates all over the place, and now I’m getting email from every single one of them. So they do share.
Hate to break it to ’em, but I delete the emails without opening them. Bloody annoying, though.
12Peon, ditto here in Ohio.
13Donated a small amount keep up the great work!
14Where do we order the Had Enough signs from. We need some in Hamilton. Maybe the Cops will take those too.
15I do envy those with early voting or vote by mail (for other than dire medical conditions). Here in true blue CT we have to show up in person on election day between the appointed hours. Period. True our state is small and most don’t have to travel far- but even down the street at the firehouse can be a problem if you work 2 jobs or that’s the day you’re called for overtime.
16Happy to throw some change in the pot! I’d also welcome some suggestions for further giving. I’ve donated to various candidates and proudly returned my ballot by registered mail. But, after seeing “BlacKKKlansman” last night, I went home muttering, “Not doing enough, not doing enough, not doing enough”.
17I was reading about a group that provides transport, etc. to the polls on election day; can anyone tell me what it’s called or make other suggestions? Thanks in advance.
And, Jan, Juanita Jean Herownself is quite right. All mailed ballots that arrive before the deadline get counted – it’s required before the vote can be certified.
I just sent some $$ through as well. I donate through Act Blue all the time and have never had a problem with it. I’m very glad it’s there.
18can you point me to a donate button for the signs
19Peter – right here – https://secure.actblue.com/donate/blockwalk They money raised will go for both block walking and signs.
20Will kick in some more.
On ActBlue, I use an email address I reserve for politics, and I give all zeros as my phone number.
21@Vicki
I use Bob@Bob.com when I wish to not receive emails from a vendor or political group.
If they insist on a phone number, I give them 214/555-1212.
22Micr, — a phone number…hmmmm.. evil idea: give them the WH switchboard number…
23Ooooooh. Great ideas re phone numbers.
24OK Consider it done…
202-456-1111
25I donated even though I don’t live in Texas because it would be such sweet, sweet relief to no longer see Ted Cruz’s smug mug on the television and internet machines.
26Our current general election mail in ballot was misdelivered. Thank goodness the person who got it brought it to the house.
In the Bond election we never got the mail in ballot. The county said we should have. We could only vote provisionally.
Be sure if you requested a mail in ballot that you got it. We would have never known if the recipient had not brought them here. He could have tossed them thinking they were junk. I’m informed by the carrier that happens frequently.
27Look for the claim that a lot of mail in ballots to be damaged/destroyed as a result of water damage from the hurricane in florida and georgia.
28The fact that they all came from heavily democratic areas is purely coincidental. Just as the fact that most criminal voting/ campaign practices are thuglicans, all purely coincidental.
Any place there is the possibility of a tight race where the thuglicans “count” the vote expect “irregularities” or as the thugs call it business as usual.
This is probably why canadian ted pulled out of town hall.
Why face humiliation in public when those that own and count the votes have reassured you that like saxby chamblis, and all so many more, you will get a miraculous turn around and bump that will carry you over the finish line.
He was probably told to go into hiding since this electoral miracle will be easier to explain the less they see of him.
NW PA here. Sent a small PayPal Donation. Thanks for the hard work.
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