How Did You Vote?

[nitrah55]

Which is a different question than, "Who did you vote for?" Which I am not asking.

If you have a minute tomorrow, fill us in on your voting experience.

What state are you voting in? If you want to be more specific, be my guest.
What time of day did you vote?
When do your polls open and close?
How long were the lines?
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?)
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out?
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?)
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent?
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered?
Any local issues of general interest?
Anecdotes welcome.

If you already voted, tell about that.

It's a great big country. Let's tell each other about it.

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

I voted in California, the OC to be more specific.

I voted around 9:30 at night at home with my absentee ballot.

I don't know when the polls open and close because I have been a permanent absentee voted for seven years.

I used a pen to fill in bubbles.

The ballot was easy to figure out.

I voted in my retreat, but I am supposed to vote at an elementary school. The elementary school has almost no parking and is a pain to get in and out of, which is why I vote absentee.

The ambiance was nice, Zap was looking at me adoringly and Jeff was in the next room. The girls came in to make sure that I voted the way that they thought I should. They knew that I would vote No on 8 (Banning Same Sex Marriage) but they also wanted to make sure that I voted No on 4 (Parental Notification on Abortions), Yes on 2 (Making sure that Animals are humanely treated), Yes on 12 (A Bond Issue for Veterans) and Yes on 3 (Bonds for Childrens Hospitals). The girls watch more TV than I do and apparently they know all about the Propositions from the ads and their own research. Emma made a last ditch effort to have me vote for a third party candidate, but I voted for Obama.

I did not have to bring ID, but I did have to sign the envelope.

[Sir_Galahad]

Since we voted early (duh!), I will give you my experieince now.

If you have a minute tomorrow, fill us in on your voting experience.

What state are you voting in? If you want to be more specific, be my guest. Iowa
What time of day did you vote? Around noon
When do your polls open and close? They were open from 7 Am to 5 PM
How long were the lines? We were there for a total of about 45 minutes. The said about 1500 people were there that day
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?) Scantron sheet
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out? Very easy
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?) Municipal building
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent? Very quiet. No screaming, yelling, cheering or any other mirthfulness
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? Nope. No ID required
Any local issues of general interest? Nope. Pretty uneventful.
Anecdotes welcome.

If you already voted, tell about that.

It's a great big country. Let's tell each other about it.[/quote]

We actually expected a lot longer line and more people as it was the last day for early voting. But, were quite happy to get in and out in under an hour. While we were there, I would say that there were a lot more folks around my age there than young-uns. I suppose a lot of us didn't want to chance the long lines tomorrow.

[madamemeisha]

As I'm living in Oregon as a Washington resident, I've already voted absentee. I voted last week, and I was very excited because it was my first time being eligible to vote in a general election. I've always kind of wanted to stand in line and vote in an actual polling booth and get a sticker, but that's because I'm a geek for the electoral process. If I'm not living in Oregon (which does all voting by mail-in ballot,) this time in four years, maybe I'll get to do it! I'll probably be jaded and disillusioned by then though.

[Beebs52]

I early voted last Friday morning at a local community center (The Woodlands, Texas). The line stretched out to the library next door. Finding a parking place at 8:30 AM was easier than I thought, as people were coming and going fairly regularly. They were letting people in in groups of maybe twenty or so, and the line snaked around a hallway and finally into the voting area. Once inside it moved fast.

The room held maybe fifteen or twenty machines (the wheel selector type). Signing in was a snap--all the elections workers around here have done it forever. Showed my voter registration, signed on the line, a computer-generated slip came out with my number on it and I went to vote. Ballot and procedure were both easily understandable. Especially since I already knew what was on the ballot, duh.

Everyone was very businesslike and pleasant, both voters and workers. I was in and out within 30 minutes and off to work.

[nitrah55]

I early voted last Friday morning at a local community center (The Woodlands, Texas). The line stretched out to the library next door. Finding a parking place at 8:30 AM was easier than I thought, as people were coming and going fairly regularly. They were letting people in in groups of maybe twenty or so, and the line snaked around a hallway and finally into the voting area. Once inside it moved fast.

The room held maybe fifteen or twenty machines (the wheel selector type). Signing in was a snap--all the elections workers around here have done it forever. Showed my voter registration, signed on the line, a computer-generated slip came out with my number on it and I went to vote. Ballot and procedure were both easily understandable. Especially since I already knew what was on the ballot, duh.

Everyone was very businesslike and pleasant, both voters and workers. I was in and out within 30 minutes and off to work.

What's a "wheel selector" machine?

[Appa23]

Greater detail in later post.

[ne1410s]

My wife and I voted a couple of weeks ago. We went to the Knox county courthouse after my wife's x-rays appointment. The court house doesn't open until 8:30 so we waited a few minutes. We were the first to vote early. According to the county clerk, a former student, we were the first to vote in Knox County. Obama will not be shutout...



ps It took longer to go thru the metal detectors than it took to vote.

[Beebs52]

I early voted last Friday morning at a local community center (The Woodlands, Texas). The line stretched out to the library next door. Finding a parking place at 8:30 AM was easier than I thought, as people were coming and going fairly regularly. They were letting people in in groups of maybe twenty or so, and the line snaked around a hallway and finally into the voting area. Once inside it moved fast.

The room held maybe fifteen or twenty machines (the wheel selector type). Signing in was a snap--all the elections workers around here have done it forever. Showed my voter registration, signed on the line, a computer-generated slip came out with my number on it and I went to vote. Ballot and procedure were both easily understandable. Especially since I already knew what was on the ballot, duh.

Everyone was very businesslike and pleasant, both voters and workers. I was in and out within 30 minutes and off to work.

What's a "wheel selector" machine?

That's my technical description of the electronic machine that has a wheel you manipulate to navigate the various voting options.

[Bob Juch]

Do you want a report for each time?

[mellytu74]

This is my first election at my new address.

Polls here open at 7 a.m. Boonie and I plan to be in line between 6:15-6:0 a.m.

In Philadelphia, the machines are push-button with paper backups. I have no idea what the machines are like in this section of Montogmery County.

[Jeemie]

Ahhh ain't done voted yet.

Ahhh got's to go tummarah cuz we don't have no stinkin' unconsti-TOO-shunal early votin'.

Ah'll vote wit' one of dem newfangled electronic votin' machines with the push buttons and the little lights that go on bah the candidates' nameses.

[Kazoo65]

I voted by absentee ballot last month in the great state of Michigan.

The polls open here at 7am tomorrow and stay open until 8pm. They are predicting long lines and nice mild weather-upper 60's to around 70 degrees.

Ambience-nice. I sat at my dining room table.

The ballot was easy to figure out-both sides had things to vote on. It was a fill-in the bubble type (sort of like those tests we used to take in school).

Proposals-we have 2 on our ballot. One is for legalizing medical marijuana, and the other is for funding stem cell research.

[SportsFan68]

Which is a different question than, "Who did you vote for?" Which I am not asking.

If you have a minute tomorrow, fill us in on your voting experience.

What state are you voting in? If you want to be more specific, be my guest. Colorado
What time of day did you vote? 8 or 9 p.m. -- I got a mailed ballot.
When do your polls open and close? 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 4. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for early voting.
How long were the lines? No lines when I deposited my ballot in the mail-in deposit box.
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?) Scanned paper ballot.
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out? Easy.
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?) Courthouse.
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent? Cheerful -- think half my softball team was in line to vote early.
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? With mail-in ballots, you have to sign the outer envelope, and there's a cursory inspection of your signature against your original registration signature on a computer screen. If you're a first-time voter, you have to provide official ID of some kind.
Any local issues of general interest? About 60% of the voters in our county have early voted or mail-in voted.
Anecdotes welcome.

If you already voted, tell about that. I highly recommend getting your mail-in ballot, taking your time voting, and then depositing the ballot at the courthouse rather than mailing it.

It's a great big country. Let's tell each other about it.

[BackInTex]

Voted early on Wednesday the week before last. Went to the community center in Humble, TX during lunch with two co-workers.

They swiped my driver's license through a reader and it told them who I was and what precint I was voting in (in early voting you can vote anywhere in the county)

Used the E-slate machine, with the little wheel. I like it.

Took about 20 minutes from the end of the line until I left.

[Timsterino]

What state are you voting in? Florida
What time of day did you vote? Mid morning, early voting on the first day. 10/20/08
When do your polls open and close? I believe 7am - 7pm.
How long were the lines? I waited for 2 hours.
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?) Fill in ovals then run through an optical scanner
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out? Easy
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?) City Hall
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent? Cheerful and Excited
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? My Driver's License
Any local issues of general interest - Well of interest to me: I voted NO on Amendement 2 (which would stipulate that marriage is between a man and a woman in the Florida state constitution) and I voted YES on Amendement 8 (which would provide additional funding for community colleges).

[earendel]

Which is a different question than, "Who did you vote for?" Which I am not asking.

If you have a minute tomorrow, fill us in on your voting experience.

What state are you voting in? If you want to be more specific, be my guest.

The state of confusion, of course!

Seriously, though, I voted in Kentucky.

What time of day did you vote?

I went to the polls at 5:45AM. The lines were quite long already so I actually cast my ballot at 6:40.

When do your polls open and close?

6AM to 6PM

How long were the lines?

There were probably 100 people in line ahead of elwing and me. However there are three precincts that vote in the same place. My ballot number was 0026, meaning that I was the 26th person in my precinct whose last name starts A-L to vote.

What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?)

It was a paper ballot with the fill-in ovals like standardized tests (I guess that's a Scantron). There was one Diebold touch screen but it was out of order (or hadn't been set up yet).

Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out?

Not hard at all.

What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?)

St. Michael's Greek Orthodox Church

What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent?

The crowd was "curious but well-behaved" (channeling Les Nessman). There wasn't much conversation, probably because a lot of people were just waking up.

Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered?

Yes, Kentucky requires a picture ID to verify that I'm me.

Any local issues of general interest?

Not really - there's a U.S. Senate race but despite the Democrats hopes, it should be another clear victory for the Republican. Of course we're electing a Representative (the Democrat is running for his second term, the Republican is trying to regain the seat she lost to him). Since Kentucky votes for governor in odd years there were no other statewide races. The other contests were for judges, Metro Council representative and County Commissioners (see "anecdotes").

Anecdotes welcome.

Two people ahead of me in line were unable to vote - one didn't have the proper ID and the other apparently hadn't changed her registration to reflect her new address because she wasn't on the roll. Both voters were told to call the election hot line for assistance. Neither voter was particularly happy about having to wait in line only to be turned away. AFAIK Kentucky doesn't do "provisional ballots".

Two of the contests on the ballots are for offices that have no responsibilities but still receive a salary. A few years ago the city and county merged and a new "Metro Council" was established to replace the city's Board of Aldermen and the three County Commissioners. However the enabling legislation failed to do away with the commissioners' offices, so we still have to elect people to fill the positions (required by the state constitution) and they get paid, even though they have nothing to do.

[MarleysGh0st]

What state are you voting in?
New York

What time of day did you vote?
7:20 am

When do your polls open and close?
6 am - 9 pm

How long were the lines?
Once I signed in, there was one voter in the voting booth and one other voter in line for it in front of me. There were a total of three districts voting at my polling place; one had a voting machine to itself, mine and another shared two voting machines, along alphabetical lines. I was voter #58 for my half of the alphabet.

What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?)
An old-fashioned, reliable mechanical lever machine. There was also a computer screen available for those who had accessibility issues.

Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out?
Easy.

What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?)
A senior citizens apartment complex.

What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent?
Cheerful and clean. Not grumpy or confused. I saw nothing occuring from which to judge their thrift, bravery or reverence.

Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered?
No. I signed the voter registration book and that was all. If there had been an issue, two of the election workers (handling the other half of the alphabet today) have known me for years from our volunteer work at the Friends of the Library.

Any local issues of general interest?
There was an amendment to the state constitution, which I believe most voters--including me--had never even heard of until they got to the voting booth. So that's probably not of general interest. (It was regarding civil service credit for disabled veterans.)

Anecdotes welcome.
There was a good crowd, all wearing "I Voted" stickers, at the bagel place. Today seems to be a festive occasion.

I plan to go to a Election Day pancake dinner (they're serving the same menu all day) after work, where I'll also get my flu shot.

[kusch]

Which is a different question than, "Who did you vote for?" Which I am not asking.

If you have a minute tomorrow, fill us in on your voting experience.

What state are you voting in? Minot North Dakota If you want to be more specific, be my guest.
What time of day did you vote?7:05AM
When do your polls open and close?7-7
How long were the lines?I was #12
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?)I did the paper but there was one computer screen to use. I saw one person use that. There were 4 voting booths with curtains and lunch tables set up. I saw only one person use the booth all others were at the lunch tables right next to each other. There were zero people in line when I was finished voting
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out?Easy
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?)Elementary school
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent?nothing special
Did you have to bring ID?Yes, drivers license How do they know you're the person who's registered?By Id and my name is on the list from previous elections
Any local issues of general interest?County commish. 1 incumbent a** running and maybe this is the year we can get him out. 3 seats available with a former mayor, former police chief, former school administrator and former state representitive running against him
Anecdotes welcome.As per usual Margaret and I will cancel each other out.
Our Republican governor should win his 3rd term with 68% of the vote or higher.

Two measures as to what to do with the excess billion dollars we have in the state general fund will go down in defeat. They were just goofy, let the gov and legislature take care of the $$$$ problem.

If you already voted, tell about that.

It's a great big country. Let's tell each other about it.

[themanintheseersuckersuit]

What state are you voting in? If you want to be more specific, be my guest. South Carolina 6th Congressional District
What time of day did you vote? in in line at 6:50 finished at 8:10
When do your polls open and close? 7 to 7 EST
How long were the lines? about 1 hour to vote
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?) Touch Screen
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out? Easy
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?) School, Schools are closed
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent? Orderly
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? Drivers License
Any local issues of general interest? We voted on a constitutional amendment to let the Legislature set the age of consent. Currently the Constitution set it at a minimum of 14

[gsabc]

What state are you voting in? Massachusetts

What time of day did you vote? About 7:15 AM

When do your polls open and close? 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM

How long were the lines? Very. At least 20 deep in both precincts and filling in steadily behind me. The parking lot was packed.

What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?)
Scantron (which makes the WWTBAM test very familiar)

Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out? Easy. The only offices with multiple candidates were President and Senator. Congresscritter, local state rep and senator, and others had no opponents. Still didn't vote for the state rep, who is way too entrenched and full of himself.

What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?) Library meeting room. This was the first time we entered from the main entrance of the library, though, to accommodate the line. We exited through the side door where we usually enter.

What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent? Pleasant enough, though the short, rotund man just ahead of me in line had horrible body odor. I stayed about five feet back while waiting, and held my breath when we all moved forward.

Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? No ID needed. They ask for address, then for name. I suppose you could go in and vote under another name, but we're not that big a town or district, and the same people would be sitting at the table the second time around. We reminded HS to bring some ID, since he's new to his town and district. The MA secretary of state has been all over the media saying they'd be enforcing that one for the new registrants.

Any local issues of general interest? Ballot question on repealing the state income tax, where the in-favor folks came up with the percentage of state budgetary "fat" they kept quoting by polling the man-in-the-street, a really scientific and informed method. Another on reducing the penalty for possession of <1 ounce of marijuana. A third on banning greyhound racing.

Got to return some library books at the same time, getting the two-fer and saving gas. GW plans to leave a little early from work to try and get there before the major after-work rush starts.

[nitrah55]

What state are you voting in? If you want to be more specific, be my guest.
New York, Long Island, to be specific.
What time of day did you vote?
I got to my polling place (an elementary school) about 5:40.
When do your polls open and close?
The polls open at 6am and close at 9pm
How long were the lines?
I was the 4th person on line when I got there. At 6pm, there were at least 30 people behind me. By the time I'd finished voting at 6:10, there was no line.
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?)
We in New York are, I think, the last state to use old-fashioned voting machines, where you pull a lever over the name of the candidate you're voting for. You pull a big handle to the left to close the curtain, and free up the levers. After you vote, you leave the levers down, and pull the big handle to the right, which opens the curtain and flips the levers back up.
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out?
If you're tall, and want to vote for people at the bottom of the ballot, it's hard to see their names.
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?)
I said it's an elementary school. Aren't you paying attention?
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent?
It was clear several people had not voted in either a long time or ever. The lady working the book to determine which voting district you are to vote in, had not practiced with the book. A woman ahead of me didn't know to close the curtain on the voting machine, and the election official lady complained, "She doesn't know how to do it. We get all these people who don't vote because they're TOO BUSY!" I do not want to be around that election official lady about 8:30 tonight.
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered?
No ID required, although I saw someone with their driver's license out, I think to help the election official find their name in the registration book. There's a registration book, with your name, address and a photocopy of your signature. You confirm your name and address verbally, and sign.
Any local issues of general interest?
New York has a referendum on giving veterans extra points on the civil service exam. The town wants some more money to develop parkland, some of which is behind my house, so I voted against it.
Anecdotes welcome.
Just that every time I vote, I recall that many fought and died for my right and priviledge to vote for someone other people think is a jerk, or for some unpopular ballot issue, or occaisionally for an incumbent. I think it's the best time to remember all those people.

[christie1111]

What state are you voting in? If you want to be more specific, be my guest. Stratford CT
What time of day did you vote? 7:45 am
When do your polls open and close? I think 6 am to 8 pm, but not 100% on that
How long were the lines? Very short
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?) It was a Scantron type thing, new for us in CT
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out? Easy
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?) Elementary School, kids are home today
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent? Pleasant and efficient
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? MUST show ID
Any local issues of general interest? The mayor is trying to get stuff through that is personally motivated. Like can the amend town rules to allow him to own a business. It is our first mayor and people are not at all happy with him.
Anecdotes welcome. Only thing Husband and I probably voted differently on is the Q#7. Should we sell some land to the Fish and Wildlife for a preserve. He says no, and I think yes. Not a big difference of opinion though

[trevor_macfee]

What state are you voting in? If you want to be more specific, be my guest.
Harford County, Maryland
What time of day did you vote?
8:30 a.m.
When do your polls open and close?
7am to 8pm
How long were the lines?
I had to wait for one other person to sign in. No lines for the machines. The judges said it was very busy between 7 and 8.
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?)
Touch screen. I don't like it - no paper trail! I can't complain too much, though, because my wife is Deputy Director at the Board of Elections for the state. They are getting new machines before the next election (and my wife is starting a new job in 2 weeks - no, they are not related occurances).
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out?
Very easy.
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?)
Elementary School. Schools are closed today.
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent?
It was very quiet (except for . . . see next question)
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered?
I don't think you had to have ID, but I didn't because the Election Judge I signed in with is a parishoner. And he, very loudly, kept announcing, "You know who this is? Pastor Dave! He won more than $90,000 on Jeopardy!" He's a very nice guy, and I'm glad he was excited, but I it didn't seem to be the time to be the center of attention. I moved on as quickly as I could to the voting booth.
Any local issues of general interest?
We had two state consitutional amendments - one allowing early voting and absentee ballots for any reason (now to vote absentee you have to certify you are physically unable to get to the polls) - YES, and one to allow slots - NO!


Thanks for doing this Nitrah - tis a great idea!

[Rexer25]

What state are you voting in? If you want to be more specific, be my guest. Texas. I voted early in Arlington, although I live in Ft. Worth.For early voting in Texas, you can go to any polling place in your county.
What time of day did you vote?Noonish
When do your polls open and close?Early, 8am-5pm. today 7am-7pm
How long were the lines?I'd say at least 100 people in line.
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?)computer screen
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out?easy
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?)Munincipal (City of Arlington water dept. building)
What was the ambiance like? Inside the building, fading pictures of water dept. employees being productive.Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent?Mainly quiet, very patient.
Did you have to bring ID? I brought my voter registration card. They will accept your drivers' license.How do they know you're the person who's registered? They really don't. They assume if you have the voter registration, you are who it says you are.
Any local issues of general interest?
Anecdotes welcome.

If you already voted, tell about that.

It's a great big country. Let's tell each other about it.