Election Day Liveblog – West Metro

9:30 PM:  Left off here for a while – about to be interviewed at the UBS Forum…I think.  Our producer had to run upstairs and was a bit out of breath.

6:50 PM:  Early returns continue to stream in from across the country.  According to multiple sources with whom I’ve spoken over the course of the day, the final numbers today will have a tremendous amount to do with planning for the 2008 election – starting in approximately one week.

4:45 PM:  A Hennepin County judge has ruled against Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer for disenfranchising students at the University of Minnesota.  The judge ruled that students can use their student ID cards in conjunction with their utility bills as valid documentation for voter registration.  A victory for the DFL.

4:10 PM:  Turnout numbers are streaming in across CD3 – heavy, heavy turnout in DFL targets, on par with or beating 2004 numbers.  Yes, you read that right.  It’s a non-presidential, midterm election, and turnout is AHEAD of the 2004 Presidential contest.

2:10 PM:  Receiving reports of strong turnout in DFL-heavy areas in the northwest Metro.  Exact numbers and locations are embargoed, but they’re looking good.

1:30 PM:  I’ve arrived in the Brooklyn Park DFL office – this place is ridiculous.  Heavy on the square footage, the office includes a basement area for volunteer training.  The floor is a morass of ethernet cables due to spotty wireless coverage, and several empty pizza boxes tell the story of long nights with noses to the grindstone.  Volunteers are going full-bore on the phones, making sure that every last DFL voter is contacted in time to get them to the polls.  News coming as events warrant.

12:05 PM: Just arrived at the  Golden Valley DFL field office – staffers and volunteers moving around at even higher speed here.  Just spoke to John Benson – another candidate looking tired but confident of victory. 

11:10 AM: More locations where voter intimidation is occurring:  Minnetonka precincts 1A and 1B, and Hopkins precincts 1, 6, and 7.  More firewall desperation from the Republican Party, targeting Maria Ruud, John Benson, and Steve Simon.

If you experience any voter intimidation or dirty poll challenges, PLEASE stick with it, don’t let your rights be curtailed, and call 651-251-6384 IMMEDIATELY.

10:50 AM: Location on the election challengers/vote suppressers:  Minnetonka Precinct 3H.  This is in district 42A – The GOP is targeting Maria Ruud.

10:30 AM: From a message sent to the DFL list by Brian Melendez, DFL chair:  “We are getting reports of Republican challengers aggressively insisting that election judges inquire into voters’ citizenship, and asking that the judges take into account other extraneous information in determining whether a voter is eligible. The reports that we are getting are coming from Minnetonka and Hopkins, which means that the practice is probably occurring in other areas as well (since the southwestern suburbs aren’t the first places that you would expect the Republicans to target with a voter-suppression campaign). If you discover any similar information about Republican challengers abusing voters or election judges, please call the DFL Voter Protection Team at 651.251.6384. Thanks.”

I’m not surprised in the least.

9:50 AM:  According to sources, there are strong indications that the failure of the DFL’s online vote finder utility was the result of a Denial-of-Service attack using an exploit in the software running the site.

9:45 AM:  Paul Rosenthal, DFLer running for 41B (Edina + West Bloomington is in the house.  According to Rosenthal, “I’ve done as much as I can do.  Now I’m going to go make calls.”  Tired, but confident.

9:30 AM:  I’ve set up temporary shop in the Edina DFL field office – volunteers moving in and out of the office at high speed, getting doorknock, visibility, and phonebank packets, getting trained.  One volunteer assessed the general mood as “hyper and positive.”  Another called the day “all adrenaline.”