Tomorrow: Opportunity for Payback Starts

[Vogon_Glory]

Early voting starts tomorrow and we progressives have a chance to start to pay the right wing and their creatures in the White House and in the Republican Party back for what they've done to us and done to the country. let's remind our friends to vote early to maximize the effect and poke Sinclair broadcasting in the eye.

Also, it may or may not be likely, but visualize enough angry Texas voters going to the polls this autumn to cause big headlines in Dallas, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio newspapers saying "Bush Loses Texas."

[Cerridwen]

1. I just so love that image...tho I'm not from TX...

but thanks for the image.


Good dreams tonight I'll have.

[oldtime dfl_er]

2. does "early voting" mean absentee?

I hate to be an idiot. But I can't help it.

[TexasBushwhacker]

3. Nope, in the big cities they have polling places open

a few places around town in the cities. It's pretty cool. If you have your mind made up already, you can avoid the lines on Nov. 2nd, but not have to worry about mailing in an absentee ballot. They started it a few years ago. The do not however, release any info about how the early votes are going until election day.

[aquart]

4. Who's guarding the votes?

And who, god help us, is counting them?

[The Traveler]

5. I can't do anything

strapped into this damn Poetry Appreciation Chair.

[derby378]

6. Don't let them pressure you into using touchscreens

Demand a paper trail. Otherwise, early voting won't be worth the trouble. You know as well as I do that your e-vote may be deleted.

We use optical scanner forms in our precinct, and hopefully always will. Poll watchers and election judges: you know what to do if either Diebold or ES&S decides to get cute.

[anarchy1999]

8. Dearest Derby and Gin, what are we to do? Vote early?

Where to go, demand a paper trail? Help. We're at a loss on this one. Easy to campaign, harder to vote.

[Vogon_Glory]

9. Vote Anyway

I realize that even Hart's e-Slate, the version of electronic voting used here in Texas, might not be hacker-proof. But we should vote anyway for our conscience's sake and to protest the corporatist regime installed in January 2001.

[shance]

7. I have not heard positive things about early voting, if someone has heard

otherwise, please post.

Ive been hearing second hand and have read a few articles regarding problems seemingly ocurring with both absentee and early voting. Does anyone know of any first hand experiences to back up the validity of such stories?

[Vogon_Glory]

10. I Just Voted Early

I just voted early here in Austin, Texas. I voted over at Northcross Mall, a covered mall that has been eclipsed by newer projects that is trying to redefine itself.

Voter turnout is heavier than I've seen for other elections--there were lines at least ten to twelve people long, and those were just to the voter clerk's tables. The machines were almost all in use. According to the clerk, though, this morning's turnout was comparatively light compared to Monday's, when early voting started.

Travis County uses E-Slate instead of touch screens. E Slate is made by Hart, not Diebold and resembles nothing so much as it does an adult version of a Fisher Price infant's busy box. You turn the wheels and press your buttons and make your selections. Assuming that the tallies aren't tampered with, the process is fairly fool-proof.

There are a lot of pumped voters. I am so angry at the GOP that if there were no Democratic candidates running for certain offices, I voted Libertarian and where there were neither Democrats or Libertarians, I left the spaces blank. But there were a lot of voters for the Runnin' Dubya Posse, too.

I heartily recommend that we progressives vote early. There are plenty of life's little curve balls that can hit us on Election Day so it's best to see to it that either our vote is counted or that we can count our protest in our own hearts and minds if the vote tallies have been corrupted.

[Justitia]

11. I did this too! If no Dems, voted Libertarian, otherwise blank

I will put knitting needles in my eyes before I will ever cast a ballot for another Republican.

In the past, I wanted to think of myself as open-minded enough to consider a Repub (in local races only) if he was good on positions.

The fact that I have forever changed my mind on that policy is a testament to how disgustingly non-Repubs have been treated and abused by the GOP.

Republicans out there - this is ALL YOUR FAULT, and you will reap what you sow for generations to come.

[liveoaktx]

12. Voted today, it felt GREAT!!!

AND they were easy to read PAPER BALLOTS.