An Independent Party

In today's South County Independent I've got an op-ed entitled Let's Start an Independent Party. If you are visiting this site after reading the piece and have an interest in what I wrote about, please contact me at jpincince@gmail.com. And if you haven't read it yet, click on over there right now, what are you waiting for?

Results With Mail-Ins (and Provisionals)

It looks like I've come in 6th by 75 votes. Here are the results including the mail-in ballots:

Candidate	Total votes	Pct
Stephen Scott MUELLER (DEM)	7649	16.1%
Elizabeth S. MORRIS (Ind)	7548	15.9%
Richard Edward ANGELI, JR. (DEM)	7081	14.9%
Anthony Emmanuel MEGA (DEM)	7036	14.8%
Frederick Lee FROSTIC (DEM)	6402	13.5%
Jonathan Edward PINCINCE (Ind)	6327	13.3%
Robert E. PETRUCCI (REP)	5543	11.6%

There still remain provisional ballots to be counted tomorrow, but there is no chance they will make a difference.

Thank you again to everyone who voted for me and otherwise supported my campaign. It has been a tremendous learning experience, both about running for office and about our town, our schools, our citizens and our kids. There are many, many ways to be involved with our schools and our kids, and my wife and I will surely continue to be involved in other ways. Speaking of which, I had promised to coach travel soccer next season if I was not elected, so off I go tonight to a travel soccer coaches meeting!

Also, I am considering whether to continue to maintain this blog as a forum for the discussion of South Kingstown schools issues. Check back soon to find out if that will happen, and please let me know if you have any interest in participating in such a forum. Thanks again!

UPDATE (11.13.08): The final tally (including provisional ballots) has me finishing with 6,333 votes, 72 short.

Results (almost) - Down by 62

Here are the current vote totals (5 to be elected) from the RI Board of Elections web site:

	Total votes	Pct
Stephen Scott MUELLER (DEM)	7244	16.1%
Elizabeth S. MORRIS (Ind)	7116	15.8%
Richard Edward ANGELI, JR. (DEM)	6735	14.9%
Anthony Emmanuel MEGA (DEM)	6681	14.8%
Frederick Lee FROSTIC (DEM)	6077	13.5%
Jonathan Edward PINCINCE (Ind)	6015	13.3%
Robert E. PETRUCCI (REP)	5244	11.6%

Tomorrow (Wednesday the 5th) the Board of Elections will count some number of South Kingstown mail-in ballots, but it seems very unlikely that I could make up the 62 vote difference between me and Fred Frostic, who finished fifth. The Town Clerk's office tells me that they mailed out more than 1000 absentee ballots, but they do not know how many were returned. I would guess that many of those were not returned and that, of those returned, many have votes only for federal races. I'll update tomorrow when the results become official.

Thank you so much to all 6,015 of you who voted for me, and thank you to all of you who helped out my campaign along the way.

VOTE! And Other Ways to Help Today!

How can you help my campaign today (election day)? First and foremost, vote for Jonathan Pincince for School Committee. I am in the 6th ballot position in the list of School Committee candidates. Vote only for those candidates you most want to see elected - you do not have to vote for 5! - to give those candidates the best chance. Second, ask your friends, family and neighbors to vote for me (and only me); send an email to everyone you can in South Kingstown asking them to vote today and to consider voting for me; include a link to this site. Third, call me right away at 401-651-6515 if you can help out at a polling place today.

Also, see the posts below for (1) a final round-up of the candidates for School Committee and Town Council, and (2) other voting information, such as how to view your ballot online before going to vote, how to find your polling place, and what to do if you need a ride to your polling place.

Would you like to meet me before you vote to ask me a question or express a concern? I will be spending time at several polling places today, but here's a rough schedule of where you're likely to find me: 7am to 9am at West Kingston Elementary School; 9am to 11am at the Clubhouse at the Village at Worden Pond; 11am to 2pm and 3pm to 9pm at Matunuck Elementary School. Also, if you have any questions and do not see me out there at the polls, please feel free to call me anytime throughout today at 401-651-6515.

Thank you for visiting, and for voting, and I hope to see you out at the polls today!

How You Can Help Now

As I went door-to-door this afternoon on Kenyon Avenue and surrounding streets, three different people asked me how they could help out my campaign in these final days before the election. That's easy - tell all of your SK friends, family and neighbors that you'll be voting for Jonathan Pincince for School Committee on Tuesday, and make sure they get out to vote, too! You also can send an email with a link to this web site - SKschools.blogspot.com - to all of your SK friends, family and neighbors, and ask them to consider voting for me.

Contact me at jpincince@gmail.com or 401-651-6515 if you have any questions at all. Thank you for all of your help!

Final South Kingstown Candidate Round-Up

The South County Independent's Liz Boardman has a final round-up of the candidates for South Kingstown Town Council here and for South Kingstown School Committee here. Each candidate was asked to sum up in a sentence or two why he or she should receive voters' support. Here's how I responded:

My wife and I, and our children, are heavily invested in the long-term health of South Kingstown and the excellence of its schools. I will work hard every day to see to it that we as a community give every child a world-class education, and I understand that we must do so in the most cost-effective manner possible in order to keep South Kingstown both a desirable and an affordable place to live.

If you have any questions at all about me or my candidacy, please let me know by emailing jpincince@gmail.com or calling 401-651-6515. Also, see the post immediately below for all the information you need to vote, and remember to exercise your right to vote on Tuesday, November 4th. Thank you!

South Kingstown Voting Information

How to Vote by Emergency Ballot

Are you going to be out of town on Election Day, Tuesday, November 4th? You still can vote! From the Secretary of State's web site:

If you unexpectedly find you will be out-of-town on Election Day, you can go to your community's city or town hall [South Kingstown Town Hall is at 180 High Street] and request an Emergency Ballot. You must be eligible to vote on Election Day in order to qualify. You will fill out a ballot at town hall and seal it in a privacy envelope. Your vote will be counted on Election Day the same as absentee and voting-machine ballots.

View Your Ballot

Here are links to the four South Kingstown ballots, which are identical except for the voting for your State Representative in the General Assembly. If you live in Rep. District 33, click here to view your ballot. If Rep. District 34, click here. If Rep. District 35, click here. And if Rep. District 36, click here. If you do not know in which State Rep. District you live, click here to visit the Voter Information Center to find out; you also can access your ballot from the VIC.

Vote for UP TO 5 for SK Town Council and School Committee

It is important to note that while the ballots instruct voters to "Vote for 5" for SK Town Council and "Vote for any 5" for SK School Committee, you do have the option of voting for fewer than 5 candidates for each of those races and your votes will be counted. In fact, the fewer votes you cast for each of those races, the more you will help the candidates for whom you do vote. Voting for only those candidates you most want to see elected gives those candidates the best chance to be elected, because you are not also registering votes for those candidates' opponents.

Find Your Polling Place

To check your voter registration and find your polling place, click here. All South Kingstown polling places are open from 7am to 9pm. As record voter turnout is expected, the Secretary of State and the SK Board of Canvassers are encouraging voters to allow themselves extra time at the polls and to go to the polls during off-peak voting hours. Peak voting hours are usually from 7am to 9am and from 5pm to 8pm.

Need a Ride to Your Polling Place?

Before Election Day, feel free to email me at jpincince@gmail.com or call me at 401-651-6515 and we will arrange for you to receive a ride to your polling place on Election Day. On Election Day, I and my "campaign staff" will be out at the polls, so please do not email, but please do call me at 401-651-6515 and we will see to it that you receive a ride to your polling place.

Please exercise your right to vote on Tuesday, November 4th!