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

[Patroklos]

So, I drove home yesterday and this morning the whole family (six of us) went to the polling station at 5:30. It is always nice to do this as a family, but this one was special since it was my youngest sister’s first time vote.

Some observations about the polling station:

1.) There was a line a quarter mile long when we rolled up at 5:30. It was a mile and a half before the polls opened at 6.

2.) It was at an elementary school that it has been at for the last 2 presidential elections. Not a bad local except they changed one of the two line entrances to a side door that was to small for wheel chairs.

3.) In Virginia it is illegal for poll workers to wear any T-shirts/buttons/banners and the like which actually annoyed me at first but in fact led to a far more calm and friendly atmosphere in my opinion.

4.) There were some Obama voting rights representatives inside the polling station (badge less) who promptly made clear that they would help anyone in need, and in fact almost immediately ended up clearing up a curbside disability issue for Republicans (local rep volunteers bringing disabled veterans). They were very helpful and honestly completely non partisan.

5.) There were ten electronic stations, each easy to use.

6.) The provisional polling station was vacant for the hour I could see it, so I assume there were no registration problems.

One thing that did disturb me while talking to some voters in line was that apparently Virginia and the Federal government screwed up their absentee ballots. Military members were allowed to download a Federal ballot online that required one signature, while Virginia requires two. As far as I know the ballots will be counted regardless, but damn how hard is this!

So, if you care to let us know your vote do so, or just tell us your polling experience.

[GePap]

You beat me to the thread idea!

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).

[Bosh]

As far as I know the ballots will be counted regardless, but damn how hard is this!

Yeah, Virginia ****ed up horrifically here. Basically the way they made the form your vote doesn't count unless you do something that the form doesn't tell you to do.

Mailed in an absentee ballot for Obama last month...

[Agathon]

Originally posted by GePap
You beat me to the thread idea!

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.

[Japher]

I mailed my vote in last week. It was exhilarating.

I voted again today, eh.

[asleepathewheel]

Early voted on Friday, here in Houston. only took~35 minutes or so to navigate the lines, they had either 45 or 54 machines depending on who you talked to, so it was pretty painless. no harassment. demographic makeup of the lines looked no different than the last time I voted.

Half the ballot was judges, which I'm sure most people have no clue about. The ones I know are terrified that they (repubs) will get washed out like what happened in Dallas. I have a few cases with one of the guys running for Texas Supreme Court, so that was a fun vote.

Pretty split ticket for me, because the courts are republican, I voted dem against several judges that I personally don't care for, voted for David Floyd for RR chief, voted dem for local DA (chaos++)

[MrFun]

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.

[Asher]

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

Originally posted by Patroklos
5.) There were ten electronic stations, each easy to use.

Patty voted ten times. :mad

[BeBMan]

I'm not voting this time.

[Asher]

Originally posted by MrFun
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.

Aren't employers legally required to permit you time to vote? That is law in Canuckistan...

[BeBMan]

In the US it's not cuz there's a conspiracy to keep teh working class from voting

[Ramo]

Voted a couple weeks ago, also in Houston. Spent about 30 minutes in line. Voted Democrat down the line (and Libertarian where the Republican had no other opponent).

It looks like just about every Republican in the city is in deep ****. In Harris County (i.e. Houston), folks with Dem primary histories outnumber R's 2:1, which is a big deal. At the Presidential level, we'd probably be the last urban county to go Dem. Obama doesn't look like he can win the state since Hispanics still don't look like they're turning out (even if they're siding with Obama by overwhelming margins). I'm convinced that if Richardson were the nominee, TX would be pretty damn close. Statewide, we might be able to knock off a couple judges (the TX Supreme Court is ****ed). The major vulnerable Dem Houstonite is Rep. Lampson, who currently has DeLay's seat. It's ridiculously Republican, and Ike set back his organization; I'm betting he's one of the few House Dems to go down. OTOH, there's a competitive challenge in my extremely Republican CD, formerly occupied by Pops Bush, by a moderate wind power guy, Mike Skelly; I'll be turning out the vote for Skelly today.

As an aside, Guam gave Obama a 62.7% landslide.

[Arrian]

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

[GePap]

Originally posted by Asher


Aren't employers legally required to permit you time to vote? That is law in Canuckistan...

No.

[Arrian]

We really should have elections on Saturdays.

-Arrian