The Huffington Post reports:

At 9:37 a.m. on Tuesday, a Service Employees International Union (SEIU) staffer in Ohio received a robocall message inaccurately telling voters the election was “tomorrow.”

“Hi, I am calling to remind you that tomorrow is Election Day,” said the voice on the message. “It is critically important that you go vote and protect the future of our country. Tomorrow, please go to the polls and vote YES on Issue 2, and vote YES on Issue 3. Paid for by American Future Fund and not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee. 866-559-5854.”

Voting yes on Issue 2 means voting in favor of SB 5, Gov. John Kasich’s anti-collective bargaining law.

The calls were paid for by the American Future Fund, a group that spent millions in the 2010 elections supporting conservative candidates, including Rep. Tim Walberg. The group denies that the calls were intentionally send out on Tuesday:

Mandy Fraher, a spokeswoman for American Future Fund, acknowledged that automated phone calls were being made on Tuesday telling recipients that the election was being held “tomorrow.” She insisted that the mix-up was due to “gross incompetence on behalf of the phone vendor” and that the group was “working to correct that problem immediately.”

“As soon as we realized the problem we stopped those calls and we started calling those people back who received a call to inform them that today is Election Day,” said Fraher.

Michigan is likely to face a similar repeal election next November on the Emergency Manager bill; opponents of that bill say they are 80 percent of the way to get the signatures necessary to put that repeal on the ballot.

Below are a few audio samples of what residents in SD 18 have been hearing. They are arranged in the order that they were received by voters.

This initial clip appears to be one of the first robocalls that went out to voters and features a local teacher who explains why she is supporting Mathis.

This robocall, which began late last week, features former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who is calling on behalf of the Citizens United Political Victory Fund in support of Golding.

Our third call is also in support of Golding and was paid for by the Republican Party of Iowa. The female caller attacks Mathis’ “hidden” support for repeal of the state’s right to work law and, apparently taking a page from 2012 GOP controversies, implies that, if Mathis is elected, state tax money will be used to send illegal immigrants to college.

The final robocall in our sample began circulation Tuesday morning and features candidate Mathis talking about her plans for education and encouraging voters to head to the polls before they close at 9 p.m.

Generally, the calls coming into to SD 18 households have mirrored numerous direct mailings. That is, the Mathis campaign and the Iowa Democratic Party are largely doing outreach that focuses on Mathis and her proposals. Mailers and these most recent calls from those the right have employed much more of an offensive strategy.

For those interested in how the election is going, the Linn County Auditor’s Office has developed a special election day page that provides polling place information as well as voter turnout. As of 11 a.m., roughly 6.5 percent of all registered voters in the county had visited their polling place. A more accurate gauge of voter interest might be to look only at the precincts in the city of Marion, which is the largest city within SD 18. During the 2009 elections, which were largely not controversial, 418 people (about 2 percent) had cast their ballot by 11 a.m. For this election, 2,134 voters (about 8.5 percent) visited the polls by 11 a.m.

The group’s political victory fund spent $3,000 on Nov. 4 for telephone calls supporting Republican Cindy Golding. The calls ran from Nov. 4 to Nov. 6.

Cindy Golding

Citizens United has several arms, including a tax-exempt non-profit that focuses on limited government, free-market economics and Judeo-Christian values. It also has a documentary film production and marketing piece, which has made movies with Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann and Fred Thompson.

The National Organization for Marriage also made two more independent expenditures on behalf of Golding in recent days, paying for mailings and phone calls on Nov. 3 and 4.

The group spent $1,604 for direct mail on Nov. 3, and $1,539 for phone calls on Nov. 4. Golding is taking on Democrat Liz Mathis, on whose behalf no independent expenditures from outside groups have yet been made.

NOM previously spent $9,757 on Nov. 1 for a direct mailing for Golding in Senate District 18. NOM also spent $9,847 on Oct. 27 and $8,009 on Oct. 18 for direct mailings. On Oct. 20 the group spent $252 for a press release, and on Oct. 21 spent $1,539 for robocalls to 23,683 voters.

Liz Mathis

Social conservative group The Family Leader has also made expenditures on behalf of Golding, totaling $100.

The race is perceived as crucial for advocates and opponents of marriage rights for same-sex couples. Democrats currently control the Iowa Senate, 25 to 24, after Sen. Swati Dandekar (D-Marion) resigned to take a position on the Iowa Utilities Board.

With the Iowa House controlled 60-40 by Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal has been the key bulwark to stopping debates on the issue.

The Iowa Supreme Court ruled unanimously in 2009 that the Iowa Constitution’s equal protection clause was violated by a legislative ban on same-sex marriage.

The group spent $9,757 on Nov. 1 for a direct mailing for Golding in Senate District 18. NOM also spent $9,847 on Oct. 27 and $8,009 on Oct. 18 for direct mailings.

On Oct. 20 the group spent $252 for a press release, and on Oct. 21 spent $1,539 for robocalls to 23,683 voters.

Social conservative group The Family Leader has also made expenditures on behalf of Golding, totaling $100.

The race is perceived as crucial for advocates and opponents of marriage rights for same-sex couples. Democrats currently control the Iowa Senate, 25 to 24, after Sen. Swati Dandekar (D-Marion) resigned to take a position on the Iowa Utilities Board. With the Iowa House controlled 60-40 by Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal has been the key bulwark to stopping debates on the issue.

The Iowa Supreme Court ruled unanimously in 2009 that the Iowa Constitution’s equal protection clause was violated by a legislative ban on same-sex marriage.

No independent expenditures have yet been made on behalf of Democrat Liz Mathis.

The election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

The campaign, dubbed “Drive for 25? seeks to educate voters on a provision with the U.S. House GOP budget — known as the Ryan budget, because of its author U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) — that moves Medicare from its existing system to one that is privatized and capped. The DCCC notes that on Sunday, even former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Georgia) opposed the Ryan budget, referring to its changes in Medicare as “radical” and “too big a jump.”

Latham, along with 20-some additional members of Congress who voted in favor of the Ryan budget, have been targeted by the DCCC previously with radio ads, phone calls and email messages. A transcript of the current robocall is as follows:

Hi, I’m calling from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee calling about Congressman Tom Latham’s vote to end Medicare.

You’ve paid into Medicare for more than 25 years and deserve the Medicare benefits you’ve earned. Under the Latham plan, Medicare ends and you’ll have to save about $182,000 more to pay for your health care. Where will you get $182,000? Everyone agrees we must cut spending and tighten our belt, but Latham has made the wrong choice. Ending Medicare to pay for subsidies for Big Oil making huge profits or tax breaks for the ultra rich! That’s not right.

Please call Congressman Latham at (515) 232-2885 and tell him to keep his hands off our Medicare!

Although the DCCC has indicated that these measures are being used against Latham in his Congressional District, a spokesperson for the organization has not yet clarified for The Iowa Independent if the District being targeted is his current area or the area he hopes to represent following the 2012 election.

Latham has indicated that he will be moving into the newly established 3rd District to face Democratic incumbent Leonard Boswell in 2012. If he chose not to move, Latham would have been pitted against fellow Republican incumbent Steve King in the newly established 4th District. Democrat Christie Vilsack is exploring a possible run against King.

So, if the DCCC is targeting voters in Iowa’s existing 4th Congressional District, such calls are likely to be no consequence in the 2012 election because Latham won’t be a candidate on that District’s ballot.

In addition to the calls, the DCCC has also launched an activist website, DontEndMedicare.com, with downloadable protest signs, a virtual phone back and other tools for supporters.

The ad, embedded below, is scheduled to appear in the upper northwest quadrant Monday through Thursday of this week, and asks “What were you thinking?”

In addition to King, the organization has nearly identical ads airing in criticism of U.S. Reps. Ryan, Chip Cravaack (R-Minn.) and Sean Duffy (R-Wis.). In total, the ad buys are costing five figures and are being done in conjunction with an automated call campaign in 23 Congressional districts throughout the country that began last week.

In Iowa the automated calls follow this script:

I’m calling from Americans United for Change.

On April 15th, your Congressman Steve King voted to end Medicare and its guaranteed health care benefits. Instead, he wants to give seniors a voucher, forcing them to go out and find coverage from private insurance companies. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates this proposal will increase seniors’ out-of-pocket costs by $6,000 each year — and Congressman King is using the savings to give corporations and millionaires another tax break. Congressman King even voted to slash Medicaid funds that pay nursing home care for seniors and the disabled.

Call Congressman King at 202-225-4426 and tell him that cutting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security to pay for tax cuts for corporations and millionaires is just wrong. Tell him to keep his hands off our Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

While there has been little shortage over the years of progressive outrage directed at King, it hasn’t been commonplace for national groups to spend money in an effort to target him. This has been because the existing 5th District hasn’t been considered competitive. This particular ad buy signals that either national organizations view the newly remapped 4th District as being somewhat more competitive or that they believe a high-profile Democrat could make inroads come 2012 — or perhaps a bit of both.

In Pennsylvania, a computer misread one gentleman’s vote and a polling volunteer—who couldn’t get the damn thing to work—called out to the room full of voters: “Does anyone want to vote for this candidate? Because this guy wants to vote for someone else and we can’t get his ballot to work.” So much for privacy in the voting booth!

And the not-so-funny:

Volunteers have heard news of foul play from people—yet to be identified—who are trying to stop voters from getting to the polls altogether. Election Protection has confirmed that robocalls went out in New Hampshire and Maine yesterday, incorrectly telling voters that they could vote online. Similar calls reported in New Orleans have yet to be verified.

In Kansas, the attorney general’s office has reported robocalls telling voters that election day is tomorrow, and that they must bring a voter-registration card and proof of ownership to their polling places—things that are not required by Kansas election law, which only requires identification for first-time voters.

In Houston, Texas, presumed vote-stoppers are reverting to old-fashioned tactics. A flyer from a fake group called the Black Democratic Trust of Texas—which I have in hand (and by hand, I mean my inbox)—warns voters: “Republicans are trying to trick us! When you vote straight ticket Democratic, it is actually voting for Republicans, and your vote doesn’t count.” Featuring the president’s familiar campaign slogan “Yes We Can!” in bold letters, the flyer goes on to tell voters that the only way to vote for a Democratic ticket is to cast their ballot for gubernatorial candidate Bill White.

Follow her coverage here.

In the wake of a slew of polls that show the race in the Grand Canyon State tightening in recent weeks, Talking Points Memo reports that several of its Arizona readers reported receiving a McCain campaign robocall today.

McCain’s robocall, which was played to us over the phone by Mary Joe Bartel, a retiree who lives south of Tucson, attacks Obama as unprepared to defend the country from terrorism, singling out Joe Biden’s recent remarks about the likelihood of Obama being tested by an international crisis early in his first term.

Here’s the script:

I’m calling for John McCain and the RNC because Barack Obama is so dangerously inexperienced, his running mate Joe Biden just said, he invites a major international crisis that he will be unprepared to handle alone.

If Democrats win full control of government, they will want to give civil rights to terrorists and talk unconditionally to dictators and state sponsors of terror. Barack Obama and his Democratic allies lack the experience and judgment to lead America. This call was paid for by the Republican National Committee and authorized by McCain-Palin 2008.

The news says a lot about the state of the McCain campaign. With Obama throwing money around like it’s his job, and with McCain struggling to keep pace, the campaign can hardly afford to redirect money from battleground states to go on the air with television or radio advertising in Arizona.

But McCain’s strategists must be at least somewhat concerned about McCain’s home-state standing, or they wouldn’t risk signaling weakness by taking this action. The robocalls will allow McCain to spread his message cheaply in Arizona. Unfortunately for him, it is highly questionable how effective the calls may be.

The McCain campaign is releasing memos saying the race is “functionally tied” — but its actions suggest McCainland is privately worried about the possibility of an electoral blowout.

Such web luminaries as Arianna Huffington and Micah Sifry pushed that argument this week. The Obama campaign agrees.

On Friday, Sen. Barack Obama’s new-media office launched an initiative to identify and expose any last-minute, below-the-radar attacks on the Democratic presidential nominee. The web portal, Radar.BarackObama.com, tracks attacks and anonymous robocalls, and solicits reports from supporters around the country, “anchor[ing]” an “expansive campaign to push back on McCain’s unceasing negativity,” according to a campaign aide.  (The campaign is also touting offline pushback in key states, pointing to recent events in Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Indiana and West Virginia.)

To be sure, Obama’s aides have been countering attacks during the whole campaign, online and off, including on another open-source portal, FightTheSmears.com. The new portal is distinct, however, because it maps and measures Republican attacks, showing the public (and the media) exactly how much Republicans are relying on robocalls, mailers and attacks in the homestretch.  The site aims to expose every “toxic attack” designed “to quietly poison voters’ information with lies and fear tactics.”

A U.S. map provides an indictment of Sen. John McCain, the site contends, by displaying attacks “which are approved by the McCain campaign or its Republican partners” (emphasis in original). The map:

As it happens, TalkingPointsMemo, a site that has fused journalism and new-media activism, unveiled a similar map this week, titled “Flying Under The Radar: The Map of GOP Sleaze.”

In the new era of web-driven politics, nothing stays below the radar for long, which can pose a bigger problem for deceitful candidates. For months, McCain proudly lectured voters about how he runs honest, honorable campaigns. Yet new-media scrutiny has exposed his use of the same lies, smears and tricks that helped sour the nation on the Republican politics of Karl Rove.

For some voters, the revulsion with McCain’s last-minute smears may be especially acute, once they know that he is employing the very operatives who launched hateful, racist smears and lies about his family in 2000.  That is not only hypocritically dishonorable, by definition; it also smacks of an unseemly desperation.

Whenever the situation calls for a hit job, there’s only one goon to which the don turns.

TPM reports Giuliani has lent his voice to what is perhaps the lowest of the McCain campaign’s robocalls — it portrays Sen. Barack Obama as soft on crime. The call has been reported in Maine, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Ohio and Colorado.

In the message, Giuliani accuses Obama of opposing “mandatory jail sentences for sex offenders, drug dealers and murderers.” He goes on to say that, “It’s true, I read Obama’s words myself.”

Really, Rudy? Obama said he opposed mandatory prison for murderers and rapists?

TPM’s Greg Sargent suggests Giulaini is actually talking about Obama’s opposition to federal mandatory minimum prison sentences — a glaring omission of one word that completely changes the meaning of the statement.

Note that Rudy claims Obama “opposes mandatory prison sentences” for rapists and murders. Rudy is actually referring to Obama’s opposition to specific mandatory minimum sentences. By dropping the word “minimum,” he’s insinuating that Obama opposes mandatory prison sentences in general.

ABC News reported during the primaries that Obama said in 2004 that he would vote to abolish mandatory minimums for federal crimes:

“Mandatory minimums take too much discretion away from judges,” Obama said in an NAACP debate.

It is worth pointing out that few murderers, rapists or drug dealers are tried in federal court.

I put in a call to the McCain campaign press office seeking the exact Obama quote Giuliani cites in the robocall. I will update if and when the campaign responds.

This isn’t the first time that Giuliani has waded out into the mud. Earlier this month, he participated in a McCain campaign conference call that, by all appearances, was staged for the purpose of bringing up William Ayers — before McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin lost their bashfulness about mentioning Ayers themselves.

Those years Giuliani spent as a U.S. attorney, prosecuting organized crime cases, may have taught him a thing or two about being a thug.