6:55 am - 9:05 am.... my voting experience

[Motown_Johnny]

Holy Crap


I voted in the primaries this year, at the same location. I got there just after 7:00 and was the third one to vote in my precinct. I can only assume that the two who voted ahead of me were working the polls since nobody else was there.


Today I showed up before the polls opened and had At least 1500 and possibly 2000 people ahead of me.


I have been voting in the same location for the last 12 years, and had voted there back in the 80s also. Never saw anything that even slightly resembled this turnout.


The two things worth noting other than the turnout were:

1) One woman's water broke while in line, so she was escorted to the front of the line to polite applause and quiet cheers from the rest of us in line.

2) Many people did not know what precinct they were in, so when the line marshals tried to move people from the main line forward to a short precinct line it was a cluster fuck. No maps to help. Even the people working there were not certain where the boundaries were (and one guy was listed as a different precinct than his voter registration card listed).


Other than that it was pretty straight forward. Some people impatient but nothing out of hand. Just some mild rudeness.


FYI I am on Detroit's east side. We are all (or almost all) Democrats.



Edit to add... when I left the line was just as long if not longer, still a couple thousand people there waiting to vote

[Drunken Irishman]

1. Great to hear it went smoothly. How many were there four years ago?

[Motown_Johnny]

2. I voted in the afternoon that cycle.. I would guess a couple hundred ahead of me in line at peak

hours back then


NOTHING like today

[Drunken Irishman]

4. MUSIC TO MY FUCKING EARS!

CRUSH THEM!!!!!!

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. That lady whose water broke could teach Sarah Palina thing or two

[Ozma]

15. What a great way to get to the head of the line! n/t

[MrScorpio]

5. Where on the East side are you?

I used to live near Chalmers and Outer Drive

[Motown_Johnny]

8. If you have ever taken your kids sledding at Balduck Park, you were within 200 yards of my house

I vote at Finney

[MrScorpio]

11. I went to Denby

Class of '79

There are a few Denby Tars out here around 23 Mile Road and Gratiot where I am now

[Motown_Johnny]

13. I went to denby for driver's ed.. you are a couple years ahead of me

[MrScorpio]

14. We grew up, not too far away from each other

Small world!

[Motown_Johnny]

17. small east side.. I had friends who got kicked our of Finney and went to Denby, but again a few

years younger than you

I didn't get out of grade school till '78 and the people I am thinking of are a year or two younger than I.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Question: do you know how many people vote at that polling station?

It sounds like it's a lot, since you talk about more than one precinct being involved (as far as I know, in the UK we never have separate wards (the smallest division - for your local councillor, perhaps 5,000 eligible voters) voting at the same place.

[Motown_Johnny]

10. dunno, 5 precincts Ummm... 20, 23, 70, 72 and 74..I think. 4th district

[muriel_volestrangler]

18. Thanks - looking at a 2004 return, it seems a Detroit precinct was 800-900 voters on average

(those registered, not voting - voting was more like 450 per precinct, in 2004) so I guess that means a sizeable proportion of everyone had turned up early.

[bigscott]

7. thanks for the update

MJ: what an exciting morning for you!

[paparush]

9. What a great day to be born! n/t

[Motown_Johnny]

12. I know.. I just hope labor for her does not last 18 hours....

[Meshuga]

16. Awesome turnout in my princinct

I have never seen so many people show up to this polling place this early. The line was long but well worth the wait with all the excited people ready to vote.

I'm in Montgomery County, Maryland, BTW, which is as blue as blue can get.