I voted!

[bluesilverkdg]

Just got back from the polls a while ago. There was a small line and a wait, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I'd taken a bottle of water and a paperback book. There were people there with lawn chairs, but none of the above was necessary. (Well, I was glad I had the bottle of water, but the people in the line just chatted and socialized for a while, so the book was unopened.)

I tried to do the whole walking to the polls thing, but about halfway in, I realized it was futile. The roads around here are not very conducive to walking and there's a one-lane tunnel that is dangerous for cars to get through. Going through it on foot would've been a deathwish. So I turned around (but still got in some exercise) and got the car. I'd meant to try and be there at 8, but it was actually after 9, due to the delay. Still, I was home before 10, so not bad a'tall.

Whether you voted early or today, what was your experience like? Long lines? Rude people? Or easy in and out and a sense of community? And were there any problems with the voting equipment? Everything seemed to be running smoothly out here, all was calm, and I didn't see evidence of any issues, but it's still very early in the day.

Well, now I'm at a loss. I ate a light breakfast at 6 am, and I'm kinda hungry, but if I eat lunch now I'll be starving at 3:00. Brunch, perhaps?

(Yes, my music is intentional.)

Edit: I forgot to mention that last night I kept dreaming that my house was turned on its side. As in, literally, the walls were the floor and ceiling and the floor and ceiling were the walls. Prophetic/symbolic or just weird?

Comments

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Hey, I've eaten two lunches before. Nothing wrong with that. :-)

And yes, please do! I'm curious how things are going in other parts of the country.

[nessachan.livejournal.com]

I voted early last week. There was about a 30 minute line, the longest I've ever had to wait in. I took my DS-Lite. The people in line were friendly and in good spirits, and everyone around me was talking about how they were voting for Obama, a good sign in West Virginia. Everyone was cheerful.

There were some problems reported with voting machines in my county, where people were pressing "Obama" but the machines were recording "McCain", however this problem seems to have been solved with the addition of styluses so that people don't have to use their fingers to press the screen buttons.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

That's weird about the voting machines. I'm glad the problem was resolved (hopefully.) Did you see that yours was accurate? We could go back and review ours, which I did twice, just to make sure it was OK. I did notice a lot of registered Dems on the list, when they were checking me off, which kind of surprised me (TN, WV...neither are exactly known as blue states.)

I waited in line maybe 20ish minutes I guess? It took longer to actually get in the door and get signed up than to stand in the line to vote.

[nessachan.livejournal.com]

Well, I work in the actual office with the actual machines, so thought I don't trust them, I do feel confident that this problem is (mostly) resolved. Anyway, it seems that some people had fingers or fingernails that were hitting the screen in more than one place and causing the vote to be misread. It happened in various counties in WV, and made me really angry, but the good news is it looks like we may be going back to paper ballots eventually (though not soon enough!)

Anywhoo, I did check that my vote for Obama was recorded correctly, about 5 times! Haha, though I don't trust the "paper trail" of those machines either, it did APPEAR to be correct. :)

[nonspecific.livejournal.com]

Hahaha have to steal that icon! Will credit! :D

[nessachan.livejournal.com]

Haha, thanks, go ahead. Kureaaleblanc made it.

[theldara.livejournal.com]

They actually showed Dem or Repub? I didn't ever recall registering one way or the other (though I did vote in a Dem primary in 2004). No one that I recall has ever asked what party affilation I had at the polls and I never get propoganda in the mail from either party. I figured if anything I was registered independant, but thought maybe TN didn't keep track either way.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'd never noticed before, but it did. They had me registered as a Dem, which I did not ever remember specifying either (maybe because I also voted in a Democratic primary?) I have also not gotten anything about it, via mail or phone or whatever. But when I was in the line to actually go vote, and they were checking my address and all, I noticed the sheet had names on it with party affiliation next to them. I didn't care that much, but it could be fodder for nosy people, I suppose. But I think everyone I saw who'd voted on the "G" sheet was registered as a Dem.

Wow, did you read the original reply before I edited? I think I must have been sniffing something when I wrote it. Geez, typos much?

[theldara.livejournal.com]

Nah, I'm reading on the page right now. Email's spotty at best during the day here @ work.

I wish I'd looked now. They checked our ID, verified our address on computer, verified our address on the printout, and we read and signed it. I didn't see anything about party, but mostly I was double checking name/address. I think Dave didn't see anything about party on his either.

Now I really wonder how I'm registered! It better be as independent.

[nonspecific.livejournal.com]

Mine said Democrat too. I'm registered as one.

[revmary.livejournal.com]

WV will not go to Obama by tonight! SOuthern WV is all McCain country.

WV was a blue state until 2000!!!! Unfortunately, GW turned them...I don't know why the heck that they didn't vote GORE in 2000. I still voted in WV in 2000, absentee and voted for Gore!!!!!

in 2004, KERRY!!!

[theldara.livejournal.com]

We voted early um... October 15 or 16th, can't recall which. There was zero line. We went in, signed our paperwork, walked to the booth, voted and left. Under 5 minutes for the whole ordeal I'd bet. The machines were very simple, same ones I used last time, and we encountered no errors or confusion. Everyone at the place was calm, laughing, generally in high spirts.

[cortneytree.livejournal.com]

I had pretty much the exact same experience, it was a breeze. Hooray for early voting!

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

I considered early voting, but (a) I'm a procrastinator (b) I like the thrill of election day.

I'm just glad to hear that everyone seems to have voted already, or is planning to today. :-)

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

You know I told you I was voting at the Fairgrounds? It was literally in one of the exhibit thingies. :-) Two months ago, there were probably cows in there. Kinda surreal.

I was almost disappointed that there wasn't more going on today, but it may pick up over lunch and after work time. I just hope that the lack of a bunch of people is not the indication of a dismal turnout, y'know? Of course, I think a lot of people DID vote early, so I guess it's hard to tell. I was afraid that folks might be scared off by the "there's gonna be a line nine miles long and problems galore" that the media were reporting. I hope that people don't just say "screw it" and stay home, but maybe that won't be the case.

[theldara.livejournal.com]

They made it soooooo easy to vote early this time that I bet scores of people did. I know my in-laws did, as did my parents (whoohoo there went my vote canceled out, whee). Most the folks at work here did early voting. Hopefully that'll keep the lines down and word will spread by word of mouth that it's not bad out there, so more that haven't will get out to do it.

[nonspecific.livejournal.com]

I voted a couple weeks ago, I guess. We had paper ballots that we had to fill in the box, and then go scan it into a machine. It didn't give us a review option, which made me very nervous. Line wasn't bad though. I went on lunch, and it only took about 15 min maybe?

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Yes, you came by to visit me with your I Voted sticker on. ;-)

[nonspecific.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that was the day we went to eat Thai food maybe? I remember talking about it as we were going in. Well nooo... It wasn't that day. Oh yeah, in Food City.

[theldara.livejournal.com]

This is what we did with our "I voted early" stickers. Teeheee... they're mostly faded by now, they only lasted like a week in a readable format.

[theldara.livejournal.com]

I wonder why Sullivan and Washington counties have such different boxes? Our machines were 100% electronic from what I could see. They kept paperwork on who showed up and which machine they used, but did not seem to code the vote on paper, unless the machine did it inside somehow.

[nonspecific.livejournal.com]

Beats me. They usually have the rolly wheel thing.

[klaw.livejournal.com]

In and out in ten minutes.





(Also, the line at the polls was pretty short.)

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

I was there for a combined 40ish minutes, I guess. Not nearly what I was expecting. I'd told my boss "I may be in sometime today." Ah well..I was hoping for a free day off. ;-)

[angline.livejournal.com]

Easy in easy out, No waiting at all!!!

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

That's what I'm hearing from most people. I wonder if it's just because so many voted early? I haven't heard stats on voter turnout, if it was as huge as predicted.

[indigo-max.livejournal.com]

Wound up waiting in line for 3 hours to vote and I got there at 9:45 this morning. I figured we would have a small line but I wasn't expecting what I experienced. It was nice to stand and chat with neighbors but the process seemed a bit screwed up from the norm.

Max...

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

You're the first one I've heard from who had to wait for more than a few minute. How did it seem screwed up? Just the fact that you had to wait so long or was something else going on?

[indigo-max.livejournal.com]

The election judges made decision in the middle of the time that we waited of offering optiscan ballots to those that didn't want to wait inline. Basically they gave them the ballot and said that if they were not picky about privacy they could go off to the side of the stage in the gym and fill it out. That left a lot of us sort of scratching our heads. Course once others caught wind of what was going on they sort of changed their minds.

We must have had some sort of problem early on that caused the line to get extended. There was a place in the county I live in that had folks waiting for upwards to 6 hours to vote. Faulty machines I believe were the culprit for that.

Max...

[easybeef.livejournal.com]

No lines (from leaving the car to back in less than 5 minutes), really friendly, the election officer was my next door neighbor.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

I didn't know a soul there, which is odd, as Gray is not exactly a metropolis.

Glad to hear you got in and out without issue though. Oh...are you still going to be around Thanksgiving? Let me know if you have any time unnaccounted for (if you don't, I totally understand. I remember when I'd come in from Knoxville and try to visit with every person I'd ever known here.)

[easybeef.livejournal.com]

I don't think Thanksgiving is going to work, because I have to go to my Dad's first in South Carolina (he's getting all emo about my not having visited for awhile) and Mom has stuff planned, etc. I will be off for two weeks around Christmas/New Years, so that'll work!

Yeah, I do stats. Right now I'm having trouble calculating the number of foreign students because there's something wonky with the codes for dual citizens. Blech.

[dda.livejournal.com]

I voted; there were no real lines to speak of but I went around noon. My town is rather small so we still use paper ballots but, for the first time ever, I was offered a "privacy sleeve" so no one could see which circles I had carefully filled in when I walked from one room to the other to put the ballot in the big box o' ballots. I declined.

The box sucked the ballot in and then promptly spit it out again! I had to do it again and this time it was happy. I'm hoping that by this time tomorrow, possession of marijuana will be a civil infraction rather than a criminal one here.

Oh and some new guy will be President. ;-)

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Yes, some new guy is indeed president. I can't believe it was called at 11. Wow!

A privacy sleeve, eh? That sounds like something you'd get at The Toy Box adult shop. ;-)

[dda.livejournal.com]

I didn't watch any results and I'm basically still trying to avoid it as much as possible.

A privacy sleeve, eh? That sounds like something you'd get at The Toy Box adult shop. ;-)

Hehe! In fact, BabesInToyland was offering free sex toys if you voted (only from their physical stores, I think) and one of the gifts was a sleeve that, I assume, one would use in private. :-)

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Yes, I saw that! It was called "the Maverick." Women could get a silver bullet.

Down here, I could've gotten a Chik-Fil-A sandwich or a Krispy Kreme donut, but I opted for neither.

Oh, pssstttt...Obama took Massachusetts. (Since you hadn't been paying attention to returns. ;-P) I know that's probably a shock.

[dda.livejournal.com]

Yes, I saw that! It was called "the Maverick." Women could get a silver bullet.

Actually, I don't think they cared; either sex could get either toy.

Oh, pssstttt...Obama took Massachusetts. (Since you hadn't been paying attention to returns. ;-P) I know that's probably a shock.

Yikes! I hope he gives it back at some point. :-P

[samuraigrrrl.livejournal.com]

here, it took about five minutes! i read a report that one of the eslate machines broke down around 1pm, but haven't heard of any other problems.
the workers were very friendly and efficient. there were no black panthers blocking the door and there were no zombies attempting to vote. the only sad part is that since we're in such a red state, my vote didn't count on the presidential level.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

I knew he probably wouldn't take TN, but I had no idea the margin would be THAT huge.

I'm sorry you didn't get to see any zombies or black panthers. I didn't either, if it makes you feel any better. I actually voted at the fairgrounds, and I didn't even get to see any cows!

[samuraigrrrl.livejournal.com]

tn dissapointed me, but i'm proud of our neighbors in va, fla and maybe even nc!
dang, no cows!
also meant to analyze your dream. gypsy dream book says to dream about being in your cottage means you'll live a long, sedate life. since it's on it's side, maybe you'll live a long and INTERESTING life! :)

[headbanger118.livejournal.com]

I voted early with Bill a few weekends ago. The line wasn't bad at all, and the machine were all working fine. I felt like I was taking the ACT again, as the girl helping told me not to make any stray marks outside the box.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

I had no idea that Sullivan Co still used paper ballots! I got to use the pinball machine looking thingie over at the fairgrounds. ;-)

[heidimo.livejournal.com]

my county is mail-in only. i mailed.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

I don't think I've ever heard of a place that wass mail-in only! So does everyone get mailed a ballot, or do you have to seek them out yourself?

[heidimo.livejournal.com]

they mail them to everyone.

[madbax.livejournal.com]

I voted this morning and there was no line. I was the only one there.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Wow, seriously? I mean, I know you live in a small town, but still, you'd think there'd have been someone else there.

[annietopia.livejournal.com]

I went around 9:30am or so after taking Gavin to school. It was not too bad. More people than usual, but I only waited 20 minutes or so. Crazy people all around me which is always entertaining. *grin*

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

I waited in line about the same length of time, but there weren't any crazies, darn it! :-P