My Vote is Cast!: Poly Exit Poll/Polling Experience
 

You beat me to the thread idea!http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...milies/mad.gif

Anyways, I went to the senior center that has been my regular polling place for the past six years, and I had never seen it so crowded. Voting was no problem, and at least for my precinct went quickly. No issues with the gigantic dinosaurs from the 1960's that NYC still uses to record votes, though having to pull a big lever gives a certain sense of finality to the vote cast.

No surprise about whom I voted for, thought I did lodge a protest vote against my Congressman - voted for some no chance third party (not that I want to give the Republicans the seat).

Originally posted by GePap
You beat me to the thread idea!http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...milies/mad.gif

Anyways, I went to the senior center that has been my regular polling place for the past six years, and I had never seen it so crowded. Guess we can call the election for McCain then. http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ilies/wink.gif

I wanted to vote this morning but it turned out that I would not have time before going to work today.

So I'm going to have to vote this evening after work, when the line will be much longer.

I'm not voting this time.

In the US it's not cuz there's a conspiracy to keep teh working class from voting http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...milies/nod.gif

I voted about an hour ago in my little rural town in CT. In and out in 5 minutes or so. Totally painless.

I talked to a friend at work who lives in New Haven, he told a very different tale. He showed up at 6am, waited for ~20 minutes outside, then waited some more inside b/c there was a major bottleneck where the poll workers were checking people's names/addresses. The booths were basically empty. So yeah, inefficient. Hopefully they sort themselves out as the day goes on.

-Arrian

We really should have elections on Saturdays.

-Arrian

GePap, on the news here last night, there was a segment that said employers were required to give you two hours to vote.

Not sure if that's a local ordinance or what, but at least around here it seems to be true.

-=Vel=-

Originally posted by Ramo


As an aside, Guam gave Obama a 62.7% landslide. I bet electronic voting did not reach Guam yet http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...milies/nod.gif

I predict a win for McCain by less than 0.5% in Ohio, Florida and any other state if he needs it http://www.discussworldissues.com/im...ons/icon14.gif

I am looking forward to reading about Palin a lot more next 8 years http://www.discussworldissues.com/im...ons/icon14.gif http://www.discussworldissues.com/im...ons/icon14.gif http://www.discussworldissues.com/im...ons/icon14.gif

I early voted a few weeks ago (and stood in line for like... forever!)... I voted McCain/Palin

Originally posted by Asher


Your country is, in many ways, as awful as a third-world country. Wow.

What is to stop evil factory worker republicans from demanding overtime of their employees on election day, or get fired?
I agree - there should be some way for employers to be required by law to provide one or two hours off from work to go out and vote.

Something happened and I woke up with my pants hanging down! http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ies/scared.gif

Strictly speaking, employers are required to let you out. But only for a couple hours, and clearly not a lot of people exercise this right.

But Saturday (or making election day a Holiday) would be clearly preferable to the status quo. And one should be able to register and vote at the same time (as a number of states already do).

Oregon is a mail-in ballot, so I voted a while ago. Man, it's so nice and easy here.

Just got back. My voting location is right here in my neighborhood, so I was able to walk there. Overall, a weird experience:

The polling place is a Catholic church and school (!). Thus, in the room itself, you are surrounded by crosses and maps of "The Holy Land, Then And Now." Sort of an odd place to vote if you're atheist.

I was immediately asked by the poll workers if Colbert/Stewart were, indeed real candidates, because if so I'd have to cover up my shirt.

I was behind a woman in line who appeared to be a meth addict, had not brought any ID, after signing the log book and receiving her ticket immediately asked if she could leave and come back later to vote, constantly danced from one foot to the another, and just generally gave me a case of the creeping willies. I may have picked up scabies just by standing behind her.

I stood in line a solid 40 minutes once I arrived; the line wasn't out the door or anything, but there were only 5 voting machines. Which is actually an improvement, as there were 4 machines there in '06, and back in '04 when I lived in a different area of Columbus there were only 2 machines, and I was in line for 2 hours outside in the rain.

Given that I didn't know **** about any of the judge races, I voted only in the one where a guy named Dingus was running, as I had seen his flyers that said, "Bring us Dingus," and I thought, well, that's gotta be worth something. Voted for all the municipal issues and state amendments (please, God, let #6 pass, I want a casino). For (almost) everything else, I voted Democrat. First time I've ever done that, actually.

Well, that's not entirely true. I actually have heard a few things about him, a former prosecutor but also a liberal; that sealed it right there.

When I was in college, I knew a guy named Peter Handler. Seriously. And where he grew up, apparently, nobody made the connection. When he got to Ann Arbor, it was all over. But he ran for student government, posting flyers that read, "Peter Handler: get a grip on your student government" above the urinals in the lecture hall men's rooms. He won big.

Originally posted by Guynemer
Well, that's not entirely true. I actually have heard a few things about him, a former prosecutor but also a liberal; that sealed it right there.

When I was in college, I knew a guy named Peter Handler. Seriously. And where he grew up, apparently, nobody made the connection. When he got to Ann Arbor, it was all over. But he ran for student government, posting flyers that read, "Peter Handler: get a grip on your student government" above the urinals in the lecture hall men's rooms. He won big. http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...milies/lol.gif

Inspired!

-=Vel=-

My day began watching MSNBC and CNN for election coverage. Watching Obama take like 15 minutes to fill out his ballot (yikes, is the IL ballot that complicated, or was he just taking his time knowing the cameras were on him?) Funny note during the show, Bill Ayers came in to vote at the same polling place like 20 minutes before Obama did.

I then (once I got my internet working) went online to do some research on the school board candidates. One district I decided pretty much solely on the fact that one wanted to include discussion of homosexuality & contraception in sex ed http://www.discussworldissues.com/im...ons/icon14.gif, and the other didn't http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ons/icon13.gif . The other school board seat I decided partly based on that, partially cause the incumbent (one of the few Republicans in local government in the county, and a guy I usually vote for) seems to just be a total ******* and is said to have beaten up a fellow Republican candidate over some financial issues.

I voted at 9:30 this morning down at the elementary school I usually vote at. Usually the polling location is fairly sleepy, I'd never stood behind 2-3 people before voting. This time they had a bit of a line, maybe 20-25 people. Of course I usually go in the middle of the day and today I went earlier, so that could be a factor too.

It was fairly painless. I changed my party affiliation there when I checked in, the poll worker didn't seem too informed about how to do it (though I've seen her at past elections) but with some help she figured it out fairly quickly. I change my party affiliation based on which primary I want to vote in, and typically here in Maryland the democratic primaries are more interesting. I just switched to the GOP this year so I could vote for Ron Paul, but I just switched back today in preparation for the next set of primaries.

I talked a bit with one of the guys in charge and he said that at 9:30 am they had already seen half the number of voters who voted in 2004. He figures we'll have record turnout.

I went in to vote and it took me all of 20 seconds to cast my ballot on the touch screen. Honestly I think half the reason there are back-ups and delays at voting booths is because people just take too damn long voting. It isn't that complicated.

I voted for Bob Barr for President and a Libertarian candidate for US House. Some judge elections were unopposed, so I just voted for the incumbent. Other judge elections asked whether X Judge should serve another term or not, and I voted no on both of those. Anti-incumbent motivation.

Most importantly, I voted for all four ballot measures. The first one allowed early voting in the state, a very good idea to allow more people a chance to vote. The second statewide measure, and the more controversial one, is to allow slots in the state. I voted yes, since the budget is a mess, and I'd much rather have slots than more taxes.

The first county ballot measure just removes some parts from the county charter that were invalidated by a court for conflicting with state law. Seemed like a housecleaning measure, so sure. The last one was a requirement that the county council vote unanimously in order to raise taxes. I voted yes for this as well.

Then I got my sticker. http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...es/biggrin.gif

My girlfriend said it was mad chaos voting down in DC. Long lines, poll workers shouting at people, pushing, everything very confusing and hectic. Lots of frustrated people. Maryland was smooth sailing though.

I cast an absentee ballot.

It's much more convenient http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ilies/cool.gif but I really miss my "I voted" sticker. I put it in my sig, but it's just not the same. http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/frown.gif

Wow, so much drama (almost) everywhere else.

I just popped over to the same place I've been voting in for the past few elections, and had no line at all. And then I got to vote for a senator, 11 billion judges & the county sherriff; I voted against a couple of the judges & picked a 3rd party in the senate race because I was tired of being spammed with their damn TV ads and phone calls AND junk mail flyers http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/trout.gif Way to not get the vote, fellas & gals. I was apparently #287 so far today, but this area tends to vote after working hours (hence why I've learned to go early) http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ies/tongue.gif

Now it's just sit back and check the TV/'net every so often to see whom our next Fearless Leader is.

PS Can someone tell my Mom to quit cancelling me out in the President race? http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...milies/lol.gif After all she did vote for Nixon back in '72 http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...nwitdornan.gif http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/heart.gif