What's it like where you vote?

A couple weeks ago I received a postcard from my municipality stating the polling place had been changed. Okayfine--But it was "changed" to the exact same place as last time. :rolleyes:
 
Psi Baba said:
A couple weeks ago I received a postcard from my municipality stating the polling place had been changed. Okayfine--But it was "changed" to the exact same place as last time. :rolleyes:
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They put in new carpets. You didn't notice? Now you've hurt their feelings...
 
The picture that accompanies this story from the Des Moines Register shows people opening absentee ballots.

The man in the background is my father.

He voted early, and he and my mom are spending the day (about 14 hours, I think) opening absentee ballots. When I spoke to them, they said their job today was merely opening the ballots. The actual counting of the ballots starts later. For this service, they are paid $6.75 per hour (I think).

My parents decided to work this aspect of the polls because it would be less demanding in terms of time, and would involve less time on their feet. Had they been at the voting stations, they would have to spend at least 15 hours on the job.
 
I just got back from voting.

It was at a city-owned golf course, in a common room. We had paper ballots, front and back, with felt-tipped pens to fill in the answers. They were recorded by machine.

There was no line, which surprised me, because yesterday people were lined up around the block to get their absentee ballots. I'm guessing that there will be a lot more absentee ballots than usual this year, and so there could be a turnaround in a couple of weeks.
 
I think it really depends on the time of day, if you are going to get a line. Earlier morning and after 5pm, it's like a gym.
 
Originally posted by me
The man in the background is my father.

He voted early, and he and my mom are spending the day (about 14 hours, I think) opening absentee ballots.
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I just heard from my father. He finished his job quite a bit earlier than expected.

The fellow in the foreground of the picture received a lot of attention, said my dad, and had his image captured by television and newspaper reporters, including a reporter from the New York Times.
 
I only had to wait in line for 20 minutes, but this is the first time I have ever had to wait to vote. I drove past a few more polling places today and the lines were down the sidewalk (and it's raining here today).

Funny story: I vote at our local firestation. The line for my precinct wound past the fire chief's office. A little girl - maybe 3 years old - in line in front of me with her father looked into the office and asked him with awe "Is this where the President works?"
 
No lines this morning. It was at the school (not the church) so I can watch the voters still arriving from my back window. A steady stream but no so much to cause a parking problem. Saw almost everyone with an "I voted" sticker today.

The punchcard ballots were been replaced by the optic scanner ones, and everything went smoothly. The scanners check for invalid entries, and allow a paper verification if needed.
Does take longer to fill out but there was no waiting for a booth, which sometimes happens.

The problem of reading people's party off the voting lists was fixed too, I like that change. (There's no party ID I could read.)

Everyone's been well behaved and good natured.
 
well, it's still pencil and paper!

I got in and voted quite quickly, though there was a steady stream of voters.

On the way out I bought a batch of rice crispie treats for the class I was teaching today.

I sent my coworker home early so she could have time to vote before she had to attend night classes at the college. So I had 20 little kids all to myself for an extra hour! Yikes! What we do for democracy. This in Vermont where we know Kerry is going to win!

The kids were all excited about the election. They all were saying, "I voted for Kerry!" (they voted with their parents before coming to school). One child said, "Hmmm, I know who I am going to vote for!" (she was going after school with her mom).
"I'm voting for George!" I looked up, knowing her mom to be one of the moms (as in she has lesbian parents). "George Bush?" I asked in disbelief! "No, "she answered, "George Washington! "
 
I vote at a church about 4 blocks away from home. No lines, no waiting. Only about half of the voting booths were in use. It was much the same as every other time I've voted.

I went about 1400 hrs and it was raining.
 
Voted last week in my living room. My job is too unpredictable to ensure me getting to the polls. After reading some of these posts, next year I will bake myself an apple pie when I vote in my livingroom.

JPK
 
Well, I got in line at 4:10pm and voted at 6:20pm--and the line when I left was still snaked around the building.

Part of this was due to poor management of the registration tables (done by alphbet, some tables had long lines while others had next to nobody) but just glacing at the sheet and the checkoffs, it looked like about 70% would vote.

And this is in Alabama, which is going (as predicted) solidly for Bush, where there was little campaigning and almost no commericals, and they may have a record turnout in this part of the state.

Seems like everybody want to have their vote counted in this election.
 
Walked 3 blocks from my house to the place, went in, 1 guy in front of me, local news crew filming next to me...several booths, no waiting, out in about 3 minutes total, walked back home.

I was extremely unhappy though... no 'I voted' stickers..my GF said no one gave her one where she voted either, and looking at the news later, I didn't see anyone getting them....
 
I have a legal question. I read about the differences in the electoral procedure in various states and I wonder. Why the concept of uniformity in the electoral procedure doesn't exist in the States? In Europe is considered very important for the validity of the electoral procedure, is it because in USA you never cheat in elections?
 
Cleopatra said:
I have a legal question. I read about the differences in the electoral procedure in various states and I wonder. Why the concept of uniformity in the electoral procedure doesn't exist in the States? In Europe is considered very important for the validity of the electoral procedure, is it because in USA you never cheat in elections?
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Har, har, yeah, no one EVERY cheats on this side of the pond.

You'll probably get lots of opinion on that question, but mine is that it is because the constitution says that it is the states that set election procedures. And the states will never agree to an amendment of this provision, which would mean giving their power away.

On a related matter, this also results in the states establishing the districts that House members serve. Which leads to severe gerrymandering (is that a known term outside the USA?). Which leads to extremism in politics. Which is a leading cause of the increasingly dysfunctional state of the federa government. Happens at the state level, too.
 
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