Preliminary election results

[elements.livejournal.com]

Via the Somerville Journal and Somerville News, results of the preliminary election today:

Mayor: Joe Curtatone and Suzanne Bremer (with Rick Scirocco eliminated)

Ward 6 alderman: Rebekah Gewirtz and Charlie Chisholm (with Robert Adams eliminated)

Also, the Somerville News says turnout was higher than expected, which is always nice. The Journal hasBoth websites have a bunch of pictures of the scene at various polling places.

Comments

Re: electioneering at polling places

[ron_newman]

The cited statute (Mass. General laws chapter 54, section 65) is here:

"no other poster, card, handbill, placard, picture or circular intended to influence the action of the voter shall be posted, exhibited, circulated or distributed in the polling place, in the building where the polling place is located, on the walls thereof, on the premises on which the building stands, or within one hundred and fifty feet of the building entrance door to such polling place."

and

"No person shall be allowed to collect signatures upon petitions, referendum petitions or nomination papers within one hundred and fifty feet from the building entrance door to a polling place."

That seems more general than the "Legal Summary" document that I quoted from above -- it seems to prohibit all petition gathering of any kind.

The fine for violating any of this is derisory - $20.

Unfortunately the cited Code of Massachusetts Regulations, 950 C.M.R. § 54.04(22)(d), is not online, unless I want to pay a subscription fee.

Re: electioneering at polling places

[wallacestreet.livejournal.com]

The reference is bad or old. It should be 950 C.M.R. §52.03(22)(d) which says:

(d) Activities at Polling Place. Within 150 feet of a polling place as defined in 950 CMR 52.03(22)(c), no person shall solicit votes for or against, or otherwise promote or oppose, any person or political party or position on a ballot question, to be voted on at the current election.[emphasis mine]

So it's pretty clear (to me at least) that what Fred was doing is legal. That doesn't stop it from being a bad idea, though.

The draft Gore woman is on thinner ice, though, as the preceding paragraph (950 C.M.R. §52.03(22)(c) ) says:

...No person shall collect or solicit signatures on nomination papers or petitions of any kind within 150 feet of an entrance door to the building....[emphasis mine]

Re: electioneering at polling places

[ron_newman]

Thank you! Do you have a printed copy of the C.M.R., or can you point me to an online version?

Re: electioneering at polling places

[wallacestreet.livejournal.com]

Lexis

Re: electioneering at polling places

[fberman.livejournal.com]

With respect to the discussion about my speaking to voters at the polling place ...

Some people appreciate being approached by a candidate, and others find it annoying. I try to approach people respectfully, and if they aren't interested, I leave them alone. While I was at the polling place on Tuesday, I only introduced myself to people after they had voted. Most of the people I approached opted to listen to what I had to say. I suspect that the large majority of those who chose not to speak with me would have made the same choice had I knocked on their door or called them on the phone.

As to the question about whether I like dogs, the answer is it depends. I like friendly dogs, and I avoid dogs that appear to be unfriendly. Likewise, I enjoy spending time with people who are friendly, and, when I'm relaxing, I try to avoid people who are hostile.

Just as my experiences of having bit hit by cars while cycling have taught me to be more cautious on the road, so, being bitten by dogs (and scratched by cats) has taught me to be careful of animals that I do not know.

As to my comments about responsible pet ownership, I was complimenting Som Dog on their campaign to promote responsible pet ownership, and pointing out that too often, it is the bad examples that people remember longest. Som Dog's approach to emphasizing responsible ownership is both appropriate and a smart strategy for gaining greater acceptance of dogs in parks and on the bikepath.