Voting: November 4th, 2008
The Facts as I saw it.
Firstly, as a newly emboldened voter, hyped beyond all anticipation that change is legitimately possible [reflecting somberly for the past four years obvious reminders, you might believe change is possible, but ultimately...well, at least the past term is finally coming to a final close, sigh] I was too anxious to sleep Monday evening. I, probably like only a few of the real true newly found, along with some older Diehard political enthusiasts outside the political profession, had poll numbers, Monday night newscasts, last min fact checking on local politics, prior radio and television messages, online newsgroups, and personal hopes, and convictions on my mind.
For once, this season and the whirlwind campaigns have finally lived up to the old rhetoric that our grandparents and parents have told us for years about what politics were supposed to mean. This season finally demonstrated from the Grand Global Stages to the smallest stages that are our own kitchen tables, what it means to be so enveloped by all the facets that make politics so fascinating to those who live and breath the political life everyday. For almost everyone who was ambivalent or bored in Government class in high school or political science in college, this race between the GOP and Democrats, broke everything down to the simplest levels; Rally’s, TV, Radio, Myspace+Facebook, and of course, SNL. A show that has proved that it can almost nearly reinvent its relevance and dedicated following, almost as well as a new Madonna album.
This fact, the apparent connection with the Old school and New school MTV crowd, proved only to help bolster the greatest success of Early voting. Obviously, a trend that will hopefully in the future be embraced more and nurtured well.
The only caveat of this newfound enthusiasm and action to make sure that each able voting person has had the best possible chance for their vote to be counted.
The fear and loathing of Super Tuesday.
Now I am not talking of the anticipatory blight of the election officials and the presumptive 08 repeat of the 00 and 04 election vote controversies, but in fact, the actually anticipated arduous task of just getting thru Super Tuesday.
The traffic leading to and away from the voting precincts. Parking at or hopefully somewhere close to voting centers, when possible. Challenging yourself to ignore the oppositions party volunteers who are still trying to sway votes 100 feet away from the voting entrance.The prospects of being book ended by people you would prefer not to stand in between. The cries of young children and babies unfortunately accompanying their parents who are voting. Finally making way thru the line, selecting your votes, and praying the touch screen, hasn’t messed up your selections, let alone, allowed gremlins to digitally erase any of your efforts. Least wanted, the famous paper jam in the Scantron machine. The jam, that will end it all for at least a long enough time to make you wish, you had seriously given thought to an absentee ballot.
All of those, coupled with the demand of the average workday of a working man or woman, with or without 3.2 children is somewhat dreaded. Possibly just not worth the bother. [we can really only walk in our own shoes, and shouldn't fault anyone who just didn't quite feel they could make it today]
But for those of us who have made it.
This is exactly how my voting experience went.
Living just min’s away,
6:50am I drove to my precincts voting center at a local YMCA
7:06am I turned off morning radio and went inside and entered the line to vote.
7:13am Saw the first voting sticker proudly on the chest of a nurse voting before her morning shift.
7:15am Saw a married couple carrying their 4 yr old, The wife with a sticker, The husband putting his sticker on his sons hand.
Decided to take note of the number of people who voted before I got to vote, to see how long the wait will be on Super Tuesday.
7:16am Noticed how warm the halls and probably the voting room would be. Heard a Loud metallic Rumble. Thought the Air Conditioning might have been turned on.
7:22am Passed the point in the line where I could see the Door into the voting room. Heard another rumble.
7:28am Heard the rumble for the third rumble. Saw the rumble came from the Scantron Machine, and two women rocking it back and forth, side to side. Presumably, something was wrong?
7:30am Entered the voting room, watched the Scantron knocked back and forth twice more. Interesting, only one Scantron in room.
7:31am Noticed: One Scantron, One Diebold Touchscreen, 7 Freestanding private stations, 1 low tabletop voting station for the disabled.
Seven (7) overheard Fans, Turned Off.
7:34am A very polite 20 something woman voter told everyone on her way out,”thank you for letting me cut in line, I didn’t vote! I promise, I just needed to find my precincts voting place. I’m so sorry, thank you.”
7:35am Presented my drivers licence, verified my address, digitally signed my name, and received the printed slip so I could stand in another line. Heard another loud metallic rumble behind my back. A man who register for this election found he was not in the system for this precinct and didn’t know where to go now because the elections office told him to come to this location
7:36am Noticed that only one person out of 49 had finally braved the Diebold Touchscreen voting machine. A confusion erupted, the woman had a paper ballot in her hand. Luckily she did not mark it, situation under control, she was allowed to vote touch screen.
7:38am Handed over the slip of paper with my printed signature, in exchange for my two Scantron ballot sheets.
An older Island Black man became upset and raised his voice in protest when he was told he could not vote at this location, His precinct had apparently changed and was given directions to new location in downtown Kissimmee. He left angry and sure he was in the right place.
7:39am Laughed with the business man in front of me when he remarked,”wish I brought me pen, I could have finished this already.”
A young Hispanic man very concerned, explained to the voting workers, “there is a problem, this says I was born in 1976, but I was Born in 1980!” Another loud metallic rumble was heard in the room.
7:40am The business man in front of yelled at the guy leaving a booth,”Leave the damn Pen!”
I walked to the next open booth.
7:42am Finished checking my selections on the ballot pages, and walked my ballot over to the scantron machine to enter my votes.
My two ballot sheets received into the Scantron with no Rumbles.
7:06am I turned off morning radio and went inside and entered the line to vote.
7:13am Saw the first voting sticker proudly on the chest of a nurse voting before her morning shift.
7:15am Saw a married couple carrying their 4 yr old, The wife with a sticker, The husband putting his sticker on his sons hand.
Decided to take note of the number of people who voted before I got to vote, to see how long the wait will be on Super Tuesday.
7:16am Noticed how warm the halls and probably the voting room would be. Heard a Loud metallic Rumble. Thought the Air Conditioning might have been turned on.
7:22am Passed the point in the line where I could see the Door into the voting room. Heard another rumble.
7:28am Heard the rumble for the third rumble. Saw the rumble came from the Scantron Machine, and two women rocking it back and forth, side to side. Presumably, something was wrong?
7:30am Entered the voting room, watched the Scantron knocked back and forth twice more. Interesting, only one Scantron in room.
7:31am Noticed: One Scantron, One Diebold Touchscreen, 7 Freestanding private stations, 1 low tabletop voting station for the disabled.
Seven (7) overheard Fans, Turned Off.
7:34am A very polite 20 something woman voter told everyone on her way out,”thank you for letting me cut in line, I didn’t vote! I promise, I just needed to find my precincts voting place. I’m so sorry, thank you.”
7:35am Presented my drivers licence, verified my address, digitally signed my name, and received the printed slip so I could stand in another line. Heard another loud metallic rumble behind my back. A man who register for this election found he was not in the system for this precinct and didn’t know where to go now because the elections office told him to come to this location
7:36am Noticed that only one person out of 49 had finally braved the Diebold Touchscreen voting machine. A confusion erupted, the woman had a paper ballot in her hand. Luckily she did not mark it, situation under control, she was allowed to vote touch screen.
7:38am Handed over the slip of paper with my printed signature, in exchange for my two Scantron ballot sheets.
An older Island Black man became upset and raised his voice in protest when he was told he could not vote at this location, His precinct had apparently changed and was given directions to new location in downtown Kissimmee. He left angry and sure he was in the right place.
7:39am Laughed with the business man in front of me when he remarked,”wish I brought me pen, I could have finished this already.”
A young Hispanic man very concerned, explained to the voting workers, “there is a problem, this says I was born in 1976, but I was Born in 1980!” Another loud metallic rumble was heard in the room.
7:40am The business man in front of yelled at the guy leaving a booth,”Leave the damn Pen!”
I walked to the next open booth.
7:42am Finished checking my selections on the ballot pages, and walked my ballot over to the scantron machine to enter my votes.
My two ballot sheets received into the Scantron with no Rumbles.
7:43am Received a sticker with the words ” My vote counted! “
[ apparently in Fl, the feel good message needs to be more reassuring than, " I VOTED " ]
[ apparently in Fl, the feel good message needs to be more reassuring than, " I VOTED " ]
Thirty seven min’s.
My experience.
My experience.
I watched how a voting line slowly shifted along,
one by one, until 49 other voters stood in the humidity of a warm YMCA in Florida
with little or no Air conditioning!
Gym members behind glass walls in cool aired exercise rooms watching us stand in line.
Children wanting to be asleep, an infant crying off in the distance.
The murmurings of voters extolling the benefit of getting this done early before the lines get Long?
A few people unsure if they can vote because the system doesn’t have them registered.
A man who may or may not have gotten notice of his precinct change?
one by one, until 49 other voters stood in the humidity of a warm YMCA in Florida
with little or no Air conditioning!
Gym members behind glass walls in cool aired exercise rooms watching us stand in line.
Children wanting to be asleep, an infant crying off in the distance.
The murmurings of voters extolling the benefit of getting this done early before the lines get Long?
A few people unsure if they can vote because the system doesn’t have them registered.
A man who may or may not have gotten notice of his precinct change?
I’m not an alarmist by any means.
But with no decent air moving,
voters who will be pressed for time,
pressed to pick kids up from school or childcare,
limited to only the time to vote in a lunch hour.
But with no decent air moving,
voters who will be pressed for time,
pressed to pick kids up from school or childcare,
limited to only the time to vote in a lunch hour.
A touchy Scantron that has to be wrangled by a few lady’s every few ballots.
A near paranoid fear of having votes untraceable if the Diebold fails… and god forbid, the Scantron doesn’t work, and it will be a while before officials can deliver another to swap out.
With no off duty plain clothes or on duty cops available to lend a calming effect.
What will this Super Tuesday be like?
Will it be like 2000, or 04, will the votes be counted, or will there be another write off like Katherine Harris accomplished??? who will keep an eye out….
Will it be like 2000, or 04, will the votes be counted, or will there be another write off like Katherine Harris accomplished??? who will keep an eye out….
In thirty seven min’s… i walked out of the voting room to find no one in the hallway in line waiting to vote….
just walked passed the gym people working out listening to their ipods and watching ceiling mounted TVs.
as I sat for a few min’s watching the parking lot, two more people came to park as 5 more were leaving.
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Nice…
I hate Loud Metallic Rumbles….
Mark!