Watching all the reports come in about early voting...

[Tom Rinaldo]

Seeing that surge in early ballots being cast in Democratic districts in varied states across the land, taking in the reports of women and minorities in particular turning out, looking at all those long lines of folks waiting to vote in places where Democrats tend to congregate...

It's giving me a much warmer feeling about the presence of an "enthusiasm gap".

[Thinkingabout]

1. This is a very important election, allowing Donald Trump to be elected is not smart

And further push the dumb move by the alt-right, KKK, and Dixiecrat. Electing Hillary on the other hand would be electing the most qualified candidate who has worldwide experience and has governing experience. GOTV, vote smart, and elect Hillary as president.

[TrishaJ]

5. But, but, but...

BENGAHZI!! EMAILS!! VINCE FOSTER!! SHE'S WITCH!! BURN HER!!

No kidding; that's what I am still hearing from people who just will not accept how dangerous Donald Trump is

[Madam45for2923]

8. Yes! Plus no Stamina! and on her deathbed... lol!

[Cracklin Charlie]

28. Was it really Hillary?

Because sometimes they use a body double.

[Renew Deal]

2. Hillary's supporters have been found to be more enthusiastic in the primary and GE

At least that's what the polls said.

[sunonmars]

3. Its enthusiasm and also a big old "hell NO to Trump" from every quarter....

He's mobilising people in droves to vote against him.

[narnian60]

4. +1

Totally agree .

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

6. I like to think Im well informed but I just dont get this - how is it that votes are already being

counted and we're being told that so many women are voting and so on and so forth???

How the heck would anyone know the gender of someone's vote? I dont recall this being widely broadcast in other elections and perhaps even if votes are known maybe they ought to keep quiet about it. It can bite both ways you know - see other thread about supposed DT votes.

[Ligyron]

7. I think they just count the number of women in lines and some exit polling?

[sunonmars]

9. Its all the data from the Sos released as to statistics

[LiberalFighter]

10. They don't know the tally yet. But they do have an idea based on who has already voted.

For my congressional district I do know that 53.6% that have already voted were women. I could also check to see how they are likely to vote based on their past voting history and/or responses to surveys.

[LisaL]

12. No.

Boards of election count who is voting. So they know the tally.

[LiberalFighter]

15. ?? Why no?

I just checked and as I detailed 53.6% of those that have already voted were women. And that was as of Friday after 8 days of early in-person and mail voting.

Campaigns in our state know who has already voted. When they know who has already voted they also know their voting history and data compiled based on survey questions.

But election boards don't know unequivocally the voting breakdown.

[LisaL]

16. I was trying to say the same thing you just said.

[LiberalFighter]

18. k

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

19. REally- they have our names and how we voted? Yikes I had no idea. What about privacy/sanctity of

vote and all that? I thought there was just record of the fact that I HAD voted, but not matched up with HOW I voted.

[LisaL]

20. Nobody here is saying they know how you voted.

But election board has to record if you voted or not. Otherwise how would anybody prevent you from voting again and again?

[LiberalFighter]

21. Noooo They don't know how you voted.

But if you vote D or R in the primaries all the time then there is a good assumption you will vote straight D or R based on which primary you voted.

The same goes for how you respond to key issues and who you will vote when called or otherwise contacted. Or if you are an activist in one party or the other.

For me, when I do get political calls I generally don't get any from the other side. Because they see that I vote only in the Democratic primaries.


It doesn't stop campaigns from reaching out to the other side as has probably been happening more this election due to Trump. The different groups that Trump has attacked.

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

22. LF you said "they know how you vote" and also how would they know if you vote D or R - do you mean

to say this data is collected purely from surveys, and not voting records? If the former Im OK with that, if the latter I'm not!

Not challenging anything, just want to be sure I understand. thx

[LiberalFighter]

23. Voting records are public information.

The privacy applies to how you voted not that you voted or if you vote in a primary.

Anyone that has additional information have to do the legwork to gather it and pay the cost. Whether they do it by phone banking or walk campaigns or obtaining voting history from the state. The information is not going to be available to the average schmo because of the costs involved. And even then the availability of the data is still limited because of imposed restrictions.

[jberryhill]

26. "How you voted" - not who you voted for

The fact that you have voted is recorded.

It has to be recorded so that you don't send in an absentee ballot and then show up in person; or that you don't vote twice in places with early voting.

But, yes, if you are a registered D, and you show up to vote in primaries and off-year elections, then the assumption is that you are voting for Hillary.

It is also safe to assume that Hillary gets a majority of women's votes.

So if the numbers show that a large number of regular D voters, and large numbers of women voters, are dominating the early voting, then these are favorable indicators.

[GopherGal]

25. Party Registration?

I have been wondering about this too. Perhaps they know the party registration of those who have voted?

[jberryhill]

27. Age, sex, party identification, and historical voting regularity

All of that information can be compiled from the record of who has voted thus far.

The level of support for Hillary among those demographics, can be applied to that data in order to get an idea of how the vote is going.

[LisaL]

11. Boards of elections know who is voting.

If you vote early, you are crossed off the list so you can't vote again.

[LiberalFighter]

13. Campaigns will know who has voted too.

At least in my state they would.

[LisaL]

14. Yes, I believe boards of elections post numbers on their websites.

[LiberalFighter]

17. There are no such numbers posted on the state or my county for those numbers yet.

But our campaigns in our state can create lists which also includes or excludes those that have voted already. That also includes their gender.