Never mind counting the votes, we have a winner!

[Steve_MB]

The Republican Party is being commendably consistent. A couple elections ago, they told Al Gore he should shut up and go home; now, under similar circumstances, they are giving the same message to one of their own.

[Squink]

@ArizonaTeach

Yeah, thankfully, the united Dems are holding hands and singing right now.

Kumbayah, ya Bitch.
Kumbayah…

[Taber]

@Pochacco

The Washington State Republican Party did something very, very odd yesterday. They sent out a press release announcing that McCain had won the state 25.5% to Huckabee’s 23.7%. What’s odd about the press release is that it also announces that only 87.2% of the precincts have been counted!

So, what? did Ron Paul get the other 50.8% of the vote, or are Washington residents just really fond of writing in Underdog?

[Digital_Stimulus]

@Taber

So, what? did Ron Paul get the other 50.8% of the vote, or are Washington residents just really fond of writing in Underdog?

Interestingly enough, the Spokane news last night said that in the Spokane area, Ron Paul actually did take somewhere around 50% of the vote (sorry, I don’t remember the actual number).

[amarinth]

@Taber

So, what? did Ron Paul get the other 50.8% of the vote, or are Washington residents just really fond of writing in Underdog?

Apparently, Ron Paul got 21%, Romney got 17% (despite having already dropped out), and 13% are still uncomitted.

[Taber]

@amarinth

Apparently, Ron Paul got 21%, Romney got 17% (despite having already dropped out), and 13% are still uncomitted.

The Romney votes make sense, these were mostly mail-in ballots, I think, so they were probably mailed in before he dropped.

[The_Hamster_King]

@Taber

The Romney votes make sense, these were mostly mail-in ballots, I think, so they were probably mailed in before he dropped.

It was a caucus, not a primary, so I don’t think there were any mail-in ballots. Lots of Republicans in Washington State seem to just really dislike John McCain.

[Taber]

@Phase42

Interesting. I dropped my mail-in ballot in the box at the courthouse on the 5th, but unless I seriously misread something, the ballot deadline is the 19th. Since we switched to vote-by-mail here (I’m not sure if this is statewide, or just my county), ballots have arrived in my mailbox 2-4 weeks before Election Day. This primary ballot only showed up a few days before the 5th, which would fit the normal timeline for a Feb. 19 Election Day.

So, mail in ballots then.

[Freddy_the_Pig]

@Taber

So, mail in ballots then.

No. See post#24.

[Taber]

@Freddy the Pig

No. See post#24.

My mistake, looks like Pochacco was right then.

[Voyager]

@Liberal

I guess if Obama wins at the convention, we can go ahead and inaugurate him since he’s projected to beat McCain.

If you could convince the Republican party of that, we could save ourselves months of stupid TV ads. Sounds good to me.

[Evil_Captor]

@Squink

We’ll see come monday, at which time they tell us they’ll have a ‘final’ report.
I’m sure that the Washington GOP’s commitment to democracy is every bit as strong as the national party’s, so everything is bound to work out for the best.

It’s only natural that the corruption that’s endemic among the national GOP leadership should … what’s that phrase? Oh, yeah … trickle down to the state parties.

[elucidator]

trickle on, more like it.

What I’m getting is a powerful desire to get it over with, get McCain safely nominated so he’s not taking any more hits. The Pubbie leadership would rather pound sand than have McCain for a nominee, but they figure they’re stuck. They are praying for the "rally round’ effect to take hold, the sooner the better. Last thing they need is for Huckleberry to get up enough support so that he gets up a head of steam, gets people energized about him even though he can’t win.

[amarinth]

@Taber

The Romney votes make sense, these were mostly mail-in ballots, I think, so they were probably mailed in before he dropped.

These weren’t primaries (which are mail ins) these were caucuses. People sat in rooms on Saturday and picked Romney. People and their neighbors sat around, discussed things and decided that one out of every six delegates should go to a guy who isn’t actually running.

Those are conversations I would have loved to have heard.

[amarinth]

@amarinth

These weren’t primaries (which are mail ins) these were caucuses. People sat in rooms on Saturday and picked Romney. People and their neighbors sat around, discussed things and decided that one out of every six delegates should go to a guy who isn’t actually running.

He flat out won the 5th legislative district.

[Squink]

MCCAIN SAYS IT’S CLEAR HE WON WA

“It’s pretty clear that we won [in Washington],” McCain said. “[Huckabee] certainly has the right to challenge if he chooses to. But I honestly don’t know enough about the details except that I know that state parties declare elections when they have sufficient evidence as to who’s won and who’s lost. That’s not unusual in any way.”

Changing things now would violate the Equal Protection clause.

[Squink]

Big mess in Snohomish County, or is it a big mess statewide?

When voters participating in the caucuses walked through the door, they signed in. In Snohomish County, that sign-in sheet is what Republicans used to report results.

“And then the very last column asked them for their preference if they were to vote today, and those were the numbers we counted,” said Geri Modrell, Snohomish County Republican chair.

In reality, Republicans acknowledge the sign-in sheet is not an accurate way to figure out who won. After signing in, caucus-goers had plenty of time to debate and change their minds. What really matters is what delegates they picked in the end to go to the county convention.

For example, the winner on the sign-in sheets in Pierce County was Huckabee, with 609 supporters showing up. But, by the time Pierce County elected delegates, it flipped, and John McCain walked away with 192 delegates, beating Huckabee.

In Snohomish County, caucus leaders say they also noticed the sign-up sheets did not match the final delegates at all.

Some counties reported delegate preferences, while others others reported individual preferences.

With a cockup like this, it’s no wonder the state party failed to deliver its ‘final report’ today.