How Did You Vote?

[mellytu74]

OK, updated with my actual voting experience.

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

Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania. PA 6th Congressional District

What time of day did you vote?

Got into the voting booth at 7:45 a.m.

When do your polls open and close?

7 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you are in line at 8 p.m., you must be allowed to vote.

How long were the lines?

Longish but fast. We were voters #109 and #110 45 minutes into the process.

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

Computer screen (with paper backup).

Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out?

Exceedingly 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?

Actual poll workers: Lovely folks.
Volunteers outside: Everyone was very friendly. Two for each party.

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

Since this was my first time at this polling place, I needed my ID. I had my driver's license and voter registration.

Any local issues of general interest?

1) A very important bond issue regarding infrastructure. The underground pipe systems (such as sewage pipes) in many of the older suburbs in the collar outside Philadelphia are in need of repair.

These are not the areas where McMansions have sprung up from former farmland within the last 10 years and, in some cases, the planning seems like an afterthought. (There was a series of stories in the Philadelphia Inquirer a couple years ago about flood plains near Valley Forge Park). These are older neighborhoods with twin houses, row houses or, in our case, split levels.

2) A couple of interesting down ballot races as well.

State Senate: Our Democratic State Senator is retiring; two very qualified guys are running for her seat. Should be pretty tight.

State Rep: THIS is really interesting.

Our current state rep has been leaving Harrisburg at 4:30 p.m. to tend to one of her other jobs -- solicitor for three different nearby towns. That's four jobs. She's missed some very important votes but somehow managed to stay in Harrisburg to vote yes on her pay raise.

Her Democratic opponent is a veteran from a blue-collar background (college on the GI Bill) who has been a widower fighting the health care system (since remarried), is articulate and should have a good showing. Full disclosure: We were in many of the same classes at Temple back in the day.

Anecdotes welcome.

1) A coworker who votes in Ambler, a neighboring town (and one of the towns our state rep is solicitor for), went with her whole family. They were in the 130s in their lines at about 7:45 a.m.

2) Another coworker lives in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia. She was going to vote this morning because she thought the lines would be longer after work. She said yesterday she planned to get there at 6:30 a.m. She wasn't here by her target of 9 a.m. A local TV outlet showed long lines at one polling place in Mount Airy.

3) Another coworker in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia (my absolute FAVORITE neighborhood in the city) just got in at 9:20 a.m. She reported long but moving lines. It took her about an hour.

[NellyLunatic1980]

What state are you voting in? If you want to be more specific, be my guest.
Frankfort, KY, which is in the 6th U.S. House district

What time of day did you vote?
I got to the poll at about 7:30 AM and actually cast my vote at 8 AM

When do your polls open and close?
6 AM - 7 PM

How long were the lines?
About 30 people were in front of me when I got to the poll. About 40 were behind me when I finally got to the machine.

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

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--not just any school, but my old middle school

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

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

Any local issues of general interest?
Not this year

[Tocqueville3]

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. I am voting in Mississippi. A red state, indeed! One of the reasons I love living here!!

What time of day did you vote? about 7:45 am. I took the girls to school about 7:05 and went straight to the polls. I waited in line about 35 minutes. Olivia was very good she sat in her stroller and ate cheerios and drank her milk and flirted with the other folks in line.

When do your polls open and close? 7am-7pm

How long were the lines? Not long at all. I think I kinda beat the rush, though.I think they will be longer after peeps get off of work.

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? Very easy. Even holding a 17 month old baby.

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

What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent? It's Mississippi. We ooze hospitality.Everyone was very nice, as usual. We are a pretty laid back state.

Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? That has been a topic of discussion here. No, one doesn't need to provide any ID to vote here in Mississippi. You just need to tell them your name. I am thinking of starting another thread to point out the utter absurdity of this practice. I don't want to clog nitrah's thread with a rant.

Any local issues of general interest? There is a special election for the Senate on our ballot and Thad Cochran is up for re-election so Mississippi will be electing two senators today. In the special election, Roger Wicker (Haley Barbour's appointee to replace Trent Lott) is running against former governor Ronnie Musgrove. I voted for Roger Wicker.

Anecdotes welcome. All the little old ladies working the polls were goo gooing over Olivia. I made her do all her little tricks. Peek-a-boo, blow kisses, wave bye-bye... all that crap. She was so good she even earned herself an I Voted sticker with all her little tricks. When Madeleine and Samantha get home they're goona be peeved they dint get stickers. Whatever.

If you already voted, tell about that.

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

[bazodee]

I voted this morning in Cobb County, Georgia, Precinct Vinings 02 (13th Congressional district)

I arrived in line at 5:10 am and was the 13th person in line. By the times the poll opened at 7 am, there were approximately 250 people in line. Polls open at 7 am and close at 7 pm.

I voted on a computer touch screen; this has been standard procedure across Georgia for a few years.

My polling place is in a church. The poll workers were on the cranky side this morning.

In accordance with new Georgia law, all voters must present a government-approved ID. I used my passport.

There will be massive turnout, especially amongst African-American voters here in Georgia. Almost 2 million people have already voted but there are still fears that the turnout could swamp the infrastructure. The issue this particular polling spot will face will be insufficient parking. There were four cops, acting almost like air traffic controllers in the parking lot.

[sunflower]

What state are you voting in?
Connecticut

What time of day did you vote?
Around 7:45 am

When do your polls open and close?
6 am (7am?) - 8 pm

How long were the lines?
Long line to sign in for my street...the other lines were nonexistent. The "H" streets were all voting at the same time, apparently. Once I signed in and got my ballot, there was no line for a booth

What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?)
Scantron, which felt totally shady compared to the old machines we used to use.

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?
Slooooooooooooooooooooooooooow......except for the one moderator who was doing anything, she was frantic. People in the "H" line were pissed. Everyone seemed to have a state of general confusion, I'm guessing maybe they didn't vote in the primary...I did so I knew about the new paper voting system and how it worked.

Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered?
Show ID in order to get a ballot.

Any local issues of general interest?
There was something about convening a constitutional convention to revise/amend the CT constitution. I had seen the vote yes/vote no on question #1 signs, but never researched it. Also a question concerning pre-18 year olds and their right to vote in a primary before they turn 18, if they will be 18 at the election. I said no because I think it will be a logistical nightmare. Plus then what if you turn 18 the day after election day? Exceptions for that? It just seems easier to handle if it's consistent across the board...we have a hard enough time with elections as it is!

Anecdotes welcome.
I can't wait to go get my free starbucks coffee and ben and jerry's ice cream!!!!

[themanintheseersuckersuit]

Also a question concerning pre-18 year olds and their right to vote in a primary before they turn 18, if they will be 18 at the election. I said no because I think it will be a logistical nightmare. Plus then what if you turn 18 the day after election day? Exceptions for that? It just seems easier to handle if it's consistent across the board...we have a hard enough time with elections as it is!

This is an outrage! I voted in primaries at 17, because I would be 18, 7 days before the election. This was the first time 18 year olds could vote in a national election. Not that any body I voted for won that year.

[JBillyGirl]

What state are you voting in? If you want to be more specific, be my guest. -- New Jersey (West Windsor)
What time of day did you vote? -- about 9:30 a.m.
When do your polls open and close? -- 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
How long were the lines? -- There were none, as I expected from past experience. One poll worker told me people had complained about the LACK of long lines!
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?) -- computer touch screen (slightly nervous-making, because a Princeton prof hacked into such a machine without difficulty)
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out? -- pretty easy (IMO)
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?) -- Sarnoff Corporation down the street
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent? -- pretty sedate, as usual, but people seemed in mildly good spirits
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? -- I had to sign my name twice (once next to a copy of my signature), but no ID required
Any local issues of general interest? -- just a couple of questions at the state level that I wish I'd taken the trouble to read up on before entering the voting booth

Anecdotes welcome.

The guy who voted before me apparently did not cast any votes, perhaps due to technical confusion, and one of the poll workers said he knew the guy and would track him down.

I wore my Obama T-shirt to the polls, which got a thumbs-up from a couple of people as I walked along. However, I carefully zipped up my coat once within close range of the actual polling place.

[littlebeast13]

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. - Illinois

What time of day did you vote? - 9:30 AM, when the place is always dead

When do your polls open and close? - Beats the hell out of me

How long were the lines? - There was one person in front of me. But 8 of the 10 booths were in use, including all 5 on my precinct's side. I had to use one on the other side....

What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?) - Scan Trons. Miss the punch cards we had up until about th turn of the millennium....

Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out? - Not too hard considering almost every race was uncontested. And there were about 6 choices for President. I wanted sooooooooo bad to write in ES since my state is a shoo in for a certain candidate already, but I stuck to my guns of actually trying and officially put the kiss of death on the McCain campaign (I am 0-3 voting in Presidential elections, and 0-6 if you count who I supported in the elections prior to coming of voting age)

What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?) - A union hall. I shoulda wore my Wal~Mart badge...

What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent? - About the same as when I used to vote at the VFW hall. Just blah....

Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? - I have never had to show an ID to vote. I tell them my name, they pull out my form, and I sign it and get my ballot...

Any local issues of general interest? - The very first question asked about calling a state constitutional convention. I thought this was odd, and apparently that's how we do business in this state since we never get any fun amendments to vote on like our friends in Missouri do. I voted to call the convention

Anecdotes welcome. - I put my Voting sticker on my steering wheel where it now accompanies the stickers I got in '06 and '04. I'd have a complete set around the Neon emblem if it weren't for the fact that my '02 sticker came off and blew out the window a long time ago.....


lb13

[starfish1113]

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

Twin Ridge Elementary School, Mount Airy, Maryland

What time of day did you vote?

9:30ish

When do your polls open and close?

Ya know what? I really don't know. I think we close at 8. I'm guessing we opened at 7 am.

How long were the lines?

There were two people in front of Tracey and me.

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

It was a computer touch screen

Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out?

Very, very easy

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

My kids' elementary school. Well, only two of them go there now. The rest of graduated to middle school.

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

The workers were very cheerful. I didn't get a sense of the voters.

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

I was asked my name, address and birthday. Once I gave them the correct answers and signed a piece of paper, I was free to vote.

Any local issues of general interest?

Only two questions on the ballot. The first one would allow for early voting and the second would permit slot machines. I split my votes.

Anecdotes welcome.

My vote for President won't matter (if it does, Obama's in trouble!), but there is a chance that the Congressional race might be tighter than expected. I saw only three volunteers, a man holding a McCain sign as we drove in, a woman handing out Teacher's Union endorsements for School Board, and a woman holding a McCain sign as we drove out. Pretty quiet, but no different than other years.

[silverscreenselect]

Our precinct is heavily Republican (even though John Lewis is my Congressman) just north of Atlanta, although there are a number of apartment complexes in the area that have a more eclectic voting mix. I had about a 45 minute wait at 9 this morning, which was down to about 30 minutes by the time I voted. Apparently people who showed up when the polls opened had 60-90 minute waits.

This is by far the heaviest turnout I have ever seen at this precinct. The crowd was about 95% white with a couple of Asians and no Hispanics I could see. There are a lot of Hispanics living near me but I don't know how many of them are citizens or registered. This is the largest number of blacks I've ever seen in line at my precinct though.

There were very few young voters (looking in their teens and 20's), it was primarily a 40-60 loooking crowd. I'm guessing that by the time I got through the line most of the people who wanted to vote before going to work had already done so. The line moved smoothly and everyone was polite and in good spirits.

We have a long ballot here in Georgia because there are a lot of mostly uncontested judgeships and a page of constitutional amendments and local referendums which are written in the most obscure gobbledygook you've ever read. They told us that one reason the line was long was because people were trying to decipher the amendments and figure out whether to support them or not.

[TheCalvinator24]

What state are you voting in? If you want to be more specific, be my guest.
Texas
What time of day did you vote?
8:00 a.m.
When do your polls open and close?
7:00 a.m. til 7:00 p.m. plus there was two weeks of "early voting"
How long were the lines?
non-existent
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?)
Computer with a selection wheel
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 (but most polling locations in my town were churches
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent?
Generally genial. Apparently they had had some problems with a computer (not one of the voting machines but the computer that they used to check registrations) right when they opened, but by the time I got there, everything was fine.
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered?
Was not asked for ID, but my wife was when she early voted
Any local issues of general interest?
Not really. Maybe a decent challenge from a Democrat for our Constable race. Any other year, he would have had no chance, but if enough Obama voters come out, he may be able to win in what has been a heavily Republican precinct for about 10 years.

[clem21]

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

NYC, aka, the state where Republican votes go to die

What time of day did you vote?

6:45

When do your polls open and close?

They opened at 6....

How long were the lines?

Not bad probably 'cuz it was so early

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

Those lever pulling thingies?

Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out?

Ummm...easy I guess

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

Senior Center

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

Tired but enthusiastic. I was just tired.

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

Well my great aunt was doing the voter card thing so she just opened to my page and I signed it. BTW, she's like 80 and she still managed to get up at like 5:30 to do this. Big ups to her

Any local issues of general interest?

None that I cared about

Anecdotes welcome.

My first ever presidential vote and I'll admit it, I only voted for the free coffee. C'mon, Obama'll take NY with or without my help. But I voted. I was however the 102nd person from my district. When I found out that I was 2 people too late for 100 I let out an audible swear word. My great aunt wasn't happy and the guy two spots ahead of me looked back and gave an obnoxious smile. Bastard.

[WheresFanny]

My first ever presidential vote and I'll admit it, I only voted for the free coffee. C'mon, Obama'll take NY with or without my help. But I voted. I was however the 102nd person from my district. When I found out that I was 2 people too late for 100 I let out an audible swear word. My great aunt wasn't happy and the guy two spots ahead of me looked back and gave an obnoxious smile. Bastard.

Was he wearing a tshirt with a gerbil on it?

[Bob Juch]

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

What time of day did you vote?
11:30 (I just got back)

When do your polls open and close?
6:00-8:00

How long were the lines?
I was 8th in line.

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

Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out?
Very easy but the text of the local issues would have been hard to read

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

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

Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered?
They looked up a copy of my signature. I signed my name on the same page, but the copy of my signature was upside down.

Any local issues of general interest?
No

Anecdotes welcome.
I did not receive a sample ballot in the mail so I looked up my polling place on the county website. It said it was the High School. I went there and found nothing marked "Vote Here" so I asked a construction truck driver. He said, "No, they just do the school board elections here," and told me the poling place was an elementary school up the road a few miles. So I drove there but found they didn't have me in their books. They had an index of districts by address and told me it was the church just down from where I live. Another person spoke up though and said, "No, that's closed for reconstruction, it's the Presbyterian church on 202." So I went there and voted. The line was long as according to the map on the wall, half the town voted there instead at one of the other five polling places. It's a good thing I wasn't trying to vote before going to work or under a similar time pressure.

[vettech]

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. Maine
What time of day did you vote? 7 a.m. on the way to work
When do your polls open and close? 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.
How long were the lines? I got there a few minutes before the polls opened and the line wasn't too bad. I waited maybe 5 minutes outside (fortunately the weather is cooperative today) and 5 minutes inside before actually getting my ballot. When I finished voting, I noticed the crowd increased quite a bit, so I'm glad I went early.
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?) Paper
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out? Easy
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?) Knights of Columbus hall
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent? Somewhat subdued due to the early hour, with some amiable chit-chat.
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? No ID - they ask for name and address
Any local issues of general interest?
Anecdotes welcome. Once you're inside the line divides up into wards. Since I vote at every election (even "off" years) I remembered which ward I was, but due to the small signs and people blocking my view I initially had trouble determining which line was my ward. Someone remarked they needed a big map displayed up front. The map evidently was in the head of this one elderly woman, who walked up and down the lines while people who weren't sure waht their ward was gave her their address. She'd immediately put them in the appropriate ward. Sometimes she'd ask "but which side of (X) street?". Pretty complex division system. One guy she ended up referring to a different polling place altogether (the Elks' Lodge). He wasn't too upset, just said "Well, my wife said this was where the voting was and I just do what she tells me!" That got a good laugh.

There was a separate table set up for voter registration (here you can register up to and including election day) and there were a few people there, as well. Always good to see more people getting involved.

If you already voted, tell about that.

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

[Catfish]

What state are you voting in? Indiana If you want to be more specific, be my guest. Uh, the one east of Illinois and west of Ohio
What time of day did you vote? I cast my vote at about 11:20 am; I got to the polling place at about 9:30 am
When do your polls open and close? open 6 am, close 6 pm
How long were the lines? about 65 people ahead of us; when we left, the people at the end of the line had about 100 people ahead of them
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?) It was a computer screen with buttons on either side of it; I pushed the button, and an X appeared on the screen in the box next to the name of the person I wanted to vote for; I pushed a big red button when I was done
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 administration HQ
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent? My husband was grumpy, but everyone else was generally cheerful; two precincts were voting at this polling place, and the other one had no wait; that precinct apparently has more farmland and a sparser population; I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard "I'm moving to Wheatfield 1"; the election helpers snagged elderly and disabled people from the line and allowed them to wait on chairs inside the building; it was up to these people to remember who was ahead of them in line; I did not see any of them cheat; the election helpers had some mighty tasty lookin' snacks; they are getting chicken and noodles for lunch.
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? ID required
Any local issues of general interest? We thought there was supposed to be a referendum regarding school funding, but it was not on the ballot. This is a mystery into which I will have to dig.

[Appa23]

Now that I actually voted:

What state are you voting in? If you want to be more specific, be my guest. Nebraska, 2nd Congressional District, Douglas County, but outside of Omaha

What time of day did you vote? Got in line, with my son, just before 7:30 am. Voted between 8:10 and 8:15 am

When do your polls open and close? Open at 8 am and close at 8 pm (Central Time). Western Nebraska is Mountain Time, so it is 7/7.

How long were the lines? There were two lines, for two precincts. My line had maybe 15 people in it at 7:30. Other line had maybe 25 people in it. By 8 am, each line was likely between 50-75 people.

What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?) Always Scantron -- same as last 20 years -- which is odd since the controversial voting machines from 2004, IIRC, were manufactured in Nebraska.

Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out? I did not find either filling in a circle or realizing that there are two sides to each ballot sheet to be alll that intellectually taxing.

What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?) Presbyterian Church, which is several miles from my house. Meanwhile, my kids' school is a polling place, and it is within walking distance.

What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent? I was surprised that more people were not cheerful, especially if they had a chance to see how excited my son was. I think that media coverage and predictions of the outcome of the "top of the ticket" might have been a reason, but I can not say for sure. When there were long, long lines in 2004 where we had to vote in 2004, despite it also being a fairly contentious race, people seemed more upbeat and persoanble, despite the wait. (Maybe b/c of the wait?)

Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? Nope. Just had to sign the book, although I had ID and voter registration card at the ready. The woman running the book lives on my street, but she still reqauired that I state my name and address for verification. I think that ID should be required.

Any local issues of general interest? The biggest electoral decision/issue, outside of McCain/Obama and the Congressional seat, was the proposed constitutional amendment that would stop the state and local governments from utilizing race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in making hiring decisions, college scholarships and enrolllment, and contracting/subcontracting decisions. Federal laws still are enforced. Colorado has a similar iniitiative up for vote. Big issue for my family. Similar amendments have been passed by several states. I always have thought that it would pass fairly easily, but I now am wondering if it will, based on discussions that I have had with other people. I will say that the proponents have made a better case for it via ads. They have used football analogies ("when you watch the Huskers play, don't you want the best players to be on the field, regardless of race or other status?") and invoked Obama as an example of how far race relations have come.

Anecdotes welcome.
The Second District race has great significance in my family. My son is a classmate and friend of Jack Terry, who is the youngest son of the Republican incumbant, Lee Terry. As was the case in 2006, the Democratic Party has Jim Esch running. It was a 9 point race in 2006, and there is some thought that it will be closer this year. My son has taken the negative ads run against Terry somewhat hard, and he comes home with some of the "internal campaign scuttlebutt" from Jack. This race does seem to be a good barometer as to just how much sway Obama holds overall, as well as how much "anti-GOP" sentiment there is out there.

In addition, the father of another friend is running for a position on the recently-created Learning Community board, which resulted from another piece of legislation that the Unicameral quickly passed without adequate consideration and debate as to the ramifications (much like the Safe Haven law). It first appeared to be just another level of public school bureaucracy, above the school district board level, that would simply pool and re-distribute property tax and state funds to the Omaha-area school districts. However, the Learning Community Board also has the power to effectuate integration and decide other enrollment issues, so many people have realized how important the vote can be. The implementing legislation was strucutured to maximize the opportunity for minority representation on the board. There are six "areas" that each will elect two members of the board, but you only are allowed to vote for one (which is different than every other multiple-representative position on the ballot).

Unfortunately, my neighbor (the father of the other friend) undoubtedly will lose. He is running against a state senator who was term-limited and at least two retired school principals, one of whom already holds another elective office. The board wil be staffed mainly by public school teachers/principals and term-limited senators, including the famous Ernie Chambers -- he of the "lawsuit against God" and US Supreme Court case about separation of church and state (which he lost.)

[Catfish]

What state are you voting in? Indiana If you want to be more specific, be my guest. Uh, the one east of Illinois and west of Ohio

Oh, I get it. Jasper County, Wheatfield Township 2, the one with the long wait

[MarleysGh0st]

My first ever presidential vote and I'll admit it, I only voted for the free coffee. C'mon, Obama'll take NY with or without my help. But I voted. I was however the 102nd person from my district. When I found out that I was 2 people too late for 100 I let out an audible swear word. My great aunt wasn't happy and the guy two spots ahead of me looked back and gave an obnoxious smile. Bastard.

Was he wearing a tshirt with a gerbil on it?

This may be the best post of the day!

[Bob78164]

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. Los Angeles, California
What time of day did you vote? Just finished
When do your polls open and close? 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
How long were the lines? I waited an hour and fifteen minutes
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?) Inkavote. Optical scanner with standardized black ink dots.
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 community building
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent? People were excited, more ethnically diverse than I'm used to seeing at this location, and young.
Did you have to bring ID? No. How do they know you're the person who's registered? You sign your name on the register.
Any local issues of general interest? Proposition 8, which would ban same-sex marriage.
Anecdotes welcome.

If you already voted, tell about that.

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

[traininvain]

What state are you voting in? If you want to be more specific, be my guest.
Jefferson Elementary School, Huntington, New York

What time of day did you vote?
2:00 PM

When do your polls open and close?
6AM to 9PM

How long were the lines?
About 3 people in front of me

What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?)
Same machines that they had when I started voting 30 years ago, don't know that the actual name of the machine is, but here's a link to it http://paulbuckley14059.wordpress.com/2 ... g-to-vote/

Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out?
Fairly easy

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

What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent?
The people voting seemed cheerful, the workers seemed bored

Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered?
No ID, just had to sign next to my photocopied signature

Any local issues of general interest?
Not really

Anecdotes welcome.
The woman who "welcomed" us at the polling area had a very heavy accent, she was hard to understand when she asked "Zipcode?"

[mom2five]

What state are you voting in? California, small town in the northern part, but to clarify, I'm not a "Real American"
What time of day did you vote?Around 10 am
When do your polls open and close? 7am 'til 8pm
How long were the lines? Lines ????? No such thing!
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? Paper and pen, had to connect one end of an arrow to the other
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out? Easy enough
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? Fire Hall
What was the ambiance like? Friendly
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? No ID, just gave them my name
Any local issues of general interest? Locally, city council and school board people, and the big issue here in CA is Prop 8 (gay marriage), although there were also about 10 other props on the ballot
Anecdotes welcome. My house is a short walk from our town's Republican HQ and after voting I saw the guy who runs that establishment walking the 'hood with 3 "No on 8" bumper stickers on his back!

[peacock2121]

What state are you voting in? New York
What time of day did you vote? 2:00 PM
When do your polls open and close? 6:00AM - 9:00PM
How long were the lines? 3 people in front of me
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?) pullthe curtain shut and click the lever
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?) town hall
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent? People were friendly and chatting away.
Did you have to bring ID? no
How do they know you're the person who's registered? They matched my signature to the one on file
Any local issues of general interest? none
Anecdotes welcome.

There was ayoung kid in front of me - maybe 22 or so. His name was not in that big book. He had not notified the election board of his change of address. They gave him the election board number to call. I thought that was not terribly helpful.

All of the bumper stickers in the parking lot were for democrats. One for a congressman who is not ours.

I then went to the bank. I asked the teller if she voted. She votes in the same county as me, but a different polling place. She had not notified the election board that she got married and changed her last name. She lives in the same district as she did when single. They had her there under her maiden name. They required ID and would not let her vote, as her ID was in her married name.

I am wondering why they had to show ID in her town and not in mine.

[MarleysGh0st]

I then went to the bank. I asked the teller if she voted. She votes in the same county as me, but a different polling place. She had not notified the election board that she got married and changed her last name. She lives in the same district as she did when single. They had her there under her maiden name. They required ID and would not let her vote, as her ID was in her married name.

I am wondering why they had to show ID in her town and not in mine.

I suspect that they asked for ID only after she had identified herself by her married name, instead of the name listed in the registration.

[peacock2121]

I then went to the bank. I asked the teller if she voted. She votes in the same county as me, but a different polling place. She had not notified the election board that she got married and changed her last name. She lives in the same district as she did when single. They had her there under her maiden name. They required ID and would not let her vote, as her ID was in her married name.

I am wondering why they had to show ID in her town and not in mine.

I suspect that they asked for ID only after she had identified herself by her married name, instead of the name listed in the registration.

I aksed her that - she said they were asking everyone for ID.

She has her old ID with her maiden name and it is still current. She plans to go back with that ID and vote tonight - I called her voterfraudlady.