Another Ballot Cast
E-Day 2004 has finally arrivedby j. brotherlove
I’m not one to wax political on this site but this has been an exceptional election year. The media made sure I was bitten by the voting bug stronger than ever. I was even moved to watch the debates. I don’t bother with presidential debates, normally - talk about boring. But this year, I watched nearly all three in their entirety (I sort of wimped out on the third one).
Frankly, I’m glad today is E-Day and can’t wait for all of the counting and analysis to be over. What an exhausting six months or so; and I’m not even running. I doubt if I’ll watch the returns, though; I rarely do. All of that “so-and-so is ahead with 23% percent of the votes counted” bullshit is ridiculous and counterproductive to those who have yet to cast their ballot.
I plan on taking a vacation from predictions, strategies, polls, conspiracies and other electoral craziness. Everything from the voting process to eligibility has been dissected, ad nausem. With an election seemingly closer than the 2000 Gore/Bush debacle, legal teams are in their gates, prepared to protest everything from elderly voters who don’t fully comprehend the process to the validity of “dead voters”. If that doesn’t underscore how important it is to vote (and that every vote counts), then I don’t know what does.
I’m blessed to have folks who taught and illustrated the importance of voting. So my plan this morning was to be at my polling place about 6:00. It actually turned out to be about 6:20. The line was already wrapped around the school parking lot. I stood in front of a 33-year-old teacher who was voting for the first time. EJ & Prime sauntered up about 30 minutes later and promptly ribbed me about sitting in my portable recliner (Prime has the pic to prove it). But hey, a good portion of my life is spent planning how to avoid standing in a line. It’s one of the reasons I don’t club as much; VIP or bust, baby.
Once the polling began, the line moved pretty smoothly. I saw room for improving the process (as I always do) and plan on sharing that with the Secretary of State. The biggest delay is the verification process. The actual voting only takes me two minutes with electronic voting.
The saddest thing about this election is that, once again, the country is so divided that whether Kerry wins (oh please, oh please, oh please, oh please) or Bush gets another term (goddess forbid), half the country will be disappointed. I just hope I’m not in the latter half.
I agree about there being lots of oppourtunity for improvement with the verification process. How about we start with the dyslexic signs?
Even the poll workers were commenting on how things could go much smoother at the verification side of things.
How did I forget that, Mike? But don’t be so hard on them. You gotta appreciate the irony of voting in a elementary school with signs that read “G-A”, “O-H”, and “Z-P. It took me a good minute to figure out what line I needed to stand in.
I saw room for improving the process (as I always do) and plan on sharing that with the Secretary of State.
Too funny! And that picture of you lounging, lawd.
I actually let out a chuckle in the computer lab, seeing your pic. I hate sitting here by myself and laughing- people think you’re crazy. At least the cutie across from me looked at me :). Now he knows I exist!!!! *does the Mary Poppins clapping heeels in the air sideways thing* But yeah - that pic is classic. Ive told you how sexy you are, right? *wink*
yeah, the picture of you lounging was a hoot. loves it.
I Love that picture.
the line you waited it was longer than the one I left at my polling place this morning. I decided to go back between 3PM and 6PM PST. It should be a little better.
Go Kerry!
you know here in nyc we don’t (at least i didn’t) have to go through all of that verification process. they asked my name, found it and said: okay vote.
quite easy.
I agree with you J., I was quite compelled this year to have my say and exercise my right. I did not vote in what was probably the most important election in U.S. history because I’d moved from NYC to the DC area and was not registered :-(
I know, it’s all my fault Bush is in office! But this time I voted FIVE times! Okay, no I didn’t, but I voted with zeal this time around (you shoulda seen my form! It was magnificent)!