I have voted
Oct. 25th, 2008 09:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nlbarberI went yesterday to the county voter registration office, which is the only location available during the vote-absentee-without-an-excuse period. Next week is the official advance voting period when they'll open several satellite centers. But the main office isn't that far away, the best day for me to do this stuff is Friday when I don't work, and the tales of long lines already make me wary of waiting until the last day of advance voting. And yesterday was rainy, which I thought might lessen the crowd.
I was actually in and out in perhaps 20 minutes, but I cheated. Unintentionally, I assure you! I filled out the application, took it to the poll worker who checked it and my ID, and then I pointed to the line stretching down the hallway from the door to the room with the voting machines and said "Is this the line?" The poll workers said "Oh, you don't need to stand in that line" and led me to the head of it, had me sit on a chair there for a few seconds, and then the door guardian waved me in. I did mumble apologetically to the guy at the head of the line as I walked by, but I was stunned enough by the treatment to not stop and protest that I didn't rate such special treatment. And I really can't figure out why I was offered it--I dye my gray hairs, the wrinkles aren't all that prominent (I'm 52), I don't use a cane or limp or anything.
As it was, once in the crowded room with the voting machines, I had two short lines to wait in. The first was to get my card, and the second was for an open machine. Once I had my machine things went fast, as I had a sample ballot with my choices marked for the few contested races. (I live in one of the few blue pockets in very red Georgia, so most races were decided in the Democratic primary.) I wish I had counted the machines--the last time I voted absentee the room was set up with well-spaced out machines along the 2 side walls. For this election there were 4 rows of machines packed in as tightly as possible.
I told my tale of privileged voting at Weight Watchers, and got back the tale of another WW member who went Thursday morning and found a 2-hour wait, so left and went back at 6 PM on the advice of the poll workers. However, it still took her over 2 hours to vote--she came tearing in the door at WW just as they were closing that evening at 8:30, almost too late to weigh in.
I was actually in and out in perhaps 20 minutes, but I cheated. Unintentionally, I assure you! I filled out the application, took it to the poll worker who checked it and my ID, and then I pointed to the line stretching down the hallway from the door to the room with the voting machines and said "Is this the line?" The poll workers said "Oh, you don't need to stand in that line" and led me to the head of it, had me sit on a chair there for a few seconds, and then the door guardian waved me in. I did mumble apologetically to the guy at the head of the line as I walked by, but I was stunned enough by the treatment to not stop and protest that I didn't rate such special treatment. And I really can't figure out why I was offered it--I dye my gray hairs, the wrinkles aren't all that prominent (I'm 52), I don't use a cane or limp or anything.
As it was, once in the crowded room with the voting machines, I had two short lines to wait in. The first was to get my card, and the second was for an open machine. Once I had my machine things went fast, as I had a sample ballot with my choices marked for the few contested races. (I live in one of the few blue pockets in very red Georgia, so most races were decided in the Democratic primary.) I wish I had counted the machines--the last time I voted absentee the room was set up with well-spaced out machines along the 2 side walls. For this election there were 4 rows of machines packed in as tightly as possible.
I told my tale of privileged voting at Weight Watchers, and got back the tale of another WW member who went Thursday morning and found a 2-hour wait, so left and went back at 6 PM on the advice of the poll workers. However, it still took her over 2 hours to vote--she came tearing in the door at WW just as they were closing that evening at 8:30, almost too late to weigh in.