Absentee ballot count under way
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November 7, 2006 ArchivesNovember 7
PROVIDENCE -- The state Board of Elections was pushing through absentee ballots late tonight, after most polls had finished turning in votes cast today. About 20 people were hard at work at the noisy task, feeding high-speed counters, in a bid to get the absentees counted soon. More than 14,000 absentee ballots had been returned, of the between 16,000 and17,000 requested. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner 
With 557 precincts reporting at 11:28 p.m. 181,885 approving
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PROVIDENCE -- Sheldon Whitehouse took to the 17th floor of the Providence Biltmore two hours after polls closed, the apparent victor in the high-profile U.S. Senate race here in Rhode Island. The Democrat greeted his cheering supporters with, "Is this exciting or what?" After giving a series of thanks, he also noted that incumbent U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee had called him to "very graciously concede." He also thanked Chafee -- who initially inherited his Senate seat from his late father, U.S. Sen. John H. Chafee -- for "a long and proud legacy of public service in Rhode Island." "I intend to go down to Washington and work my heart out for you every day," Whitehouse added. After taking the podium for about 10 minutes, Whitehouse is now making rounds of the room, giving hugs and shaking hands. The ballroom was so crowded tonight that people could barely move, with a large number of young people among the attendees. And the wait for the elevator to get to the 17th floor was more than a half hour. -- With reports from projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples
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PROVIDENCE -- Sheldon Whitehouse, who appears to have defeated incumbent U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee in a hotly-contested race of national significance, is expected to speak to his fellow Democrats at 11 p.m. The party faithful are gathered on the 17th floor of the Providence Biltmore hotel, where other state candidates -- including Attorney General Patrick Lynch -- have already been giving thanks for their apparent elections. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Mark Arsenault
Joan Bennett Kennedy appeared at her son's side tonight as he delivered his victory speech at the Providence Biltmore hotel. Rep. Patrick Kennedy cruised to victory today in his re-election bid to the U.S. House of Representatives. Joan's appearance in Rhode Island is not common, but she has appeared before after her son's victories.
With 477 precincts reporting at 10:29 p.m. Elizabeth Roberts 163,702 (Democrat)
While the polls are showing Republican Governor Carcieri narrowly leading his Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty, the Democratic candidate is well in the lead for the state's No. 2 spot. Elizabeth Roberts has 51 percent of the vote, with 42 percent of the polls in, with GOP Reginal Centrachio pulling in 35 percent of the vote, and Cool Moose Party candidate Robert Healey Jr. -- who ran on a platform saying the office was unnecessary -- getting 14 percent of the vote.
Channel 12 political analyst Joe Fleming said tonight that Democrats were helped in districts where the casino measure did well. Fleming, who ran the television station's exit polls, said he found that casino supporters generally voted against the GOP candidates. "The Democrats did benefit from the casino turnout," Fleming said.
U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee's campaign manager dismissed television reports that projected his challenger, Sheldon Whitehouse, as the winner. "I think Channel 10 and Channel 12 are going to have a whole lot of egg over their face…by the time it’s over," Chafee campaign manager Ian Lang said. "We think the numbers are moving our way," he said. “We feel very confident…I think at the end of the night there’s going to be a big surprise.” -- With reports from Journal staff writer Katherine Gregg
30 precincts reporting at 9:28 8,080 approving
The Associated Press conducted exit polling in Rhode Island that shows several voter trends: BUSH FACTOR: Democratic Senate candidate Sheldon Whitehouse had urged voters to express their dissatisfaction with the Bush administration by rejecting Republican incumbent Lincoln Chafee. Early poll results showed about three-quarters of Rhode Island voters disapproved of Bush's job performance, and a large share of those voters broke for Whitehouse. IRAQ WAR: A large number of voters identified the Iraq War as an important factor driving their decision in the Senate race. The largest group of voters called the war extremely important, and this group voted for Whitehouse. But Chafee seems to have won the majority of voters who only called the war very important or somewhat important. UNION HOUSEHOLDS: Early results show Whitehouse has made inroads into the union supporters that voted for Chafee six years ago. MODERATES: Voters who identify themselves as political moderates were leaning toward Whitehouse in larger numbers than in Chafee's last election. Exit poll conducted for The Associated Press and television networks by Edison Media Research/Mitofsky International among 1,151 voters around Rhode Island as they left 25 randomly selected precincts Tuesday. Margin of sampling error plus or minus 4 percentage points for the overall sample, larger for subgroups.
The Associated Press is reporting that Sen. Joe Lieberman has won reelection in Connecticut, after being branded a traitor and rejected by the Democratic Party. Joe Lieberman completed a dramatic political comeback today by defeating anti-war challenger Ned Lamont to win a fourth term. Lieberman's victory came as an independent.
Former Governor Lincoln Almond, the face of the anti-casino campaign, released a statement thanking his supporters for the apparent defeat of the casino measure. Channels 10 and 12 have projected the failure of the casino proposal based on exit polls. Almond's statement: “To the donors, supporters, volunteers, SOS employees and all who donated their time and talent – I give my heartfelt thanks. We were always confident that Rhode Islanders would take a good, hard look at the casino deal and realize it for what it was – a bad deal for our state. "This is the opinion shared by people from all walks of life, all political parties, all age groups, all incomes, and from all over this fine state. Though we are different, we are united in our belief that we voted the right way today. With the defeat of Question 1, we hope that we won’t have to fight this fight again. The voters spoke in 1994 and have spoken again today – we don’t want a casino in our beloved state.”
Channel 12 is reporting that Democratic incumbent Sheldon Whitehouse has defeated U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee 55 percent to 45 percent. The television station cited exit polling in calling the U.S. Senate race. Channel 10 also called the senate race for Whitehouse. And Channel 10 called all the other statewide races for the Democrats -- except the governor. Channels 12 is also projecting that the casino measure will fail as the opposition is ahead by double digits, 59 percent to 41 percent. And perhaps the biggest surprise early on is exit polling that suggests Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty has a slim lead over Governor Carcieri, though Channel 12 did not release the numbers in that race. More to come on Projo.com
PROVIDENCE -- “I really, really like Chafee,” said Lenny Long, 56. But Long, who works at the Rhode Island School of Design, said he didn't vote for the incumbent Republican U.S. senator. “We’re looking for change,” said Long, after voting at Martin Luther King School in the Mount Hope neighborhood of Providence. So his vote for Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse, he said, was a “heartbreaker.” Maria O’Connor, 56, a substitute teacher in Providence, said she would have liked to be loyal to Chafee and his father, a former U.S. senator and Rhode Island governor. But, she like Long, voted for change yesterday and voted for Whitehouse, not Chafee. Over at Temple Beth-El on the city's East Side, physician Marilyn Weigner, 41, said she was very concerned about the direction of the country. “The Senate race was key for me,” she said. “I definitely want to support Sheldon Whitehouse. That was a difficult decision because I think Lincoln Chafee is a good man and has done a good job for Rhode Island, but I believe that we need to send a message to Washington and keep the Republicans in check, and I think a better balance will do that.” Also at Temple Beth-El (where Whitehouse cast his vote this morning) New England Tech admissions officer Norma Taylor, 54, said the whole shift of the country lies in balance today. "The Republicans have been in control for six years,'' Taylor said, "and I don’t really like how our country is going.” -- Kate Bramson, projo.com staff writer
Both the Associated Press and CNN are calling Democrat Deval Patrick the winner in the Massachusetts' governor's race, defeating Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, the Republican nominee. Patrick was declared the winner as Bay State polls closed at 8 p.m., garnering 52 percent of the popular vote.
PROVIDENCE -- The basement in the state's Board of Elections office is buzzing with anticipation as the first precincts will begin reporting in about half an hour. Already, about 30 people -- local media, campaign workers, Board of Elections staff -- are in the basement where the votes will be tabulated. Members of the media are already gathering around five television screens which will post the election results in real-time as they are received from the precincts. Two television cameras are already in place. There's a variety of people gathered -- some in suits, others more casually dressed in baseball caps. And there's a state trooper standing guard. -- With reports from Projo.com's Maria Caporizzo
The 2006 campaign is officially over for Governor Carcieri and Lt. Gov. Charles J. Fogarty. The incumbent Republican governor and his Democratic opponent have both gone home for a brief rest, their respective campaign spokesmen said. Carcieri is expected to arrive at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick, and Fogarty at the Biltmore in downtown Providence, shortly, the spokesmen said. At each hotel -- the sites of the official election-night gatherings for the major political parties -- one gubernatorial candidate will monitor the results in a private room, then come out to address the crowd once it's clear which way the race is going, the spokesmen said. --- Elizabeth A. Gudrais., Journal staff writer
Starting at 9 p.m., projo.com producers Mike McDermott and Maria Caporizzo will be posting minute-by-minute returns from the state Board of Elections. They'll focus on the big three races: the U.S. Senate, governor and the casino question. Also at 9 p.m., after the polls close in Rhode Island, projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples will review the early reports on exit polling on the Chafee-Whitehouse race.
Gallery: View more Journal photos of voters at the polls around our area.
PROVIDENCE -- Even with polls expected to close in less than two hours, the Narragansetts' Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas is still on the campaign trail. Thomas was touring Providence polling places this evening, urging voters to approve the proposal to bring a casino to West Warwick, otherwise known as Question 1. At one stop at a fire station on Reservoir Avenue, Thomas was greeted by honking cars and cheers by the many people waiting in line to vote. There was a 20-minute wait at around 6:30 p.m. By that time, 740 people had already turned out to vote -- a high turnout in the neighborhood along the Cranston city line. Thomas next moved to a polling station at Hope High School on the East Side of Providence. There was no line there and turnout was reported as being relatively low -- 330 people by 7 p.m. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Scott Mayerowitz
The Rhode Island senatorial race between Republican Lincoln Chafee and Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse has attracted national attention, enough so that at least one network has sent a correspondent to the state. NBC correspondent Rehema Ellis reported from Rhode Island on Monday night's NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, saying the closeness of the contest reflects the problems even moderate Republican incumbents are having this year. Edwin Hart, news director for ABC affiliate Channel 6, said the network has asked for footage of Whitehouse and Chafee to use as part of its national coverage. All three TV stations and news/talk radio stations, WHJJ-AM and WPRO-AM, plan extensive local coverage this evening. WPRI-TV also plans to stream live video, starting at 10 p.m., which will also be available via projo.com.
The National Weather Service says there is a 30 percent chance that it will rain before the polls close at 9 p.m. Later in the night, the chance of rain will increase to 90 percent with a threat of localized flooding around the region. Up to 3 inches of rain is possible across southern New England, the Weather Service says. See the latest weather conditions, forecasts and live radar at: http://projo.com/weather
A complaint was filed with the state Board of Elections this afternoon by state GOP Chairwoman Patricia Morgan, over “illegal’’ and “misleading’’ flyers Democrats were handing out at polling places. Under the heading, “Official Election Ballot,’’ the flyers list the names of Democratic candidates only. Morgan sought a cease and desist order. Elections board officials were unavailable for comment, but shortly after 5:15 p.m., state Democratic Party Chairman William Lynch said the board met and dismissed the complaint. After denying that the state Democratic Party had paid for the flyers seen in Providence and North Providence, he belittled the complaint as “a ridiculous, frivolous, pathetic, desparate last-minute attempt by the Chafee campaign to do anything that might distract people and suppress voter turnout.’’ “There is no law against it,’’ he said, “just an attempt to get the press and radio talking about something different instead of why we need to change the direction of the U.S. Senate. -- Katherine Gregg, Journal staff writer
PROVIDENCE – In the cavernous basement of the state Board of Elections office on Branch Avenue, nine workers early this afternoon were feeding absentee and emergency ballots through the counting machines. They’re not actually counting the votes yet, though, according to Board of Elections Executive Director Robert Kando. They’re merely processing the ballots so they’re ready to press the buttons that count votes once the polls close at 9 p.m. Unlike the way voters must feed their ballots one page at a time through the machines at the polling locations, the Board of Elections employees can feed piles of absentee ballots through high-speed counters. Early this afternoon, there were probably 14,000 absentee ballots in the building, Kando said. Between 16,000 and 17,000 people have requested absentee ballots this year, he said. The approximately 14,000 returned absentee ballots are “at the high end of normal,” Kando said. As the Board of Elections releases vote totals tonight, absentee votes will be included -- and stated as a separate category for each precinct. -- Journal staff writer Kate Bramson
PROVIDENCE -- Projo.com will bring you daylong -- and into the night -- coverage of this Election Day, from key candidates casting their votes, to turnout at the polls, to the final results and their impact. We'll begin our reports in our 7to7blog. After 7 p.m., we'll shift to coverage via our Political Scene blog, renamed Election Day blog, but, for you bookmarkers out there, with the same URL. After 9 p.m., we'll post results of top races as soon as the numbers start showing at the state Board of Elections, from our staffers at the scene. All results of all statewide and local races will be posted automatically via our home page as soon as they become available from the state. We'll continue to blog news reports from post-election venues, add photos and ask for your reactions. We hope you'll come back later -- and stay with us for as long as it takes!
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