Author Topic: Voting Stories  (Read 4053 times)

TheDrake

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Voting Stories
« on: November 08, 2016, 08:11:22 AM »
Here's a little thread for people to share their voting experience, whether you're doing it today or voted early. I just finished all my crash research into railroad commissioner, school boards, and judges where your vote can really have an impact.

I was astonished to find someone running for Texas Supreme Court who had no bench experience. What?

So now I have my cheat sheet and heading to the polls. I think I'll use my passport for ID. I will be voting for a mix of Republican, Democrat, and Libertarian. Maybe I'll click straight ticket first and see if my vote "flips".

I'm going to keep an eye out for intimidation, electioneering, and extra scrutiny for people of color at checkin, but I don't expect to have an opportunity to see anything since I'm in a predominantly white suburb.

I'd like to ask for several "I voted stickers" I think it would be funny to wear more than one.

D.W.

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Re: Voting Stories
« Reply #1 on: November 08, 2016, 10:01:05 AM »
Parking was crowded but available.  No rain.  Not too cold.  Got inside fairly quickly.

Then the line didn't move for quite awhile.  Finally get out of lobby and into the gym (polling location was an in session school)   ::)  Line up for check in.  Cut through another line.  Get redirected to the "correct" line...  This one serpentines around, gets rearranged once so it forms a large "L" shape instead.  Eventually get up to receive the ballot, at the table directly adjacent to the check-in table, while making room for those people to cut through our line and cross the gym.

Fill out ballot.  Cut through line waiting to receive their ballots.  Last worker tears off top piece of ballot and I go feed ballot into reader.  Grab my sticker and go.  Back to my car and out of there. 

NOTE:  Drink coffee, THEN setup your stations poll workers.  :P

Not only was there nothing odd going on or anyone standing around that shouldn't be, but there weren't even the typical exit pollsters or petitioners asking for signatures.  Nada in my very mixed demographically (though probably less mixed partisan-ly...)

As much as I think having voting in an active school is beyond ridiculous from a school security stand point, I suppose it may have a cooling effect in people acting like jackasses when it comes to lurking around a polling location.  Not that I've EVER witnessed that, but who knows.

In short.  Nothing to report of interest in Ypsilanti (Ann Arbor area) Michigan.  :)
Well, we were complaining about there not being enough stations for voters.  Beats complaining about a piss poor turnout I suppose. 

Total time from arrival to departure:  1h 25m during initial morning rush but after polls had opened.
« Last Edit: November 08, 2016, 10:08:11 AM by D.W. »

msquared

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Re: Voting Stories
« Reply #2 on: November 08, 2016, 10:09:38 AM »
Wife says she waited 45  minutes, but that the line kept moving.    I am voting tonight after work.

TheDrake

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Re: Voting Stories
« Reply #3 on: November 08, 2016, 10:24:27 AM »
Polls opened at 7, arrived 7:30. Senior housing complex. Four people in line. Somebody said that the line was about 50 or so at the opening. Easy parking. Nobody lurking. There were lots of candidate signs jammed into the driveway leading up to the building, none within the prohibited zone. I wonder if that's effective? Done very quickly. It did make me think about the placement -- It is not uncommon to have polling places in senior housing. Bias toward the elderly and infirm? :)

Got surprised by some races on the ballot that I didn't realize would be there (criminal appellate court). Left them blank, because voting on party isn't good enough for me.

Voting was by touchscreen. Well-calibrated, no problems. Poll worker walked me through step by step before I entered my ballot, that was different than my electronic voting in Utah where they just let the machine prompt you. No paper receipt.

Now I just have to stop off for food, water, guns and ammunition on the way home.


TheDeamon

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Re: Voting Stories
« Reply #4 on: November 08, 2016, 10:42:51 AM »
Went in for early voting on Friday, which was the last day for my state. Located at the annex building next to the county courthouse. Used to be the county jail about 25 years ago. :) Location was roughly in the "middle of town" (population: roughly 80,000 people) for me, but I live next to the country seat, so it didn't take long to reach.

But as far as county seat locations go, it could take some residents an hour or longer to get there, but those are mostly farmers and ranchers who are more likely to vote Republican. The county seat itself is more likely to support Democrats, being more urban in nature, and a university town to boot. Of course there being an overwhelming majority of Mormons in town and in the county in general tends to offset that.

Probably about 2 dozen voting booths setup, 6 stations were checking in voters and a 7th opened as I started getting processed. There were only 3 people in line waiting to be processed when I entered, 8 when I left. My mother, who voted earlier in the day(around 10:30AM), had a couple dozen people in line ahead of her, and the line went out the door. Was back out the door probably with 15 minutes of entering it.

Wayward Son

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Re: Voting Stories
« Reply #5 on: November 08, 2016, 11:15:25 AM »
Sat down with my family last Sunday and hashed out the local races and the 17 ( ::) ) propositions,* then filled out our mail-in ballots.  My wife brought them in to the local library branch last Tuesday.  Simple as pie.  I have heard that about 40% of all registered voters in the county have already voted by mail ballots, which could mean that over half the ballots have already been cast.

Haven't seen much political activity around San Diego.  Haven't seen any Hillary or Trump signs on people's lawns.  The only one I recall was a home-made Trump sign attached to a city water box.  About four people were standing at the freeway entrance this morning at 6:30, holding signs, but they were all for local candidates.  Haven't seen anyone holding signs for the Presidential candidates.  Either people are too afraid to campaign for their Presidential candidate, or they are just unenthusiastic about him or her.

(*At least it is better than in 1914, when there were 48 propositions on the ballot.  :o )

AI Wessex

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Re: Voting Stories
« Reply #6 on: November 08, 2016, 12:05:21 PM »
My wife and I voted absentee last week at City Hall.  Short wait, helpful staff, brought my 2 1/2 year old granddaughter and gave her a sticker.  It was no different than early voting, which I would like to see become even more popular.  Maybe one day election day will just be the aberration for people who couldn't get there earlier and when the results are announced.

LetterRip

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Re: Voting Stories
« Reply #7 on: November 08, 2016, 03:39:01 PM »
I did my mail in ballot a week ago or so.  It is ridiculous how many people and issues are voted on that there is no reasonable way for a voter to be informed about.

D.W.

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Re: Voting Stories
« Reply #8 on: November 08, 2016, 03:54:39 PM »
I got to give the parks and bike path lobby credit.  Getting attached to road funding is about the only way they'd get my vote.  :P

Seriati

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Re: Voting Stories
« Reply #9 on: November 08, 2016, 06:39:19 PM »
Took the kids just after the lunch, 2 desks of staff, about 10 booths, no line whatsoever.  10 polling places for a town of 60 thousand permanent residents and maybe 5 thousands students.  Consistently blue state - asked to present ID to get the ballot.  No idea what would have happened if I'd refused, but no protests of the "unfair" ID requirements in sight.

TheDrake

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Re: Voting Stories
« Reply #10 on: November 08, 2016, 08:04:16 PM »
My wife brought them in to the local library branch last Tuesday.  Simple as pie.  I have heard that about 40% of all registered voters in the county have already voted by mail ballots, which could mean that over half the ballots have already been cast.

Unless the librarian is working for the Russians! :P

cherrypoptart

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Re: Voting Stories
« Reply #11 on: November 09, 2016, 12:44:50 AM »
Not much of a story. Went to the local elementary school at about 3:30pm to vote. I had to wait behind a school bus for a couple of minutes for kids to unload and that wait was longer than the wait to vote because there was no line at all and I could walk right in. It took about a minute for them to check my information and they checked my I.D., and then another two minutes to vote. I brought my camera hoping I could record my vote and wanting to see if it switched from Trump to Hillary, but I asked if I could record it and the lady there said no that's not allowed so I didn't. It didn't matter though because the vote didn't switch anyway and everything went very smoothly so like I said, not much of a story, but that's the way it should be so it's all good.

Pete at Home

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Re: Voting Stories
« Reply #12 on: November 18, 2016, 05:14:19 PM »
I am the only white person left within a few blocks, AFAIK. The last white couple could not pay the rent and moved out into the woods. At least that's what they told me when I ran into them and gave them a blanket.

On election day, googling "where do I go to vote" showed a voting place in every part of my city where I tried it, OTHER than my complex.

Weird because I wouldn't think Google was for Trump.  But I suspect my neighborhood was the largest area in Columbia County GA that was not for Trump.