Where are the WBOB "Stump" straw poll numbers?

Bill Hay‘s WBOB Stump straw poll last weekend got a solid turnout and had some interesting speeches. Lenny Curry talked about being “the only conservative in this race” and Bill Bishop launched a critique of negative ads as “the last vestige of people with no vision.” The counting process to determine winners? Even more interesting.

When I asked around about when numbers would be ready Saturday night, I got a vague answer. On Sunday, the winners were named; no answers. I didn’t think too much of it.

But some other people did.

Karyn Morton of the Duval County Republican Party posted the following on the “I’m Speaking Plainly with Bill Hay” Facebook page: “I’m getting a lot of feedback/questions about these results. A straw poll, like any other election, is normally totally transparent with all votes accounted for. It would be most appreciated if you could publish the full results.”

Hay responded that he wasn’t going to do that. He said a select pool of voters on the Southside didn’t reflect the full will of the voters in Duval County. In response, Morton attacked the poll’s credibility, saying that “I also noticed you had no SOE representation to verify results, did not rent a vote count machine from SOE, had not secured volunteers to assist with the vote count — and now seem highly reluctant to publish the actual results. I can’t imagine that you will be able to get much participation in any future endeavors of this sort.”

The back and forth continued. Hay talked of the bullying tactics of the Republican Executive Committee and the mechanics of the REC endorsement of Curry over Bishop. Morton maintained the high road. Hay, dialoguing with another REC officer, posted that “if the REC is going to continue to promote their ‘secret agenda’ then they are going to have to do it without help from” his show.

For his part, Hay seems to be courting further confrontation with the Duval County Republican Party. Saturday’s show involves a discussion of the “bully tactics” of the local GOP in the first hour. The second hour? An interview with Bishop.