Comments on: Tennessee State Senator, a Write-in Candidate, Loses Bid for Re-election http://www.ballot-access.org/2008/11/05/tennessee-state-senator-a-write-in-candidate-loses-bid-for-re-election/ Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:39:47 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Jim Riley http://www.ballot-access.org/2008/11/05/tennessee-state-senator-a-write-in-candidate-loses-bid-for-re-election/comment-page-1/#comment-565056 Jim Riley Fri, 07 Nov 2008 02:05:41 +0000 http://www.ballot-access.org/?p=4273#comment-565056 According to the Tennessee Secretary of State web site, it was 62:38, and the county results match the state results for the two counties that have election results on line (they have about 95% of the vote). The 62:38 number is also that given in an article on the Clarksvlle, Tennessee <i>The Leaf-Chronicle</i> website, though they state that the lower number is of write-in votes, rather than necessarily for Kurita. Overall, it appears that there was around a 20% undervote; so among all voters it would appear to be aboyut 50:30:20. In Cheatham County (the other two counties are <i>not</i> Dewey and Howe), Kurita had a narrow lead in early voting - which was around 60% of votes cast, but lost the election day vote by abiyt 60:40. This despite the fact the McCain/Palin was up roughly 5% in election day voting vs. early voting. Also, the undervote increased by 5%. This suggests that more casual voters, who hurried to vote at their last chance, may have simply clicked on the only named choice on the ballot. It may have been harder for the Kurita campaign to cover more voter locations as well. If the state senate race was top of the ballot, she might have had a chance. Buried below the presidential race, and US senate and house races there was little chance. Meanwhile, Republicans expanded their control of the Senate to 19:14; and gained a majority in the House for the first time since Reconstruction. In Tennessee, not only does the Senate choose the Lieutenant Governor (who is also Senate Speaker), the legislators collectively elect the Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Comptroller, control of the Election Commission, and the state head of elections. The Tennessee Democratic Party may have bit off their own nose in the Kurita decision. The federal case is still on appeal, and there could be a contest of the general election, which would be decided by the Senate. Tennessee law requires nominees to be chosen by primary. The Tennessee Democratic Party ruled that the primary was void, and then used a process which was specified as being used to fill nomination vacancies due to death or moving out of the district for job-related reasons; and not for voluntary withdrawals. The whole mess would have been eliminated with a Top 2 system. According to the Tennessee Secretary of State web site, it was 62:38, and the county results match the state results for the two counties that have election results on line (they have about 95% of the vote). The 62:38 number is also that given in an article on the Clarksvlle, Tennessee The Leaf-Chronicle website, though they state that the lower number is of write-in votes, rather than necessarily for Kurita.

Overall, it appears that there was around a 20% undervote; so among all voters it would appear to be aboyut 50:30:20.

In Cheatham County (the other two counties are not Dewey and Howe), Kurita had a narrow lead in early voting – which was around 60% of votes cast, but lost the election day vote by abiyt 60:40. This despite the fact the McCain/Palin was up roughly 5% in election day voting vs. early voting. Also, the undervote increased by 5%. This suggests that more casual voters, who hurried to vote at their last chance, may have simply clicked on the only named choice on the ballot. It may have been harder for the Kurita campaign to cover more voter locations as well. If the state senate race was top of the ballot, she might have had a chance. Buried below the presidential race, and US senate and house races there was little chance.

Meanwhile, Republicans expanded their control of the Senate to 19:14; and gained a majority in the House for the first time since Reconstruction. In Tennessee, not only does the Senate choose the Lieutenant Governor (who is also Senate Speaker), the legislators collectively elect the Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Comptroller, control of the Election Commission, and the state head of elections.

The Tennessee Democratic Party may have bit off their own nose in the Kurita decision.

The federal case is still on appeal, and there could be a contest of the general election, which would be decided by the Senate. Tennessee law requires nominees to be chosen by primary. The Tennessee Democratic Party ruled that the primary was void, and then used a process which was specified as being used to fill nomination vacancies due to death or moving out of the district for job-related reasons; and not for voluntary withdrawals.

The whole mess would have been eliminated with a Top 2 system.

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