Texas delegates still to be determined by caucus results

From TPM Election Central, based on MSNBC numbers:
The Texas numbers are a bit more complex, because the caucus results are still being tabulated. But here's the gist, according to MSNBC right now: She won 46 delegates to his 34. If you include those numbers, she had a net gain of 23 delegates last night.

But before factoring in Texas, Hillary's delegate gain was only 13 higher than his -- and after the caucus results are tabulated, she could see that total sink to as low as seven, MSNBC says, adding that its also possible that Obama won't cut into that lead by as much as expected, leaving her with a more-than-10-point gain.

Bottom line: According to MSNBC's current projections she could net anywhere from seven to a bit over 10 delegates.

And what about those Texas caucuses???

...Despite the finger pointing by both campaigns, the chaos with the caucuses didn't seem to favor one side or the other -- they were just a mess. At Wetmore Elementary School in a suburban section of northeastern San Antonio, the electoral process had simply fallen apart, swamped by turnout that Democratic Party officials should have been able to anticipate but apparently didn't. A line of voters waiting to cast ballots stretched out the door and around the corner of the school. Four precincts use the school as a polling place, but it looked like 400 precincts' worth were still there when the polls closed. Another few hundred people who had already voted were standing up against the wall waiting for the caucuses to start -- three hours behind schedule, because all the primary voters had to finish first.... (Salon)

The A.P. said that 170 delegates from Tuesday’s contests have yet to be assigned, many from the Texas caucuses.... (New York Times)

Unprecedented turnout at caucuses across Houston and Harris County left hundreds of frustrated voters waiting in the cold until almost midnight outside at least one polling place in West Houston on Tuesday.... (Houston Chronicle)

By 9:15, the caucus results were known in Precinct 34. Obama, who trailed Clinton in the day's voting there, won the local delegate count. He will send 24 delegates to the senatorial convention, Clinton 16. "I don't know how much difference this makes in the long run, but it makes a lot of difference to me," said 31-year-old Megan House, who was hoping to be chosen a delegate for the next stage of the process. "You've got to make a stand somewhere. People are understanding that democracy is controlled by those who show up." (Houston Chronicle)

How to caucus tonight in Texas

Today's campaign round up from Houston, Columbus, Toledo, and San Antonio... (Sioux City Journal)

H/T to Polimom for this:
It's not over when polls closeWith caucuses likely to be big draw, participants have rules to learn (from the Houston Chronicle):

IF YOU DECIDE TO GO
Anyone who voted in the Democratic primary can take part in the party's caucus Tuesday night. Caucus turnout will determine roughly one-third of the Texas delegates needed by Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. Republicans distribute delegates based entirely on primary votes, although they will caucus Tuesday night to conduct party business.
• Where: Caucuses are held at precinct polling stations. Early voters may have gone to a different place. Check your precinct address beforehand.
• Who: Try to bring proof that you voted in the Democratic primary, either a stamped voter registration card or a receipt of primary voting from the polling place. If you have neither, you may still participate in the caucus; your vote will be confirmed later.
• When: Arrive before 7:15 p.m., but be prepared to wait. Caucusing cannot start until polls close, and high turnout means voting could run late.
• How: You may "sign in" your presidential preference and leave. Your "sign in" will be used to allocate delegates among Clinton, Obama and other candidates. If you stay, you can also vote to choose delegates to the next level from your precinct.
• What: Some locations may see crowding and delays. Bring folding chairs and snacks. You can bring your kids, but be aware that the evening could last two or three hours.

Tomorrow's Texas Two-Step Primary-Caucus

Here's what happens:

1. Texas registered voters vote in the primary either early or on Tuesday March 4 (tomorrow)
2. Voters who voted in the primary are then allowed to vote in the Tuesday Caucus at 7pm after the polls close

Texas uses a "primacus" system brought about after the 1968 Dem convention in Chicago as a reform called the "McGovern rules".

• Texas will send 228 delegates to this year's Democratic National Convention in Denver. Of those delegates, 126 will be assigned to vote for candidates based on election results.
• An additional 35 will be superdelegates, made up mostly of high-ranking officials, who may back whichever candidate they choose.
• The remaining 67 delegates will be chosen through the caucus system -- with 42 being rank-and-file Democrats and 25 being party leaders and elected officials, according to a Lone Star Project report.

If a precinct has 10 delegates and 50 people show up -- with 30 for Clinton and 20 for Barack Obama -- then six delegates for Clinton and four for Obama will move on to the senatorial convention. That's why volunteers for Clinton and Obama will not only be pushing locals to vote -- but also to show up for the caucus on election night. "There are thousands of precinct conventions that will elect 25 percent of the delegates without respect to the primary results," said Jason Smith, a Clinton volunteer in Tarrant County.... (Star Telegram)

If you are an independent voter in Texas and would like to connect with other independents, go to Independent Texans or independentvoting.org -- Tell them The Hankster sent you!

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• INDEPENDENT VOTERS
  So far, election breaks conventional wisdom (Detroit Free Press editorial)
• Urban Perspectives: Obama's success taking this skeptic by surprise (By Acel Moore, Philadelphia Inquirer)
• The Tin-Eared Talk Show Wing's Declining Influence (Pajamas Media) Independent voters hold the balance of power in American politics, now and even more so in the future.

OHIO
'Cross-over' voting has baggage (Cincinnati Enquirer) Local African American talk show host Lincoln Ware switched from Repub to Dem to vote for Obama... Dems and independents can vote in the Ohio Dem primary with no questions asked, but Repubs have to say they want to become Dems.... but who cares?

TEXAS TWO-STEP -- Vote Early, Vote Twice!
The Texas Democratic Primary is a two-step process: 1) vote in the Primary -- vote early anytime before and including Tuesday, March 4 and then, 2) go to your local caucus site and vote again. This is important because your primary vote is worth 2/3 of your vote, and the caucus vote is worth another 1/3.

• East Texas may hold key to Democratic primary (Houston Chronicle) independents favored Obama by at least 13 percentage points.
• Dem Voting and Caucus Problems in Texas on March 4th (OpEdNews)
• Clinton’s fate in hands of Texas, Ohio (News Tribune Tacoma WA)
• Why are voters confused about Texas primary-caucus system? (The Beaumont Enterprise)

RHODE ISLAND

• 10,000 turn out at a campaign rally for Sen. Barack Obama in Warwick (Providence Journal) Lincoln Chaffee endorsed Obama
• In R.I., Obama Makes Inroads/Tiny State Seen as Clinton Stronghold (Washington Post)
• In ’08 Politics, Rhode Island Defies Its Size (NY Times)
  
  

WEST VIRGINIA

• Clinton’s Record Not Good for Ohio (The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register)

The Race Card (By ALEXANDER COCKBURN, CounterPunch)



BLOOMBERG

• Bill Plante: Why Bloomberg likes Obama (Newburyport MA Daily News opinion)
• Talk of Obama-Bloomberg ticket grows (UPI)