2:00PM Election Update From Hedgehog Central

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2:00P.M.

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Pint, Dreyer's Chocolate Chip


Ohio- News from the ground game. Bush operatives are feeling positive after churning outsome 500,000 pre-election phone calls in that state. The Kerry campaign is also boasting the most organized democratic get-out-the vote effort. All indications that Ohio will produce voter turnout of 73% percent or higher. Unprecedented. The turnout in Florida and Pennsylvania is anticipated to produce voter participation not seen since Kennedy/Nixon campaign of 1960. Today alone, the Bush campaign sent 10,000 ground workers door to door. Provisional ballots are being offered to Ohioans who have not received absentee ballots by mail. All efforts are being made to get the votes in by 7:30pm.

Interesting sidebar. This report was just interrupted by a phone call from the Bush campaign, wanting to know if the Brown family had gotten out to vote today. What does it say if the Bush campaign has enough volunteers and enough money to ALSO support an organized get-out-the vote campaign in CALIFORNIA?

Pollsters are naming 7:30p.m. eastern time as the first predictor of this evening's outcome in Ohio. Exit polling and early returns on key Senate races will send up flares about voter turnout. These tallies are the undoing of the West Coast voters, but no media outlet will withhold voting data, even if it is preliminary.

Sonja Eddings Brown