FLORIDA DIGEST - November 02, 2008

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.


~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-In Florida, Organizing and Fighting for Every Last Vote
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/us/politics/02repub.html


=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Palm Beach: Record-breaking early voting turnout continues
Thousands flocked to the polls Saturday, enduring rain and waits up to four hours, as Palm Beach County continued a record-setting pace headed into today's final day of early voting. Almost 15,000 people voted early during 12 hours of voting on Friday and elections officials expected to have at least that many after eight hours of voting on Saturday. That pushed early voting totals past 124,000 by Saturday morning, eclipsing the just over 50,000 who voted early in 2004. That doesn't include absentee ballots.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/elections/sfl-earlyvoting1101,0,280940.story

-Michael Mayo: Early returns: Broward vote cause for pride, not shame
Something remarkable is happening this Election Fortnight in Broward. Between early voting and absentee ballots, more people might vote before Tuesday than on Election Day itself.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/columnists/sfl-flbmayocol1102sbnov02,0,2735580.column


=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Deliver us from scandal, Lord
By CARL HIAASEN
An Election Day prayer for the Sunshine State: Dear Lord, have mercy on Florida. Please don't let it happen again here. Not that we're blaming You for the voting debacle back in 2000. You're not the one who designed the ridiculous butterfly ballots that started the whole mess. It wasn't You who put Katherine Harris in charge, and it certainly wasn't You who caused all those silly chads to hang.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/750517.html

-Miami goes a month without murder
For the first time in 42 years, the city of Miami did not record a homicide over a month's period. But even with the quiet October, police detectives have been busy.
http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/752405.html

-Florida could have history making role in 2008 election
Florida could put Obama over the top Tuesday night -- or complete a stunning comeback by McCain.
http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/752469.html


=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Blige, 'Diddy,' Giuliani in Broward on Sunday
Another round of celebrities from both parties will be in South Florida on Sunday, campaigning for their candidates. Recording artists Mary J. Blige, Shawn "JAY-Z" Carter and Sean "Diddy" Combs will headline rallies in Fort Lauderdale to support Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2008/11/blige_diddy_giuliani_in_browar.html

-Early/absentee voting on track to top 4 million
More than 3.8 million Floridians had cast either absentee or early ballots by the end of the day Friday.
Party breakdown continued the trend we've seen since early voting began onOct. 20:
Among early voters, 52 percent (1,185,232) were Democrats, compared to about 31 percent (701,246) Republicans. Roughly 17 percent (392,702) were independent/third party/no party affiliate. Of those who sent in absentee ballots, roughly 36 percent (561,957) were Democrats, 49 percent (760,500) were Republicans and just under 16 percent (243,104) were independent. That's a total of 3,844,741 ballots cast -- which means the total by the end of today -- when early voting closes -- will almost certainly exceed 4 million, or more than double the roughly 1.9 people who voted early in 2006. Put another way, that means more than one-third of the total Florida electorate will have voted before the polls even open on Nov. 4. And right now, Democrats have turned out 285,443 more voters than the Republicans.
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2008/11/earlyabsentee-v.html

-Crist swaying with the winds
If John McCain pulls off a victory in Florida Tuesday, he can thank Gov. Charlie Crist. He delivered a timely endorsement just before the Florida primary that McCain won, giving him the Republican nomination. If Barack Obama pulls off a victory in Florida Tuesday, he too can thank Charlie Crist.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/article885884.ece


=

[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####