Dem
55
Ties
1
GOP
44
Today's vocab word is "Malaphor." That is when you combine two metaphors, like "Painted into a corner" and "Nobody puts baby in a corner." In other words, it's basically a portmanteau of metaphors. We crafted that malaphor because we think it best suits the subject of today's freudenfreude, which is about three different cases of people whose right to vote was considerably complicated by Republican politicians and policies, and who made sure to get their ballots cast nonetheless.
We shall start in Mississippi, where a woman named Kayla Murchison Fowler was among the tens of thousands of voters purged from voter rolls based on information derived from credit histories. She voted by affidavit, and then called the number on the card she was given, to check to make sure her vote would be recorded. The phone number was disconnected, so she moved on to the website listed on the card. It was offline. She then drove to the office of the Madison County Circuit Clerk, only to find it closed for renovations. She then used some serious Google skills to figure out where the temporary Madison County Circuit Clerk office was located, and then drove there. The employees working there were disinterested, so Fowler shared a few... insightful words about how her ballot better be counted, or she'd be on the phone with the ACLU. The next day, she got confirmation that her ballot had been accepted.
Next up are Cindy and Lisa Napolitan, who are mother and daughter, and who live together in a nursing home in Texas, as they both have multiple sclerosis. They have always made sure to exercise their right to vote, usually casting their ballots by mail. However, they did not feel terribly comfortable doing it that way in 2026, for obvious reasons. That meant voting in person (during the early-voting period).
Because of the Trump administration's obsession with alleged voter fraud in nursing homes, there was no polling place at the nursing home where the Napolitans reside, in contrast to previous years. And because of Texas' voter ID law, the duo needed current ID, which they did not have because they are no longer able to drive. So, they got the DMV to come to them, to get photos taken and paperwork filled out. The new licenses arrived just before early voting began in Texas, and on the first day of early voting, the mother and daughter got a ride to their closest polling place, IDs at the ready, and cast their (early) ballots.
And finally, a story from Florida, where the Republicans' sins were not related to restricting voting rights, but instead to their failure to restrict global warming. West Palm Beach is pretty low-lying, and these days, thanks to rising ocean levels, parts of it flood on a somewhat regular basis. That is what happened on Election Day, in the neighborhood where a woman named Rayna O'Nan lives. Thanks to the water, driving to the nearest polling place was not possible, nor was walking. So, she got out her paddleboard, and paddled to dry land. She got a ride from there to the polling place, and then a ride back to where she'd been picked up. She paddled back home and then posted photos and a message to social media: "No one has an excuse not to vote today! I literally paddleboarded to make sure I could cast my vote. This flooding in West Palm Beach is getting out of control!"
What can we add here, other than tipping our hat to four different women who made absolutely sure they were able to exercise their franchise.
Have a good weekend, all! (Z)
Arizona has had five women as governor (and New Hampshire has had four, as will be the case with Kansas in short order). Meanwhile, Gov.-elect Deb Haaland (D-NM) will be the third consecutive woman to lead that state, following Susana Martinez (R) and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D). Arizona also had a run of three woman governors, but it ended with Doug Ducey (R).