Vote 2007 http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/ News and notes from the local campaign trail. en Copyright 2008 Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:11:59 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Turnout Turnout was just under 20 percent, 19.6, on Tuesday. That's much better than the 12.4 percent from the 2005 elections, so congratulations, voters! A couple of districts had interesting turnout figures, though. Keeping in mind that all voters were selecting at-large candidates and a mayor, District 4 featured a race with a strong incumbent, Mike Barber, going against a candidate, David Crawford, who dropped out of the race. Turnout in D4 was 22.6 percent, higher than the city average. But in District 5, which featured the hot-button race between incumbent Sandy Carmany and conqueror Trudy Wade, only 12.4 percent of voters turned out. Wade didn't even need 2,000 votes to win the seat. http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/turnout.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/turnout.shtml Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:11:59 -0500 Mixed signals GREENSBORO - Voters elected some establishment candidates and some outsiders to the City Council on Tuesday, sending a mixed message about how they think City Hall is being managed. Some winners - at-large incumbent Sandra Anderson Groat and former Councilman Robbie Perkins - support the status quo, including beleaguered City Manager Mitchell Johnson. Others, including former Guilford County Commissioners Mary Rakestraw and Trudy Wade, ran on a throw-the-bums-out platform. One thing the winners share: Well-known names. More on that theme here.]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/mixed_signals.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/mixed_signals.shtml Tue, 06 Nov 2007 22:59:27 -0500 Mayor Johnson GREENSBORO - The city's first black mayor-elect pledged Tuesday to unite the city and "deal with these issues that we keep hearing over and over again." Those issues: keeping residents safe, bringing closure to the lingering police department controversy, creating a business-friendly atmosphere, and protecting the environment. Yvonne Johnson steamrolled building contractor Milton Kern to become the city's first mayor since 1999 not named Keith Holliday. She garnered 57 percent of the vote to Kern's 43 percent, according to complete but unofficial results. "I think I have a vision that people embrace, which is to bring this community together," Johnson said. ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/mayor_johnson.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/mayor_johnson.shtml Tue, 06 Nov 2007 22:57:15 -0500 The Wray effect? Update: Some thoughts from the blogosphere:
  • *The CA: "If there is good news, it is that Rakestraw and Wade won't get rolled."
  • *Fecund Stench ... has posted video today from an incident we heard about that happened at Gate City Baptist Church. Our man-about-town Jim Schlosser had this to report about the incident earlier:
    "At Precinct 66's polling place at Gate City Baptist Church on Hilltop Road, police were called after an argument broke out between a campaign worker and a voter. The voter accused the worker of being too close to the polling place. "There was some cursing involved," police Lt. Brian Cheek said. "Another lady heard the cursing (and) was upset, and apparently the campaign worker was abusive to her, too." A polling official asked the worker to leave.
  • *Doug Clark: "In contrast, Greensboro candidates have gotten plenty of time in the spotlight, appearing at numerous forums and drawing lots of media coverage. It still may not produce a huge voter turnout, but the people who chose to vote today should have been well-informed. I have no doubt they will select a capable and interesting City Council."
]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/the_wray_effect.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/the_wray_effect.shtml Tue, 06 Nov 2007 22:06:09 -0500 Done All votes in Guilford County are in except for curb-side voting, reports Nate DeGraff from the Old Guilford County Courthouse. If these early, unofficial returns hold: Yvonne Johnson is your new mayor. Former County Commissioner Mary Rakestraw, current Mayor Pro-Tempore Sandra Anderson-Groat and former Council Member Robbie Perkins are your three at-large winners. T. Diane Bellamy-Small will retain her seat in District 1. Goldie Wells retains her District 2 seat. Zack Matheny is the new council member from District 3. Mike Barber retains his seat in District 4. Trudy Wade will take Sandy Carmany's place in District 5. For those keeping score at home, Barber, Rakestraw and Wade are all former Guilford County Commissioners. http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/done.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/done.shtml Tue, 06 Nov 2007 21:36:01 -0500 Halfway home Update: (9:15 p.m.) Our folks on the scene say there are at least a dozen precincts not plugged into the computer. -=-=-=-=-= Our boys and girls on scene say that with about 24,000 votes reported in the mayor's race at this point, the votes are more than half-way counted. That would indicate much stronger turnout than 2005, when fewer than 16,000 people voted in the mayor's race. Of course, Mayor Keith Holliday was unopposed in that election. Tonight, he's hanging out at the Old Guilford County Courthouse looking to see which of two candidates is going to take his place. ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/halfway_home.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/halfway_home.shtml Tue, 06 Nov 2007 20:58:03 -0500 Whoops Board of Elections site that said the bulk of the precincts were in with only 3,000 or 6,000 votes reported. That is not the case. More in a minute, but we'll report back here once we have confirmation the whole vote is in. Elections Director George Gilbert explained to the crowd down at the Old County Courthouse what went wrong. Click here to listen to his explanation. Update: The short version is this: Voting laws require that those who cast early and absentee ballots be counted as part of their home precincts. The computers that tally Guilford County's can sort them back in, easy cheesy. The problem comes when the computer is told to sort them early, which is what happened tonight. Because they sorted early, the bulk of the city's precincts showed up as having been counted when in fact they have not been. That leaves you, the home viewer, as well as us scruffy media types guessing as to when the vote totals are completed.]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/whoops.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/whoops.shtml Tue, 06 Nov 2007 20:42:09 -0500 Props Joe Wilson campaign. Taylor said he had been out since 6:30 a.m. I asked why. "He's one of the few candidates running his campaign the right way," Taylor said. Click here to listen to his full answer. And I should note that Yvonne Johnson supporters Richard O'Brian and Enola Mixon were also out there. O'Brien and Taylor reported that they thought the polling place had seen slightly increased traffic from two years ago. ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/props.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/props.shtml Tue, 06 Nov 2007 18:27:17 -0500 Can you hear me now? - Jim Schlosser]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/can_you_hear_me_now.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/can_you_hear_me_now.shtml Tue, 06 Nov 2007 15:05:51 -0500 A privilege - Jim Schlosser]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/a_privilege.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/a_privilege.shtml Tue, 06 Nov 2007 15:01:38 -0500 Harsh words? - Jim Schlosser]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/harsh_words.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/harsh_words.shtml Tue, 06 Nov 2007 14:27:47 -0500 Quiet before the lunch rush five.jpg Merri Romberg, center, stands with her daughter Katie, 10, as she signs in to vote with Gwyn Shearin, a voting assistant. ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/quiet_before_the_lunch_rush.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/quiet_before_the_lunch_rush.shtml Tue, 06 Nov 2007 11:48:12 -0500 Voters are in the know mckoy.jpg Fred McKoy, 86, checks in to vote at Trinity AME Zion Church. ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/voters_are_in_the_know.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/voters_are_in_the_know.shtml Tue, 06 Nov 2007 10:14:52 -0500 By the numbers each district's registered voters eligible to participate in today's election. It's a nonpartisan election, but we're including the party breakdown, too. District 1 Registered: 29,195. By race: 20,828 black; 7,295 white. By gender: 17,084 female; 12,008 male. By party: 21,598 Democrat; 3,086 Republican; 4,441 unaffiliated. District 2 Registered: 31,777. By race: 23,223 black; 7,514 white. By gender: 19,060 female; 12,678 male. By party: 23,257 Democrat; 3,290 Republican; 5,230 unaffiliated. District 3 Registered: 39,172. By race: 6,483 black; 31,580 white. By gender: 22,024 female; 17,108 male. By party: 17,177 Democrat; 13,810 Republican; 8,185 unaffiliated. District 4 Registered: 38,673. By race: 4,784 black; 32,552 white. By gender: 21,448 female; 17,201 male. By party: 16,788 Democrat; 13,651 Republican; 8,234 unaffiliated. District 5 Registered: 28,377. By race: 9,015 black; 17,779 white. By gender: 16,221 female; 12,126 male. By party: 14,101 Democrat; 7,634 Republican; 6,642 unaffiliated. The grand totals for the at-large race Registered: 167,194. By race: 64,333 black; 96,729 white. By gender: 95,837 female; 71,121 male. By party: 92,921 Democrat; 41,471 Republican; 32,732 unaffiliated. ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/by_the_numbers.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/by_the_numbers.shtml Tue, 06 Nov 2007 10:07:49 -0500 A shoutout for grandma grandkids.jpg Devin Tonkins, 5, watches as his brother Jalen Tonkins, 10, fills out paperwork for Kids Voting. Their grandmother is mayoral candidate Yvonne Johnson.]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/a_shoutout_for_grandma.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/elex2007/2007/11/a_shoutout_for_grandma.shtml Tue, 06 Nov 2007 10:01:48 -0500