Second, I mentioned our new web look. It should be up tomorrow, with new content coming throughout the month.

Finally, Brian Werner wrote an enjoyable piece about Write-Ins. Here it is:

Voters Without a Choice Choose “Someone Else”
Who would make the better Alderman: Mickey Mouse or Jimi Hendrix?

Both received write-in votes in last month’s primary election, as did Hillary Clinton, Charles Manson, and Phil the Stuffed Gorilla, though none of these received near as many votes as perennial write-in favorites Mr. and Mrs. Anyone and Someone Else.

In the March election there were only two races on the ballot and half of the Aldermanic races were uncontested, so why go through the trouble of casting your ballot just to vote for Handsome B. Wonderful?

A small number of voters in this election went even further and wrote-in names for both races on the ballot. It’s hard to understand why they would take the time to vote. Are they driven by a sense of duty to their country, or just a lack of anything better to do?

It could be just for a laugh, but there might also be something deeper.

Some people clearly choose to express their dissatisfaction with a candidate, casting votes such as, “Not him (Yuck)!! Please No.”

Even if they don’t have ill will towards the candidate, voters may question the point of filling in an oval for someone who’s running uncontested.

“I feel like it’s very undemocratic if there’s only one person on the ballot,” said one 8th ward voter. “I didn’t write in my neighbor thinking he would win. I just thought it was as worthwhile as voting for the guy on the ballot.”

Voting is about choice, and it doesn’t seem right if there’s only one option, even if it’s a good one. People choose to write-in, knowing it won’t affect things, because it’s not about actually accomplishing anything; you do it because you can.

And there’s a sense of defiance that comes along with it. You can vote for absolutely anyone you want to. In fact, knowing that your candidate isn’t going to win gives you the freedom to consider who would be a really great alderman. The options are wide open. You can vote for yourself, the guy who lives next door, or an effeminate cartoon mouse.

I wonder how Mickey Mouse feels about tax increment financing.

Wards with the Most Write-Ins
16th Ward: 66 write-ins, 3.29% of the vote.
8th Ward: 43 write-ins, 5.19% of the vote.
14th Ward: 41 write-ins, 6.15% of the vote.

In University City, Lynn Ricci handily defeated challenger Gloria Nickerson for the 2nd ward council seat, 81% to 19%.

In Overland, the unsurprising news of the day is the recall of Mayor Ann Purzner. Approved by 73% of the residents.

Creve Coeur residents approved a slate of charter amendments ranging from how ordinances are enacted–which passed with 72%–to requiring a two-thirds majority vote of the city council to approve eminent domain–88%. The eminent domain amendment was placed on the ballot by citizen petition. (full list here.)

UPDATE: It passes. 6.8% turnout.

Jake Hummel, as rumored, files a committee for 108th District (Villa - termed).

Bob Burns, files a committee for 85th District (rematch against Lembke, unless he runs as rumored for senate, 1st District). Also filing a committee on the D side in the 85th, Vicki Lorenz Englund.

Finally, Cynthia Kramer and Jane Bogetto have filed committees for rematches with T. Scott Muchany in the 87th and Rick Stream in the 95th.

Predictions on the parks? It needs 3/5 to pass.

Making the speculative list: South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

Though Missouri's political circles have been abuzz with speculation, Missouri Governor Matt Blunt was not among those mentioned.

To be fair, Romney was playing to the audience, as he himself said, "When I'm in South Carolina, I'm not going to fail to mention some of the ones that are closest."

With the primaries still 11 months away, calling any response premature is, of course, an understatement.

It works on toasters, even on candidates. From The Washington Post.

The life of a testing coordinator.

Larry Summers looks at education.

Chicago sprawl continues.

Vice-chair Yaphett El-Amin ran the meeting as Brian Wahby stepped down to speak against the proposal on the floor.

The voice vote went against the resolution.

In an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times Thursday, the former chief of the voting section in the Department of Justice's civil right's division, Joseph D. Rich, said the Bush administration has long-attempted to co-opt the Justice Department's power and influence for partisan gain.

Missouri's involvement involves a matter that generated considerable concern and speculation last November.

Rich points to the indictment by the U.S. Attorney for Missouri's Western Division, Bradley Schlozman, of members of ACORN before last November's election.

He makes the serious allegation that Schlozman deliberately ignored long-standing department policy to not bring indictments on the eve of an election in order to influence its outcome.

Schlozman appointment for the western division in March of 2006 utilized the now-defunct provision in the Patriot Act that circumvents Senate approval.

Rich says Schlozman's 3-year tenure at the DOJ was central to politicization efforts in the civil rights division; a division Rich worked in for 35 years until his departure in 2005.

A Time Magazine poll released Friday has Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) defeating Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) 48% to 42%.

A Rasmussen poll released Thursday has former North Carolina Senator John Edwards (D) defeating McCain 47% to 38%.

Finally, Edwards is shown in the Time poll as trailing Clinton (38%) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) (30%) in the polls with 26% in a three-way primary. Edwards has been stuck in the third slot for some time, but has been moved up the ladder some following his wife's medical announcement.

It's true these are, of course, different firms with different sample groups, methods, etc.

The day-to-day can be fun to follow, and it is good data for establishing trends in the long run, but outside of rough estimates of who's ahead and who's behind it's too noisy to make much in the way of a prediction.

Even the aggregate doesn't clear things up that much. It would seem the GOP front-runners, former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani and McCain, are leading the Democratic front runners Clinton and Obama. That said, a few match-ups have them running even or show a Democratic lead.

For those of you who love it, some up-to-the-minute poll numbers: check out TPM Cafe's Election Central or Real Clear Politic's latest polls.

For some detailed info on polling, trends and daily polls, check out the pros over at Pollster.com.