Needham! Vote Tuesday, April 9

11AM UPDATES on Town Meeting Recs!:
Precinct H --  2 people would appreciate your WRITE IN VOTE for Town Meeting and would be terrific representatives at Town Meeting:
Karen Han - 34 Grosvenor
Sharmon Priaulx - 483 Great Plain Ave

Dear Friends, I'm quite delayed in organizing my recommendations for Town Elections. I've been working with Stacie organizing around revenue reform, and it's been in high gear for the last week. Unfortunately, it looks like Needham's Representative Denise Garlick is not standing up for progressive reforms. But we'll know later tonight when the actual vote is taken.  Please look here for more information: http://progma.us/JWMHouseVotes

I have been too slammed to hold the ANnual Beer Party and that stinks!!! I hope you will free to contact me if you have questions about the ballot tomorrow; I am ALWAYS happy to offer my opinion! Here is a brief overview of a few candidates who deserve your support on Election Day April 9:
___________________

The big contested race this spring on the Town Ballot is for Planning Board.

I am endorsing Artie Crocker, enthusiastically, for Planning Board.

Artie is just about the hardest worker I know, tirelessly out there for progressive causes and candidates. His commitment to doing what is right, no matter how hard, is inspiring.

On the planning board, his background as a mediator and a mechanical engineer will serve him well on an important Needham board. As importantly, his love for Needham and doing what is best for our community -- for the neighborhoods and the businesses -- is an animating force, and will bring a positive new dimension to the board.

Artie's a terrific guy and will continue to be a tremendous asset to our town when elected to the Planning Board.

Please vote for Artie Crocker, and encourage your friends and neighbors to do the same!

More about Artie: http://www.electartiecrocker.com/

**
I'll update with Town Meeting suggestions, hopefully, late tonight. 

TOWN MEETING: 
I have one Precinct H write-in recommendation and recs for the two contested precincts, F and I.  I do not know everyone on the town meeting lists, but I can vouch for the following people:

Precinct H -
Vote for first time nominee, Tom Gillogley
Write in: Karen Han, Grosvenor Road, Needham


Precinct F
Kenneth Scott Muldoon
William Okerman
Leslie Kalish
Karen Price

Precinct I
Artie Crocker
Claire Ecsedy
David Ecsedy
Josephine Ochalla
Peter Pingitore

Election 2012 : Nov 6

• Know where you vote. http://progma.us/pollinginfo 
• Make a plan when you're going to vote -- after work? before? during lumch? 
• Ask your friends and family: do they know where they're voting? Do they have a plan as to when they'll vote? 
• Voting problems? CALL : 1-866-OUR VOTE - http://www.866ourvote.org/ - Lawyers will be on the line, live, to answer any questions. DO NOT BLOW OFF ANY CHALLENGE To YOUR OR ANYONE'S VOTE--make a call and talk to a lawyer. If you  have ANY questions about the voting process--CALL. 
• Needham: Remember to VOTE YES on the Citizens United ballot question: http://hmny.me/democracyamendment
• Needham: Review your ballot: http://www.lwv-needham.org/Nov12_election.html
• Read and share great Needham Letters to the Editor about Elizabeth Warren: http://hmny.me/EW2012NeedhamLTE
• VOLUNTEER for the President, Elizabeth Warren and Joe Kennedy!!
• Stop by HQ and check in with Rachael and Vanessa for elizabeth and joe: 51 Lincoln Street, Needham, MA (Old site of Needham Comm. Council)
• Canvass in NH for Obama: check in here: http://hmny.me/canvassercheckin
• Help create a picture of voter turnout in Needham: email or post on this page the vote counts at your precinct in Needham (note the time recorded) -- if there are two precincts at your polling place, note both!

WE ARE VOTING ON CITIZENS UNITED--

We've all been focused on the big races, with Elizabeth Warren, Pres. Obama and Joe Kennedy capturing much of our volunteering energy/time.

Please make sure you also know about the MONEY IN POLITICS ballot question that will be on Needham ballots on Tuesday.
MORE INFORMATION: http://hmny.me/democracyamendment

Please vote YES on Question 4 and 5 (Precincts A-C, I-J) and Question 5 (Precincts D-H), to say, YES, Congress should act to reverse Citizens United and regulate money in elections.

YOU HAVE TO TURN YOUR BALLOT OVER to get to all of the questions!

Needham Vote Results

I'll post what intel I get, here, when I get it. I have been very busy this GOTV lead up, which makes me bummed to have not been able to have the beer party to help everyone prep for their vote today.

Running Updates start below:

2:05 PM 209 votes in precinct H; 178 in G

• Needham patch will post results:  http://needham.patch.com/articles/primary-polls-closed-results-to-post-soon
• "It's sad" -- quote from Needham's polls today: Low Needham voter turnout so far for state primaries - Needham, Massachusetts - Needham Times (9/6/2012) http://bit.ly/OYGuvY
• State Primary Today: What Needham Voters Should Know - Needham, MA Patch (9/6/2012) - http://bit.ly/OYJqZv

VOTE: This THURSDAY - September 6

PRIMARY ELECTION DAY IS THURSDAY THIS YEAR.  That's THIS Thursday.

Not Tuesday. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6.

On THURSDAY, Sept. 6, you will go to the polls and you will vote! >> Click here to add it to your google calendar. <<

No one seems to know this, so make sure YOU have put it on your calendar--and that you send a reminder to your friends, family and other networks. 

My favorite election day t-shirt is from MassVote, and it says: VOTE. EVERY TIME.

>> WHY IT'S IMPORTANT YOU VOTE--AND VOLUNTEER--THIS THURSDAY

I'm going to talk turkey here. There are no big, tight elections for us in Needham. The Governor's Council race is the biggest unknown, but that is hardly a headline grabber for occasional voters.  (I promise to have a recommendation soon, which I will post here; I am still gathering info.).

It IS the statewide primary, which means that we can vote for ELIZABETH WARREN.  It also means that we'll be voting for the first time for our NEW CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, MA-04 (we used to be MA-09, with Stephen Lynch). MA-04 is represented by Barney Frank, who is retiring. So THURSDAY we will vote for who we want to replace him (and of course, we'll vote again in November).

Turkey talking: Joe Kennedy will win the election on Thursday. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't vote--or that you shouldn't help GOTV (get out the vote):

• Getting out the vote for the primary is an important dry run for Election Day in November, where Elizabeth Warren's tight race, and Obama (not so tight in MA) will be on the ballot. 
• It's a dry run for the VOTERS (a primary day voter will be more likely to turn-out on Election day) 
• and it's a dry run for the VOLUNTEERS (practice and familiarization with GOTV activities like poll checking, GOTV canvassing and calls)
• (Not to mention that we want our future Democratic Congressman to have a strong showing!)

NOW I'M GOING TO TELL YOU THAT TO HELP ELECT ELIZABETH WARREN -- YOU SHOULD VOLUNTEER FOR JOE KENNEDY THIS WEEK AND ON THURSDAY:

1. We know that if every registered Democratic voter gets out to vote on Nov. 6, Elizabeth Warren will win. 
2. Because Elizabeth Warren is uncontested on Thursday, and because Obama is not on the ballot on Thursday, those campaigns are not going to be investing too many resources in GOTV 
3. And, on any given day of the week, Needham is ONE town among 350 that the Warren campaign has to cover.
4. On the other hand, Needham is one of 34 towns that Kennedy has to cover. 
5. Using crude math, Needham is 1/34 of the attention of the Kennedy campaign, but 1/350 of what the Warren team needs to cover.
6. But remember--JOE KENNEDY calls/doors DO help Elizabeth Warren, a lot. 
1. Democratic voters sat out in January 2010. We have to activate them again, and Joe Kennedy's campaign has the resources/time/attention to give to Needham to help us do that on Thursday. 
2. It's money on the table, so help out Joe Kennedy on Election Day, September 6, to help elect Elizabeth Warren! Contact Rachael, Needham's Kennedy Field Organizer: rgoldenberg@joekennedy2012.com

Gobble gobble.
_____
shortlink to here: http://hmny.me/VoteTHURSDAY_2012September6

Needham Town Election Day April 2012!

I love election day! Have you voted yet?
__
UPDATES: Borrelli, Fogg, Jacob and DiCicco win their races.

Precinct I had the highest turn out (see chart below), and is the one precinct that went for Greis. Precinct A had the lowest, and had the fewest number of town meeting candidates running. [compare to April 2011 turnout]

Full results (in pdf spreadsheet form) posted by the Town Clerk.

TOWN WIDE TOTAL: 4,416 BALLOTS CAST. 19,396 voters in Needham: 23% turnout.  That’s really good for a municipal race.  Which is terrible!!! We should be disappointed--not delighted--when we break 80%!!

My Vote Recommendations for Tuesday April 10, Needham Election Day

LINK TO THIS PAGE (TO COPY/SEND TO OTHERS!): http://hmny.me/2012NeedhamVoteRecs

Please support the following candidates, and please feel free to share my recommendations with others!  I hope we can get a bigger vote turn-out than in 2011 Town Elections, where we only had 13%.  Part of that is giving other Needham voters enough information to feel empowered to vote with confidence, and the best way to do that is friends talking to friends!


Download, print and share these recs, here.

MY RECOMMENDATIONS (CONTESTED SEATS)
- Board of Selectman: Michael Greis
- Board of Health (contested write-in): Jane Fogg, 15 Parkinson Road
- Park and Rec: Matt Toolan
- Town Meeting (precinct by precinct): |A| |B| |C| |D| |E| |F| |G| |H| |I| |J|

Super Tuesday Needham Results

In case you want to geek out on elections stuff, the view from my little corner of the world. Precinct H and G, specifically. For context, according to Needham Times, Needham has 6,641 registered Democrats, 2,511 registered Republicans and 10,244 unenrolled voters--for a total (by my math) of 19,396 registered Needham voters. 


Update 3: Compare yesterday's MA results with 2008 Presidential Primary results.:

• 2008: Romney got 255,982 in MA. (1,745 in Needham)
• 2012: Romney: 265,097 in MA. (1,831 in Needham)
• In 4 years, Romney saw an increase of 9,115 votes (86 in Needham)--a mere 4% (5% in Needham).

And it appears this voter enthusiasm problem for the Republicans is playing out nationally: Republican turnout woes intensify (DKos, 3/7/2012)

Update 2: Full Needham Results at the Needham Town Clerk website. Direct link here. Will excerpt any interesting information as the whim/notice grabs me.  The Needham Patch has excellent rundown of the main races and Needham breakdown.

(MORE AFTER THE FLIP)

Vote Tuesday: It's Not Just the POTUS, and Not JUST Inside Baseball

UPDATE 2: MA election results and Needham turnout breakdown are here: Super Tuesday Needham Results 


UPDATE: Needham Patch has information about polling locations (remember, there was redistricting this year; some of you will be voting in different places)

VOTE ON TUESDAY! There's more than just the President on the ballot! Take charge of our Party! Make sure our progressive liberal values are represented in the State Democratic Party!

• Vote for President
• Town/Ward Committees
• Contested seat for State Committee
• >> My endorsement for this seat<<

MORE ---

13% Turnout - Town Election Results - Apr 12 2011

By all accounts, turnout for Tuesday’s election was extremely light. Out of 20,159 registered voters, only 2,793 voters participated in the election for a turnout of 13 percent. By the afternoon, poll workers at precincts G and H reported seeing few Needhamites at the polls.

...

“The people who are coming out are mostly an older crowd,” another worker added. “We usually see a lot of younger people come out early so they can vote before work, but we haven’t seen that at all.”

Read more: Low turnout, expected results for town election - Needham, Massachusetts - Needham Times

Full vote counts/totals are at the Needham Patch.

For SCHOOL COMMITTEE:
Kim-Marie Nicols (1,515) elected and Michael Greis (1,874) were re-elected

For PLANNING BOARD
Bruce Eisenhut (1,389) re-elected

Our friends in Precinct G, Katy Dirks (136) and Scott Muldoon (169), both were elected to Town Meeting (2 year and 3 year terms, respectively)!

Congratulations all!!

Today is ELECTION DAY in Needham! (Tue Apr 12)

And it looks like very few people are voting--only around 275 votes cast by 12:30PM in precincts G and H. (which are usually high turn-out precincts--so other precincts probably even lower).

POLLS ARE OPEN UNTIL 8PM.
Don't know your precinct? Check here: http://wheredoIvotema.com
Full ballot guide provided by the League of Women Voters

FWIW, here's who I'm supporting for the contested seats:


SCHOOL COMMITTEE:
Michael Greis and
Kim-Marie Nicols
(both endorsed by the Needham Times)

PLANNING BOARD:
Bruce Eisenhut
(endorsed by the Needham Times)

And if you live in PRECINCT G (votes at Broadmeadow)--for TOWN MEETING--
please vote for our allies and friends K. Scott Muldoon (3 year seat) and Katy Dirks (2 year seat)!

PARKS AND REC:
I am supporting the WRITE-IN CANDIDACY of ANDREA SHORTHOSE, 11 GAGE STREET. (you have to write-in full name and address)

Local Action, Big Impact

(copy of this email) Elections, Citizen Activists become Citizen Candidates, An Act to Invest in Our Communities (fair taxation), Beer Party

Vote Scott Muldoon for Town Meeting

UPDATE APRIL 2012: I am linking back to this post, from here, to urge people to again vote for (Kenneth) Scott Muldoon, who has been redistricted into Precinct F for 2012.  I'm editing this post to remove the info from 2011 that would be confusing for today's vote, in 2012! 2012 ELECTION DAY: TUESDAY APRIL 10

I was very excited to hear that Scott Muldoon, our friend, Obama 08 phone bank captain, and tireless advocate for progressive causes and candidates, has decided to run for Needham Town Meeting!*

Scott's thoughtfulness and thoroughness on the issues, commitment to Needham and its citizens, will serve our town's legislative body well.

If you live in Precinct F g, or know people who do, please vote for Scott Muldoon for Town Meeting!  (If you  want to ask the candidate questions, I'm sure he won't mind me sharing his contact info (as I have done it so often before for phone banks and other activities):  email him at Scott.Muldoon(at)Gmail.com.  I would also be very happy to try to address any questions you might have about Scott, town meeting or anything else, and help you find the info if I can't help you!

I am also hoping that Scott will be able to make it to the 3rd Ever Pre-Election Beer Party, tentatively scheduled for April 10 (Sunday) at my house (remember, it's the New Tradition:  beer party at my house on the Sunday before the Tuesday election!)

*check your precinct by entering your address at WhereDoIVoteMa.com, or by looking at Needham's Precinct Map from the town website.  

"Blank"/other gets good showing in Needham

For State Senate: 6 month incumbent Richard Ross (R) was unchallenged on the ballot yesterday.

Ross received 8300 votes in Needham. "Blank" and other write-in candidates got 5900 votes.

"Blank"/Other got 42% of the Needham vote.

Full results here.