Map of the day.

I've come to appreciate our mail-in elections as an effective block to Republican voter suppression efforts.

Of course, that doesn't mean anything unless you fill out the ballot that's sitting there on your desk and mail the damned thing in.

Hat tip to Millard Fillmore's Bathtub.

Signs of the times.

Via Rumproast...

Happy Election Day!

Go vote. If you're hereabouts and you haven't, fill it out and mail it in.

There are some things I'm learning to like about universal vote-by-mail. Election day isn't one of them, because many if not most of the races I'm tracking won't have a definitive result tonight. The margins in some of the municipal races on the ballot will be in the dozens, not hundreds, of votes. There will be enough votes in the counts between now and the weekend to bring dismay to election night leaders.

Still, the convenience of voting at home, the way vote-by-mail eliminates many of the Republican voter suppression strategies and the continuing promise of higher voter interest and participation when parties and campaigns master the challenges of a new GOTV enviroment are meaningful trade-offs compared the demands for instant gratification from return junkies like me, I suppose.

I'll still look 'em up and try to read the tea leaves, of course, so stay tuned.

Signs of the times.

Via MaddowBlog...

If you're hereabouts...

...and you're waiting for election returns from Wisconsin, you can fill some of the time filling out and returning that primary ballot your county sent you, or bugging your friends and relations to follow the good example you've already set.

I know it's not very exciting in some jurisdictions - here in Shoreline we've got an uncontested judicial candidate and a levy renewal. That levy renewal, though, which will continue the good work the Veterans and Human Services Levy has been doing not only for vets but in helping to maintain the never more threatened, never more needed human services infrastructure in King County communities.

It's not very exciting, but lives will benefit from your support.

You did too, right?

Then go get your virtual sticker!

Map of the day.

From the Swing State Project...


Yep, it'll click a bit bigger.

No matter where you are, there's still plenty of time. If you haven't, go vote. If you're in the upper left, fill the damn thing out and mail it in. Now.

Uncle Sam...

...the Dark Wraith and I all agree...

Good advice…

...from Citizen Steve.

Vote for Democrats, because you might be mad…but they are CRAZY.

Sanity, too, it seem, has a liberal bias.

About your disappointing Democrat…

…if helping my own personal Congressman keep his chairmanship isn't good enough reason to vote for any damn Democrat on your ballot, maybe keeping this guy from keeping his will help...

U.S. Representative Joe Barton (R-Texas), the congressman who ruffled feathers on Capitol Hill last summer by making a public apology to former BP CEO Tony Hayward, is "confident" he will become the next leader of the House Energy and Commerce Committee if Republicans win the U.S. House in next week's elections.

Every Democrat counts. Vote.

And if you're in the upper left, fill the damn thing out and mail it in today.

From the "Sad but true" file.

Via mistermix...

The sad fact is that if we do lose the Senate and/or House next week, and usher in two years of stasis, subpoenas and division, it will be because a few thousand registered Democrats just couldn’t be bothered to take a couple minutes out of their day to put a little mark on a piece of paper.

As much as I miss my polling place, I've got to admit our universal vote-by-mail elections eliminate most any excuse voters in the upper left can come up with.

Fill the damn thing out and mail it in.

A public service announcement.

The Washington State Labor Council wants you to know…

"Dino Rossi works for them. Senator Patty Murray works for us."

Where, of course, them = BP, Fox, JPMorganChase, Walmart, AIG, Philip Morris, Citigroup, Pfizer, McDonalds, Comcast, AT&T, etc. and us = well, us.

She only works for us if we vote for her, though. Ballots are in the mail hereabouts. Use yours promptly and wisely.

Vote for us.

Hat tip to Howie.

My ballot's in the mail.

Is yours? Much as I miss my polling place, I exercised my franchise via post. If you're among the majority of voters in the upper left, though, you might not have. Remember, that ballot on the kitchen counter hast to be postmarked by today to be counted.

I don't expect any particular surprises in the results, but I will be watching for districts where our terrible top two primary pairs candidates of the same party on the November ballot. I'll be interested, too, in how turnout in an all mail primary compares to the traditional ballot box + absentee elections.

There are a couple of hot and heavy local races that I'll be weighing in on after the primary, but I've got too many friends, including candidates, on too many sides, namely both, to electioneer for anyone right now. You know the drill - some of my friends are on one side, some are on the other.

I'm standing with my friends.

Thank you, Senator Cantwell…

…for taking a principled stand to make the financial reg bill better, and for recognizing the time to do what can be done.

WASHINGTON—Sen. Maria Cantwell (D., Wash.) said in an interview Thursday she would vote for the financial-overhaul bill when lawmakers return from the July 4th recess, bringing the White House to the verge of the 60 Senate votes it needs to ensure passage.

It's not often enough that a Senatorial quotation actually sounds like a grown-up talking...

"While we can't do everything, what we can do is make sure we have a law on the books to take the $600 trillion derivatives market and shine a very bright light on it."

So, thanks again, Maria, for your hard work, your wise vote and for, once again, making me proud of my representation in the other Washington.

Good advice…

…from Tom Harper.

If you don’t want your own city council, school board, district courts and county offices to be infiltrated by a bunch of snake-handling whackjobs — follow all of these local races, learn who the candidates are, and Vote!

Being generally skeptical about absolutes, I'm not really sure all politics is local, but that's where it starts.

Blue Gal.

She's Left. She's right. She rocks.

And she needs deserves your support. Go click the green button for Fran.

Do it every day.