nitrah55 wrote: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? Alabama If you want to be more specific, be my guest.
What time of day did you vote? 12:30PM
When do your polls open and close? 7AM - 7PM
How long were the lines? there was no line
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?)Scantron
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out? 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? Pretty quiet in there. Poll worker in my line was very nice.
Did you have to bring ID? Yes 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.
How Did You Vote?
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kayrharris
- Miss Congeniality
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Re: How Did You Vote?
"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. "
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
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silvercamaro
- Dog's Best Friend
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Re: How Did You Vote?
What state are you voting in? If you want to be more specific, be my guest. Oklahoma, in the City of Norman, built on sacred land protected by the Great Spirit.
What time of day did you vote? It was 1:39 p.m. as I approached the front door.
When do your polls open and close? 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
How long were the lines? 15-20 people were in a single line that then split toward two tables. I forgot to count, as I was having a nice chat with the lady in front of me.
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?) Scantron--"connect the arrow."
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out? Easy peasy. More difficult was remembering the names of the judges who ruled that the most corrupt politician in the state's recent history should keep his state pension despite federal convictions. I voted no on the retention of those judges..
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?) Clubhouse for an apartment complex.
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent? Everybody seemed to be in a general good mood, with abounding smiles and friendliness.
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? No ID requested from me (but the poll workers usually request ID for first-time voters in the precinct.) You also have to sign by your name in "the book" of registered voters.
Any local issues of general interest? The most interesting is a state question that will permit Oklahoma vintners to sell their wines directly to liquor stores and restaurants. Up to now, as the state continues to tiptoe away from prohibition, the only way to buy Oklahoma wine for personal consumption has been to make a road trip to one of the vinyards. As a result, of course, most of us don't yet know if any of it is any good. I hope to find out.
Anecdotes welcome. At a speed of approximately 3 mph, I entered the area behind the most terrifying elderly driver I've ever encountered . She was able to nose into a parking space that would accomodate at least two or three vehicles, which made me happy, because if she had needed to parallel park, we'd all still be in the street. I didn't mind continuing down the road for about 3/4 of a block. Total voting time, including walking back and forth from my car, was about 12 minutes. Including driving time from and back home, I spent an extravagant 18 or 19 minutes. That could have been 30 seconds faster if I hadn't been stopped to politely decline my opportunity to participate in an exit poll.
If you already voted, tell about that. Hey! I just did.
What time of day did you vote? It was 1:39 p.m. as I approached the front door.
When do your polls open and close? 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
How long were the lines? 15-20 people were in a single line that then split toward two tables. I forgot to count, as I was having a nice chat with the lady in front of me.
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?) Scantron--"connect the arrow."
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out? Easy peasy. More difficult was remembering the names of the judges who ruled that the most corrupt politician in the state's recent history should keep his state pension despite federal convictions. I voted no on the retention of those judges..
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?) Clubhouse for an apartment complex.
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent? Everybody seemed to be in a general good mood, with abounding smiles and friendliness.
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? No ID requested from me (but the poll workers usually request ID for first-time voters in the precinct.) You also have to sign by your name in "the book" of registered voters.
Any local issues of general interest? The most interesting is a state question that will permit Oklahoma vintners to sell their wines directly to liquor stores and restaurants. Up to now, as the state continues to tiptoe away from prohibition, the only way to buy Oklahoma wine for personal consumption has been to make a road trip to one of the vinyards. As a result, of course, most of us don't yet know if any of it is any good. I hope to find out.
Anecdotes welcome. At a speed of approximately 3 mph, I entered the area behind the most terrifying elderly driver I've ever encountered . She was able to nose into a parking space that would accomodate at least two or three vehicles, which made me happy, because if she had needed to parallel park, we'd all still be in the street. I didn't mind continuing down the road for about 3/4 of a block. Total voting time, including walking back and forth from my car, was about 12 minutes. Including driving time from and back home, I spent an extravagant 18 or 19 minutes. That could have been 30 seconds faster if I hadn't been stopped to politely decline my opportunity to participate in an exit poll.
If you already voted, tell about that. Hey! I just did.
Now generating the White Hot Glare of Righteousness on behalf of BBs everywhere.
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KillerTomato
- Posts: 2067
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Re: How Did You Vote?
What state are you voting in? If you want to be more specific, be my guest. PA, Allegheny County, Collier Township, District 1
What time of day did you vote? I was in line at 6:30 AM.
When do your polls open and close? 7 AM to 8 PM
How long were the lines? I was voter $73 in my District. By 7 AM, there were probably 300 or more in line, and when I left at about 8 AM, the line remained as long as when the polls opened.
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?) iVotronic touch screen computers
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?) Municipal building
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent? Surpisingly upbeat, considering it was very early in the morning after a Steelers Monday Night game. Didn't hurt that we won, of course.
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? I didn't HAVE to, but I used it anyway, since the workers were swamped with people and I wanted to make it easy on them. New voters in the District would have had to show ID; if you've voted there before, you didn't need ID.
Any local issues of general interest? I'm in a fairly affluent, rather Republican (but generally evenly split, I'd say) District. What was surprising was that I've never seen so many younger voters (under 30); we tend to skew older here. And I even saw an unusually high number of minority voters (also very unusual). There was one staff member offering to help new voters who'd never used the electronic machines before (we just got them last year for our local elections). She was stopping about every 7-10 people to explain the system....so lots of new voters, too.
What time of day did you vote? I was in line at 6:30 AM.
When do your polls open and close? 7 AM to 8 PM
How long were the lines? I was voter $73 in my District. By 7 AM, there were probably 300 or more in line, and when I left at about 8 AM, the line remained as long as when the polls opened.
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?) iVotronic touch screen computers
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?) Municipal building
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent? Surpisingly upbeat, considering it was very early in the morning after a Steelers Monday Night game. Didn't hurt that we won, of course.
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? I didn't HAVE to, but I used it anyway, since the workers were swamped with people and I wanted to make it easy on them. New voters in the District would have had to show ID; if you've voted there before, you didn't need ID.
Any local issues of general interest? I'm in a fairly affluent, rather Republican (but generally evenly split, I'd say) District. What was surprising was that I've never seen so many younger voters (under 30); we tend to skew older here. And I even saw an unusually high number of minority voters (also very unusual). There was one staff member offering to help new voters who'd never used the electronic machines before (we just got them last year for our local elections). She was stopping about every 7-10 people to explain the system....so lots of new voters, too.
There is something wrong in a government where they who do the most have the least. There is something wrong when honesty wears a rag, and rascality a robe; when the loving, the tender, eat a crust while the infamous sit at banquets.
-- Robert G. Ingersoll
-- Robert G. Ingersoll
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goongas
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Re: How Did You Vote?
NJ
8:30 AM
6:00AM to 8:00 PM
Two people in line ahead of me (There is never ever a long line (more than 2 people) for me to vote)
Electronic machine where you push buttons (not a touchscreen)
Very easy (NJ typically has very short ballots)
School
Hard to say feeling
No ID for me
8:30 AM
6:00AM to 8:00 PM
Two people in line ahead of me (There is never ever a long line (more than 2 people) for me to vote)
Electronic machine where you push buttons (not a touchscreen)
Very easy (NJ typically has very short ballots)
School
Hard to say feeling
No ID for me
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AlphaDummy
- Mr. Top Ten
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Re: How Did You Vote?
What state are you voting in? Wisconsin
What time of day did you vote? Entered the building at 5:08 PM, done at 5:12
When do your polls open and close? 7 AM - 8 PM
How long were the lines? Minimal. Five booths in the room, one was still unoccupied as I entered another. Three people in front of me, with maybe a dozen more arriving right behind me. Probably 25-30 cars in the lot, which likely included the nine or ten poll workers. We live in a mostly-rural township that also includes an unincorporated village of a hundred or so people as well as a couple of lakefront subdivisions. So the chances of having to wait in line for an hour or so are probably next to none.
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?) Scantron
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 friendly. Personal hygiene at a more-than-adequate level.
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? As a rule, no ID required of preregistered voters. There is a sign as you enter the polling place stating that, per state law, you must give the poll worker your name and address even if they know you personally.
Any local issues of general interest? Not this time around. President and House, Assembly, and four uncontested county offices. No referenda. Probably the fewest marks I have ever had to make on a ballot during a Presidential election.
Anecdotes welcome. Knew one of the poll workers (friend/neighbor) - she noted that my son (who turned 18 five weeks ago) had already voted. Another saw the logo on my jacket, remembered who I was, and told me all about how pleased she was with the job I had done at her home some time back. (I have not worked in the field for over a year now...made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside...)
Addendum: Wife just voted as well...ten minutes from the time she left our house until the time she walked back in (5:55)...still no waiting.
What time of day did you vote? Entered the building at 5:08 PM, done at 5:12
When do your polls open and close? 7 AM - 8 PM
How long were the lines? Minimal. Five booths in the room, one was still unoccupied as I entered another. Three people in front of me, with maybe a dozen more arriving right behind me. Probably 25-30 cars in the lot, which likely included the nine or ten poll workers. We live in a mostly-rural township that also includes an unincorporated village of a hundred or so people as well as a couple of lakefront subdivisions. So the chances of having to wait in line for an hour or so are probably next to none.
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?) Scantron
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 friendly. Personal hygiene at a more-than-adequate level.
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? As a rule, no ID required of preregistered voters. There is a sign as you enter the polling place stating that, per state law, you must give the poll worker your name and address even if they know you personally.
Any local issues of general interest? Not this time around. President and House, Assembly, and four uncontested county offices. No referenda. Probably the fewest marks I have ever had to make on a ballot during a Presidential election.
Anecdotes welcome. Knew one of the poll workers (friend/neighbor) - she noted that my son (who turned 18 five weeks ago) had already voted. Another saw the logo on my jacket, remembered who I was, and told me all about how pleased she was with the job I had done at her home some time back. (I have not worked in the field for over a year now...made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside...)
Addendum: Wife just voted as well...ten minutes from the time she left our house until the time she walked back in (5:55)...still no waiting.
"Again" - Herb Brooks (as played by Kurt Russell)
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secondchance
- Possum Hunter!
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- Location: Los Angeles
Re: How Did You Vote?
* edited to correct polling place hoursnitrah55 wrote: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. CA, L.A. County
What time of day did you vote? 8am
When do your polls open and close? 7am - 8pm*
How long were the lines? Only 2 in front of me, in & out in 5 minutes
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?) Punch Card - tiny round pressure-pushes (non-chaddable)
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out? Easy
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?) Neighborhood park rec center building
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent? Cheerful and helpful
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? No I.D. requested; needed to sign the log. It's hard to believe that they don't requre I.D.
Any local issues of general interest? Several (see PSM's post for more details), but most notable is Prop. 8 - trying to revoke same sex marriage. Big hotbed of controversy here - both sides spent over $35 million. Got a call from Bill Clinton this afternoon, asking me to vote "no" on 8. A little late, Bubba... but, I already had.
Now, just waitinnnnnggg.....
Anecdotes welcome.
If you already voted, tell about that.
It's a great big country. Let's tell each other about it.
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VAdame
- Posts: 1877
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- Location: da 'Burgh!
Re: How Did You Vote?
What state are you voting in? If you want to be more specific, be my guest.
The Great Blue State of PA! Pittsburgh, 4th Ward (Oakland.) Forget the precinct #.
What time of day did you vote?
Keith & I got in line at 6:50 this morning. We were #s 15 & 16 in line. In the 10 minutes between our arrival & the doors opening, a good 30 or 40 folks lined up behind us! We voted at about 7:10AM.
When do your polls open and close?
7AM to 8PM
How long were the lines?
See above for early AM turnout. I also drove by our polling place on the way home from work (4:30PM) & on my way to my after-work swim (around 5:15.) There were people inside, voting, but no lines at those times. I come home from swim a different way, so I don't know if there was a line at closing time.
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?)
We've had the new machines for a few years now -- a touch screen sort. We used to use the old lever-style voting machines -- which almost never malfunctioned! -- but the Election Powers That Be decided to get modern. The new ones malfunction all the time! In fact, when our polls opened, the machines weren't working. About the first 9 or 10 people in line ended up voting on paper ballots, before they got the touch screens working. There are 4 machines; I was the first voter on the one I used, & Keith was 2nd on his.
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out?
The ballot itself was easy. The machine, I'm embarrassed to say, I had a little trouble with. After you make your selections & review your ballot, you are supposed to press the Big Red "VOTE" button. But my machine didn't seem to have a big red "VOTE" button! I had to call a poll worker over to figure it out. Turns out someone had taped a piece of paper, saying "Do Not Press VOTE Until You Have Reviewed Your Ballot" over the "VOTE" button! She removed it, & I was able to cast my vote.
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?)
Church basement. My church, in fact -- the appropriately named St. Regis.
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent?
Pretty cheerful -- a little annoyance w/ the machine problems at the beginning, but that was over with quickly.
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered?
Only first-time voters, or first time at a new polling place. Really, most of our poll workers have been doing the job so long they pretty much know everyone! One (who is new) asked me if I was Mary or Leah, since all 3 DeVaughns are together in the card file (of course!), & I don't look like a Keith I told her I was Mary & that Leah would be along to vote a little later (she ended up being #113.) Also that Karen gotten married & moved, so she would be voting under her new name at her new address -- if by any chance they still had her card on file, that should be removed. None of Keith's brothers or sons live in our precinct, so we're the only DeVaughns who vote there at the moment.
Any local issues of general interest?
Nope. Should the state float a bond issue to fund infrastructure repair? I said Yes (our infrastructure is in pretty bad shape!)
Anecdotes welcome.
I made it to work by 7:35 -- no big deal to be 5 minutes late (& I ended up staying till almost 4:30 to help a patient's sister with a social work issue, so I more than made up the time! Keith took today off -- we had some work done on our house today, so he had to be home to take care of that. I almost always vote before work; he almost always votes after, since he works a 6AM to 2:30Pm shift. I talked him into going early with me. Voting together was rather nice & something we hadn't done in a while!
Leah missed the 2004 election by only a month -- she turned 18 in early December of that year. She was happy to vote in a national election finally -- she's voted in local & state elections, but this was her first time voting for President (she campaigned her heart out for Kerry & couldn't vote for him -- that hurts....) Karen mailed in her name & address change a few days after the wedding -- and at the same time, John mailed in his registration as a first time voter (remember, they're only 19!) Karen voted in the primary in April, but John hadn't registered yet. Well, she got her new card & polling assignment within a week, but John's never came. They started to get worried that it had been lost, but didn't really check till a few weeks ago. Well, for some reason his registration was never received -- lost in the mail? Who knows?! But by that time it was past the October 6 deadline. We looked up the phone # for the county registration office, but were not able to get through (mostly constant busy signal...
) We wondered if he could get a provisional ballot while they tried to track down his registration, but he decided to stay home w/ Baby Johnny while Karen did her civic duty. Oh, Karen said her line was pretty long but moved fast -- she only waited about 15 minutes. John's up for a drivers permit renewal next month -- he intends to register then before missing another election!
Fortunately, it looks like Obama won PA by more than one vote, so he's not too upset about not voting this time
The Great Blue State of PA! Pittsburgh, 4th Ward (Oakland.) Forget the precinct #.
What time of day did you vote?
Keith & I got in line at 6:50 this morning. We were #s 15 & 16 in line. In the 10 minutes between our arrival & the doors opening, a good 30 or 40 folks lined up behind us! We voted at about 7:10AM.
When do your polls open and close?
7AM to 8PM
How long were the lines?
See above for early AM turnout. I also drove by our polling place on the way home from work (4:30PM) & on my way to my after-work swim (around 5:15.) There were people inside, voting, but no lines at those times. I come home from swim a different way, so I don't know if there was a line at closing time.
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?)
We've had the new machines for a few years now -- a touch screen sort. We used to use the old lever-style voting machines -- which almost never malfunctioned! -- but the Election Powers That Be decided to get modern. The new ones malfunction all the time! In fact, when our polls opened, the machines weren't working. About the first 9 or 10 people in line ended up voting on paper ballots, before they got the touch screens working. There are 4 machines; I was the first voter on the one I used, & Keith was 2nd on his.
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out?
The ballot itself was easy. The machine, I'm embarrassed to say, I had a little trouble with. After you make your selections & review your ballot, you are supposed to press the Big Red "VOTE" button. But my machine didn't seem to have a big red "VOTE" button! I had to call a poll worker over to figure it out. Turns out someone had taped a piece of paper, saying "Do Not Press VOTE Until You Have Reviewed Your Ballot" over the "VOTE" button! She removed it, & I was able to cast my vote.
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?)
Church basement. My church, in fact -- the appropriately named St. Regis.
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent?
Pretty cheerful -- a little annoyance w/ the machine problems at the beginning, but that was over with quickly.
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered?
Only first-time voters, or first time at a new polling place. Really, most of our poll workers have been doing the job so long they pretty much know everyone! One (who is new) asked me if I was Mary or Leah, since all 3 DeVaughns are together in the card file (of course!), & I don't look like a Keith
I told her I was Mary & that Leah would be along to vote a little later (she ended up being #113.) Also that Karen gotten married & moved, so she would be voting under her new name at her new address -- if by any chance they still had her card on file, that should be removed. None of Keith's brothers or sons live in our precinct, so we're the only DeVaughns who vote there at the moment.Any local issues of general interest?
Nope. Should the state float a bond issue to fund infrastructure repair? I said Yes (our infrastructure is in pretty bad shape!)
Anecdotes welcome.
I made it to work by 7:35 -- no big deal to be 5 minutes late (& I ended up staying till almost 4:30 to help a patient's sister with a social work issue, so I more than made up the time! Keith took today off -- we had some work done on our house today, so he had to be home to take care of that. I almost always vote before work; he almost always votes after, since he works a 6AM to 2:30Pm shift. I talked him into going early with me. Voting together was rather nice & something we hadn't done in a while!
Leah missed the 2004 election by only a month -- she turned 18 in early December of that year. She was happy to vote in a national election finally -- she's voted in local & state elections, but this was her first time voting for President (she campaigned her heart out for Kerry & couldn't vote for him -- that hurts....) Karen mailed in her name & address change a few days after the wedding -- and at the same time, John mailed in his registration as a first time voter (remember, they're only 19!) Karen voted in the primary in April, but John hadn't registered yet. Well, she got her new card & polling assignment within a week, but John's never came. They started to get worried that it had been lost, but didn't really check till a few weeks ago. Well, for some reason his registration was never received -- lost in the mail? Who knows?! But by that time it was past the October 6 deadline. We looked up the phone # for the county registration office, but were not able to get through (mostly constant busy signal...
) We wondered if he could get a provisional ballot while they tried to track down his registration, but he decided to stay home w/ Baby Johnny while Karen did her civic duty. Oh, Karen said her line was pretty long but moved fast -- she only waited about 15 minutes. John's up for a drivers permit renewal next month -- he intends to register then before missing another election! Fortunately, it looks like Obama won PA by more than one vote, so he's not too upset about not voting this time
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cindy.wellman
- LOLOLOL
- Posts: 1641
- Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 2:42 pm
- Location: Alaska
Re: How Did You Vote?
1) Idahonitrah55 wrote: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.
2) 7:10 pm
3) 7:00 am - 8:00 pm
4) There were no lines at our polling place. I had some unrelated business to attend to at a city building in the town where I work. When I was there at 6 pm, the lines were out the door. Members of our board, and quite a few of our clients/patrons, all mentioned the long lines at various polling places around the area.
5) Punch card - paper
6) Easy
7) Elementary School
There were only 2 other people besides Eric and myself voting while we were there. The mood of the volunteers was quite cheerful. 9) We brought several IDs. We also brought proof of residence, just to be safe. When we produced both, one volunteer said, "We don't need to see a proof of who you are." The other volunteer sitting next to him said, "Good grief, this is Idaho, where we still trust people!"
It would seem that volunteers at the N-Z table were very strong in their beliefs. LOL10) It was officially confirmed that one of the candidates who was running for Larry Craig's seat had succeeded in having his "new name" appear on the ballot. The official way it was worded was, "Pro-Life, a person formerly known as Marvin Richardson" I giggled, but only because I couldn't stop thinking of Prince and his symbol.
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minimetoo26
- Royal Pain In Everyone's Ass
- Posts: 7874
- Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 8:51 am
- Location: No Fixed Address
Re: How Did You Vote?
What state are you voting in? If you want to be more specific, be my guest.
Virginia. Virginia Beach. King's Grant Precinct. Fourth booth out of five. Specific enough?
What time of day did you vote?
6:35 pm
When do your polls open and close?
6 am to 7 pm
How long were the lines?
For me, non-existent
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?)
Computer touchscreen
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out?
Easy but chock-full of choices. No referendums, but Senate, State Senate, City Council, Mayor, and School Board up for election
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?)
Church. St. Nicholas Catholic. My parish, to be precise.
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent?
The workers may have been a bit tired, but they were geezer-age. The guy collecting the electronic cards was friendly enough and happy to chat with Demon Child who came along with me.
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered?
I brought ID out of habit, but they asked me to confirm my name and address so I could prove I didn't just grab the card of someone who looked exactly like me, I guess....
Any local issues of general interest?
No issues, just a bunch of races.
Anecdotes welcome.
The Poll Geezer hadn't heard about wet voters with wet hands in Chesapeake whose paper ballots got damp enough from umbrellas to jam up the machines, so he was happy to hear he would get home much earlier than his counterparts in other cities.
My sister hit her precinct at 5:30 am and was about 45 in line. Within 5 more minutes, another 350 or so arrived behind her. The early birds were out in force!
If you already voted, tell about that.
We don't have early voting here. It would have been nice, but not necessary.
It's a great big country. Let's tell each other about it.
Virginia. Virginia Beach. King's Grant Precinct. Fourth booth out of five. Specific enough?
What time of day did you vote?
6:35 pm
When do your polls open and close?
6 am to 7 pm
How long were the lines?
For me, non-existent
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?)
Computer touchscreen
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out?
Easy but chock-full of choices. No referendums, but Senate, State Senate, City Council, Mayor, and School Board up for election
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?)
Church. St. Nicholas Catholic. My parish, to be precise.
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent?
The workers may have been a bit tired, but they were geezer-age. The guy collecting the electronic cards was friendly enough and happy to chat with Demon Child who came along with me.
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered?
I brought ID out of habit, but they asked me to confirm my name and address so I could prove I didn't just grab the card of someone who looked exactly like me, I guess....
Any local issues of general interest?
No issues, just a bunch of races.
Anecdotes welcome.
The Poll Geezer hadn't heard about wet voters with wet hands in Chesapeake whose paper ballots got damp enough from umbrellas to jam up the machines, so he was happy to hear he would get home much earlier than his counterparts in other cities.
My sister hit her precinct at 5:30 am and was about 45 in line. Within 5 more minutes, another 350 or so arrived behind her. The early birds were out in force!
If you already voted, tell about that.
We don't have early voting here. It would have been nice, but not necessary.
It's a great big country. Let's tell each other about it.
Knowing a great deal is not the same as being smart; intelligence is not information alone but also judgment, the manner in which information is collected and used.
-Carl Sagan
-Carl Sagan
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MarkBarrett
- Posts: 760
- Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2007 11:17 am
- Location: San Francisco
Re: How Did You Vote?
Voting, work, and going to the Sharks game didn't give me a chance to post here yesterday.
What state are you voting in? CA (San Francisco)
When do your polls open and close? 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
How long were the lines? I was in line at 7:11 a.m. and about 30 back
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? Scantron
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out? Easy, but it was 4 cards and three of them were 2-sided
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? House basement
What was the ambiance like? Friendly, but some people seemed caught off guard by the line and being out longer than expected in the cool morning temperature
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? ID not required - you are who you say you are - I tore off my name label from my voter guide to make it easy for the young woman to find my name - I do this with each election as just saying "Mark Barrett" always has the person flipping pages to find me
Any local issues of general interest? The state issues have been covered in this thread. Local prop R: Shall the City change the name of the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant to the George W Bush Sewage Plant? It failed about 31-69%
I knew based on 2004 that there would be a crowd. My thought was to let things get settled at the polling place and get some early birds out of the way by arriving around ten after 7. When I stood in the back of the line there were three houses in between where I stood and house that was the polling place to make my distance a little less than 100ft.
It was about 35 minutes until I entered the garage. While waiting I had nothing to do but people watch as I brought no reading material or electronic devices like I saw others holding. A parent with a boy about 7 had little control over him as he raced back and forth between the entrance and the back of the line. He randomly let people in line know how many people were ahead of them. Another parent with a child played car trip games like naming places that start with "A" and quizzes about animals.
A gentleman in front of me said he lived across the street and asked me to hold his place in line when he went home to get something. This was a situation where no one cared about a save and a cut in line. When the guy returned I told him in June I walked in a little after 8 and was the 13th total voter at the polling place. The primary had been moved earlier in CA, so that election had little interest compared to yesterday.
Once I made it to the table I heard the gentleman being stuck with having to vote provisionally. He had recently moved and wasn't on the list. He produced his driver's license to show he lived across the street, but without his name on the regular roll he was stuck filling out a form to vote with a provisional ballot.
I would guess there were about 8 voting stands in the garage. One was available when I got my ballot pages, but I had to let a woman know I was slipping in there as voters backs were to each other in the cramped voting area. I noticed one guy voting by using a recycling can as a tabletop in the back of the garage.
I had a sheet of paper with my voting decisions marked, so I was able to fill out my choices quickly. The gentleman working the ballot collection machine, not untypical for the city, but perhaps for the neighborhood was wearing what looked more like a long skirt than a kilt. I don't know if the machine was malfunctioning or if it was a time saving mechanism, but I was instructed to insert my pages in a back or side slot in the machine instead of feeding them through an automated slot through the front of the machine where I have seen a number count of pages received in past elections.
I was handed my 3-language sticker that showed I voted and I exited at 7:55.
P.S. Cut to being at the hockey game. Around 8:00 there was chatter around that Obama had won as several fans had devices that showed up to date news. In front of me I was able to spy someone scrolling state by state results. No official announcement was made at the arena.
What state are you voting in? CA (San Francisco)
When do your polls open and close? 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
How long were the lines? I was in line at 7:11 a.m. and about 30 back
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? Scantron
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out? Easy, but it was 4 cards and three of them were 2-sided
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? House basement
What was the ambiance like? Friendly, but some people seemed caught off guard by the line and being out longer than expected in the cool morning temperature
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? ID not required - you are who you say you are - I tore off my name label from my voter guide to make it easy for the young woman to find my name - I do this with each election as just saying "Mark Barrett" always has the person flipping pages to find me
Any local issues of general interest? The state issues have been covered in this thread. Local prop R: Shall the City change the name of the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant to the George W Bush Sewage Plant? It failed about 31-69%
I knew based on 2004 that there would be a crowd. My thought was to let things get settled at the polling place and get some early birds out of the way by arriving around ten after 7. When I stood in the back of the line there were three houses in between where I stood and house that was the polling place to make my distance a little less than 100ft.
It was about 35 minutes until I entered the garage. While waiting I had nothing to do but people watch as I brought no reading material or electronic devices like I saw others holding. A parent with a boy about 7 had little control over him as he raced back and forth between the entrance and the back of the line. He randomly let people in line know how many people were ahead of them. Another parent with a child played car trip games like naming places that start with "A" and quizzes about animals.
A gentleman in front of me said he lived across the street and asked me to hold his place in line when he went home to get something. This was a situation where no one cared about a save and a cut in line. When the guy returned I told him in June I walked in a little after 8 and was the 13th total voter at the polling place. The primary had been moved earlier in CA, so that election had little interest compared to yesterday.
Once I made it to the table I heard the gentleman being stuck with having to vote provisionally. He had recently moved and wasn't on the list. He produced his driver's license to show he lived across the street, but without his name on the regular roll he was stuck filling out a form to vote with a provisional ballot.
I would guess there were about 8 voting stands in the garage. One was available when I got my ballot pages, but I had to let a woman know I was slipping in there as voters backs were to each other in the cramped voting area. I noticed one guy voting by using a recycling can as a tabletop in the back of the garage.
I had a sheet of paper with my voting decisions marked, so I was able to fill out my choices quickly. The gentleman working the ballot collection machine, not untypical for the city, but perhaps for the neighborhood was wearing what looked more like a long skirt than a kilt. I don't know if the machine was malfunctioning or if it was a time saving mechanism, but I was instructed to insert my pages in a back or side slot in the machine instead of feeding them through an automated slot through the front of the machine where I have seen a number count of pages received in past elections.
I was handed my 3-language sticker that showed I voted and I exited at 7:55.
P.S. Cut to being at the hockey game. Around 8:00 there was chatter around that Obama had won as several fans had devices that showed up to date news. In front of me I was able to spy someone scrolling state by state results. No official announcement was made at the arena.
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marrymeflyfree
- Posts: 600
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2007 8:58 pm
- Location: the couch
Re: How Did You Vote?
nitrah55 wrote: What state are you voting in? OH, Cleveland suburb
What time of day did you vote? ~10am, Oct 31st
When do your polls open and close? Dunno
How long were the lines? One hour and 20 minutes
What sort of apparatus did you vote on? (Punch card, scantron, computer screen, paper ballot?) Computer
Was the ballot easy or hard to figure out? Easy, but I think they should have been more clear that voters should double check that the paper printout was correct.
What kind of building or locale did you vote at? (School, municipal building, church?) Board of elections office
What was the ambiance like? Were people grumpy, cheerful, confused, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent? Cheerful yet reverent. No one seemed upset at the line...more excited that so many were voting.
Did you have to bring ID? How do they know you're the person who's registered? Yes ID was required
Any local issues of general interest? A referendum on whether or not to allow casinos in the state.
Anecdotes welcome.
The woman in line in front of us was also working the polls for the second year. She enjoyed it, and it got me thinking about what a neat experience that could be. I could see myself doing that in the future. Nina seemed to enjoy herself, and we got a picture of her in front of the Board of Elections sign.