OT: Well, I guess I'll vote after work

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:45 am

I typically am up at 5:30am to get ready for work and out the door by 6:15. Today, I figured I'd leave a bit early and go vote at 6 this morning. To my surprise, I couldn't find a parking space. There was a line of about 15 people outside and another 30 or so waiting in line inside. I quickly said forget it. I did get to work on time, but I'm thinking I may leave a bit early because I imagine it won't be much better this afternoon.

Did I hear correctly that many people in Florida are having to wait in line for five hours?

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 10:38 am

Geeze, I had to wait in line 45 minutes, and I've never had to wait more than a few minutes before. What a turnout.

It's now 9:30 and there are still alot of people not at work yet, so I'm guessing I'm not the only one who got stuck in a long line.

Thank God we're still using punch cards, I can't imagine how long the wait would be with everybody trying to figure out a new computerized voting system. I'd believe some lines would be five hours long.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 10:43 am

That's precisely why I'm glad I went the absentee route this year. Turned my ballot in yesterday, no muss, no fuss.

I was saying to my wife this morning that Election Day should be a national holiday.

AcemanPR · Post by **AcemanPR** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 10:53 am

It's good to see a high voter turnout this early today. I passed at least a dozen polling centers on my way into work this morning, and all of them had long lines out the doors. I'll be taking either an early or late lunch and voting then.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 10:54 am

One of the many beauties of working at home: I'll vote mid-morning or mid-afternoon, after the pre-work and before the post-work crushes.

As I said yesterday on the phone to Jackdog, anyone who complains about our country and doesn't vote can shut the f*ck up. GET OUT AND VOTE, FELLAS!

Take care,
PK

AcemanPR · Post by **AcemanPR** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 10:56 am

pk500 wrote: As I said yesterday on the phone to Jackdog, anyone who complains about our country and doesn't vote can shut the f*ck up. GET OUT AND VOTE, FELLAS!

Take care,
PK

Exactly. Anyone who doesn't vote has no right to b*tch about anything that happens.

SoMisss2000 · Post by **SoMisss2000** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 10:59 am

I voted, did you? lol!

Yeah, i got to my precinct around 7:15 and I left probably around 8:30. There was a line outside the rec center. It's cold and raining here in Irving, TX.

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 11:01 am

I also have wondered why election day wasn't a holiday.

Bill_Abner · Post by **Bill_Abner** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 11:03 am

Got to the polls at 7AM. Got out at 9:25. I've never seen anything like it.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 11:05 am

Wow Bill, I thought it was bad here...

In at 7a, out at 8:20. Very large turnout of non-registered voters for same-day registration here in MN. That's going to mess up the polls!

Jackdog · Post by **Jackdog** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 11:26 am

Bill_Abner wrote:Got to the polls at 7AM. Got out at 9:25. I've never seen anything like it.

Damn Bill,I voted in Canal Winchester and had no wait at all. Where did you vote at? The weather is nasty.

Fshguy · Post by **Fshguy** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 11:55 am

Things were running fairly smooth with the voting here in Tampa, it took me about 45 minutes. I heard some of the people that got there right at 7 when the polls opened had to wait longer.

At least for me, I thought the computer voting was easier than the punch card, didn't see anybody having too much trouble.

Now for those people in Miami-Dade, let's cross our fingers...

Bill_Abner · Post by **Bill_Abner** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:10 pm

JackDog wrote:
Bill_Abner wrote:Got to the polls at 7AM. Got out at 9:25. I've never seen anything like it.
Damn Bill,I voted in Canal Winchester and had no wait at all. Where did you vote at? The weather is nasty.

Northland High School, north Columbus. It was crazy.

Parker · Post by **Parker** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:11 pm

Ok, who beat me. I timed myself and spent exactly 4 min and 22 seconds in my polling place from the time I entered to the time I exited the door. I would have beaten my previous presendential record but I always seem to get a dingbat old woman who has to check off my name.

Parker · Post by **Parker** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:14 pm

By the way, does anyone know of a list of what times the polls close in each state? I saw one on CNN yesterday, you think it wouldn't hard to find. I know 7 PM EST is the earliest.

reeche · Post by **reeche** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:18 pm

Parker wrote:By the way, does anyone know of a list of what times the polls close in each state? I saw one on CNN yesterday, you think it wouldn't hard to find. I know 7 PM EST is the earliest.

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/ ... close.html

Jackdog · Post by **Jackdog** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:21 pm

Bill_Abner wrote:
JackDog wrote:
Bill_Abner wrote:Got to the polls at 7AM. Got out at 9:25. I've never seen anything like it.
Damn Bill,I voted in Canal Winchester and had no wait at all. Where did you vote at? The weather is nasty.
Northland High School, north Columbus. It was crazy.

I have a friend that voted there today,took almost 2.5 hours. Gotta give the people of Columbus a big thumbs-up!! Weather sucks and the turn out is awsome.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:45 pm

all these unusually long lines and high turnout tell me one thing.....America is ready for a change.

fatheadX · Post by **fatheadX** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:00 pm

Took me 45 minutes, but there were two precincts voting at my location and mine had the much shorter line. People in the other line were saying about 1.5 hours.

Our system of voting took a step back this year. For the past 20+ years, we've had a punch card system that seemed to work fine (it was actually kind of fun to vote!). This year, we had large paper ballots (approx. 11"x17") and we used a ball point pen to fill in rectangles. It was pretty foolish. They gave us our ballots but then we had to wait in a 30 minute line to get to the little portable booths with the pens. I am assuming the excuse was the new federal law, but it sure seemed archaic. Once you were done voting, they gave you a security envelope so no one could see your votes, but then you had to remove the ballot from the envelope to slide it into the ballot box. Of course, the ballot box was right next to the people in line and everyone could see your votes as you put it into the ballot box. Based on my count of the votes I could see (of course I looked, duh!), George Bush will win Colorado by a landslide!

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:02 pm

JackB1 wrote:all these unusually long lines and high turnout tell me one thing.....America is ready for a change.

Ah, Jack, that's too partisan a statement. I think the long lines and turnout show that this is a watershed election, as America is at a crossroads.

But I still think it's pathetic that a 55-60 percent turnout is considered fantastic. As Jackdog can tell you from his years of military service, he's witnessed elections in developing countries in which people walked 15 miles to the polls and there was 95 percent turnout.

A 60-percent turnout still is not a positive signal for democracy, if you ask me. It shows that there is 40 percent of the population that the entrenched two-party bullsh*t in America still isn't reaching. Apathy certainly is spread by laziness, but I think some of the 40 to 45 percent of non-voters today would go to the polls if they found parties that matched their personal and political beliefs.

Unfortunately, our system seems committed to the same two-party BS every election. Thank God for third parties, even if they get the shaft in the debates, ballot access, media coverage, etc.

Take care,
PK

Parker · Post by **Parker** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:09 pm

Even Republican pundits on tv today have admitted that a higher turnout is better for Kerry, as it usually is for the challenger of an incumbent.

But let's not jinx things until we know for sure.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:24 pm

Anyone seeing signs of all these young voters (18-29) who were registered actually turning out to vote?

Particularly in Battleground States? Particularly with long lines, bad weather and poll watchers challenging the validity of these new registrations?

I watch those MTV public announcements exhorting the young generation to register and vote. They might have registered because there were special events with celebrities. But whether they will actually follow through is another matter.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:27 pm

I went today at 1:15PM in suburban Harrisburg, PA and I was the only person there! I took my toddler with me and he tried to hit the button for straight constitution party ticket, but I was able to change the votes to 4 votes Republican 3 votes Democrat. Considering how liberal Arlen Specter is my vote was pretty much down the middle.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:28 pm

Parker wrote:Ok, who beat me. I timed myself and spent exactly 4 min and 22 seconds in my polling place from the time I entered to the time I exited the door. I would have beaten my previous presendential record but I always seem to get a dingbat old woman who has to check off my name.

Just got back from the polls. Beat you with ease. I didn't put an exact watch to it, but I'm guessing it took me in the vicinity of two minutes, 30 seconds considering only four minutes elapsed on my car's clock from the time I left my car to walk through the parking lot to the polls to the time I returned to the car.

No one in line, no ID needed since I live in such a small town. Simply gave them my name and address, signed in the box, stepped in and voted. The Syracuse paper ran a copy of the ballot in the Sunday paper, so I knew right where to pull my desired levers.

No muss, no fuss. But I'm a bit pissed I didn't take one of the gingerbread cookies the election workers had for voters on a paper plate next to the registered voters' ledger book. Those looked tasty.

Take care,
PK