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Election 2008

Results: The Senate, House and Ballot Measures

AlterNet. Posted November 4, 2008.


What's happening with prop. 8 in CA ... 254 (D), 172 (R) in the House with only 8 to go ... Senate still 56 (D) 40 (R) with 4 to go.
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As the official numbers are calculated, we'll give you the run-down of the results for Senate races, House races, and important ballot measures. We are updating this story with the most recent coverage as it becomes available, so book mark this page and check back throughout the day and night. And please let us know what you're keeping an eye on by posting in the comments below.

Here we go:

Update 11:37pm(PST): The AP is reporting that Prop. 8 has passed:

In an election otherwise full of liberal triumphs, the gay rights movement suffered a stunning defeat as California voters approved a ban on same-sex marriages that overrides a recent court decision legalizing them.

The constitutional amendment -- widely seen as the most momentous of the nation's 153 ballot measures -- will limit marriage to heterosexual couples, the first time such a vote has taken place in a state where gay unions are legal.

Gay-rights activists had a rough election elsewhere as well. Ban-gay-marriage amendments were approved in Arizona and Florida, and Arkansas voters approved a measure banning unmarried couples from serving as adoptive or foster parents. Supporters made clear that gays and lesbians were their main target.

In California, with 95 percent of precincts reporting Wednesday, the ban had 5,125,752 votes, or 52 percent, while there were 4,725,313 votes, or 48 percent, opposed.

But the No on 8 campaign is saying this:

Roughly 400,000 votes separate yes from no on Prop 8 – out of 10 million votes tallied.

Based on turnout estimates reported yesterday, we expect that there are more than 3 million and possibly as many as 4 million absentee and provisional ballots yet to be counted.

Given that fundamental rights are at stake, we must wait to hear from the Secretary of State tomorrow how many votes are yet to be counted as well as where they are from.

It is clearly a very close election and we monitored the results all evening and this morning.

As of this point, the election is too close to call.

***

Update 11:27am(PST): Minnick (D) flips a seat and will represent Idaho 1. Minnick only beat incumbent Republican Sali by a few thousand votes.

***

Updated 10:54am(PST): 253 (D), 172 (R) in the House with only 9 to go.

***

Update 9:13am(PST): In South Dakota, a measure that would ban most abortions failed. Also, in Colorado, the effort to define a fertilized egg as a person also failed.

***

Update 8:36am(PST): The House is now 252 (D), 172 (R), with 11 too close to call. Senate: 56 (D), 40 (R), 4 too close to call.

***

Update 8:27am(PST): Still no final results on Proposition 8, the same-sex marriage ban in California. From Governing.com:

Backers of Proposition 8, which would ban gay marriage in California, are declaring victory, while opponents say it's still too early to concede.

With 90 percent of precincts reporting early Wednesday, the ban had 4,922,675 votes, or 52 percent, to 4,577,453 votes, or 48 percent, against.

Late absentee and provisional ballots meant as many as 3 million ballots were left to be counted after all precinct votes were tallied.

Similar bans passed in Florida and Arizona yesterday.

***

Update 8:02am(PST): Wow. Looks like the Franken race is tight. From CNN:

Minnesota Senate challenger Al Franken is not conceding his race against incumbent GOP Sen. Norm Coleman.

The two men are separated by less than 600 votes with 100 percent of the precincts reporting. The Associated Press called the race for Coleman Wednesday morning.

***

Update 7:34am(PST): A comment moved up from AlterNet reader Beck in Michigan:

I'm so proud to live in Michigan!

We voted for Obama big-time, passed a medical marijuana initiative, a stem-cell research initiative that had huge money against it, we unseated Joe Knollenberg, long-time Republican congressman, and got Hathaway on the state Supreme Court instead of Taylor, the conservative running against her.

I love my state. Thanks, everyone from Michigan.

***

Update 1:50am(PST): SFGate's tallies on proposition 8 aren't final, but they're disturbing.


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View:
oh please oh please
Posted by: trained ape on Nov 4, 2008 12:22 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Fingers crossed. The whole world will cry if Obama loses. The world might significantly change if progressives gain real power with 60 democratic seats in the senate! I believe... Don't prove me wrong, America!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: oh please oh please Posted by: VZEQICVA
» RE: oh please oh please Posted by: VZEQICVA
You missed Arkansas' Ballot Initiative 1.
Posted by: phatkhat on Nov 4, 2008 7:32 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Our ballot initiative #1 is also important. It was drafted by the religious right to prevent cohabiting couples - either homosexual or heterosexual - from fostering or adopting children. Even if those people are blood relatives of the child, and even if they are chosen by the parent(s) of the child to raise them.

In other words if woman A states in her will that her sister should raise her child in case of her death, and then she dies in a car accident, if the sister is living with her boyfriend, she may NOT raise the child, even though that is what the mother wanted! This is totally unwarranted legal intrusion into family matters by the religious right.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: Election Irony... Posted by: sean000
Dubious comment about Oregon:
Posted by: oregoncharles on Nov 4, 2008 8:10 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
"a state where populist Democrats are supposedly unable to run on such issues."

2-word refutation: Rep. Peter DeFazio.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: P.S.: Posted by: oregoncharles
» RE: Dubious comment about Oregon: Posted by: rimchamp77
I'm so proud to live in Michigan!
Posted by: Beck on Nov 5, 2008 6:55 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
We voted for Obama big-time, passed a medical marijuana initiative, a stem-cell research initiative that had huge money against it, we unseated Joe Knollenberg, long-time Republican congressman, and got Hathaway on the state Supreme Court instead of Taylor, the conservative running against her.

I love my state. Thanks, everyone from Michigan.

And those of you who called me from Ohio, yes, you did redeem yourselves! Thanks for YOUR hard work.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Relief and calmness
Posted by: AMERICAN VETERAN on Nov 5, 2008 8:04 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I have an inner calmness and a feeling of warmth that I have not experience since JFK was our president.
We did the correct thing in this election in so many many ways.
We have chosen a decent and honorable REAL family man to be our president with the toughest job ahead since our founders of the 18th century and FDR during WWII.
We have defeated the evilness which has been so endemic these past almost 8 years.

I watched BBC America last night and, one of the commentators said that President Obama will find empty file cabinets, deleted emails, records which have mysteriously disappeared and every other roadblock set by the cheney/bush regime.
I believe that President Obama will work hard to do the correct things to repair the vulgar damage done to our America by the vermin which has done so much to harm us.
I'm a small business owner, a gun owner, a home owner and an extremely hopeful American.

YES, WE CAN!!
YES, WE DID!!
YES, HE WILL!!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

5-0 in New Mexico
Posted by: grammasanity on Nov 5, 2008 8:16 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Finally, Albuquerque went Democrat. Now we have both Senate seats and all 3 house seats. Alternative energy, anyone?

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Why does the majority of the U.S. hate gay people???
Posted by: whathappened on Nov 5, 2008 11:30 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Equality still does not exist for a large group of people in this country...our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters.

So...this election is a little bittersweet for me.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

I was sickened by Bush's last words. Obama will protect us he said
Posted by: cori on Nov 5, 2008 7:32 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I hope he was referring to him and his fellow Republicans

Look at the state of our nation and our people!
If liberal means that we have safety nets, jobs, health care, Civil liberties, an EPA, FDA and FCC that works for us, medicine we can afford, healthcare, colleges our kids can go to, good schools, regulations to protect us and a government that doesn't let the military drain our economy, that doesn't spend us into oblivion and start wars based on lies for profit, then I am a liberal. If conservatves behaved like that then I would be a conservative. Why do you think Chaney endorsed McCain? Because he was a "Maverick"? Why do you think they purged ten's of thousands of Democratic voters, because McCain is such a Maverick? I don't think so. And now look at the huge mess that Bush and the Republicans have left for us. This nation is devistated! And Bush talks about protecting us! Now that he's destroyed our economy! Add in a little torture, a big bunch of corruption, our constiution wiped out, another war and the biggest prison system on the face of the earth and well I hope you liked Bush land. Oh and did I mention that we are sitting on the 2nd biggest oil deposit on earth in Iraq while Exxon is makeing record profits and we are paying 10 billion a day to the military industrial complex. Lets hope we can return to porsperity someday becuase I don't think the conservatives quiet get it yet.

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