Do we have a place to post voting experiences today?

[troubleinwinter]

[rumpel]

1. this could be it

:)

[troubleinwinter]

2. OK

Background...I am in the high mountains of Arizona. A place that elder people have retired for years. Bunches of old folks, and mainly rebublican. Fine. We have hand marked paper ballots read by Diebold opscan.

There is ONE (ONNNNE!) item on the ballot. Just the presidential item. No nuthin else. ONE ballot item, hand marked paper, Diebold opscan.

As we stood in line for an HOUR, I had conversations with folks about voting: paper, disenfranchisement, etc. People 'get' that the hour wait is disenfranchisement. These are largely older, middle-class retired republican white people, and likely not experienced with minorities. I did some agitating, suggesting that we MUST get pissed off and challenge our county ROV. EVERYBODY was for it. For the first time, they knew how hard it was to stand in line.

WTF? ONE ballot item, hand-marked paper?

I'll continue next post....

[troubleinwinter]

3. So after standing in line for an hour to hand mark ONE item on paper,

I whip out my ID. I want to know if a complicated, but appropriate ID will pass. I live in the state with the worst voter ID laws.

I kept my driver's license in my purse. I produced my passport, my property tax bill and my mailed voter materials.

The woman inspecting these documents told me that it was insufficient, and could not be accepted. I told her SHE WAS INCORRECT. She told me it wasn't acceptable. I TOLD HER SHE WAS WRONG. She had to search for and call over the bossmam', who judged that I was correct.

I moved over one table, signed in. Then stood in another line to get a ballot. I waited and waited for this one person to manage to hand out a ballot to a person in front of me. It took him minutes to hand over a paper ballot, when nothing was to be checked. I said to the bossmam, "Is there only one person to hand out ballots?" She said yes.

I turned around and looked at the polling booths. It looked like a Cristo installation (for those who get that). An hour long line of people outside, and EVERY FUCKING VOTING BOOTH WAS EMPTY.

So, I voted (Edwards, by the way). Took me about 5 seconds. Handed my ballot to the nice little lady who told me that it had been this way, with hour+ long lines and empty booths since 6:00 a.m.

More next>>

[troubleinwinter]

4. After I voted, I walked outside along the long, long line

of voters waiting and gave a little "Hey, hang in there!" to every few folk.

I was done & leaving.

Then a woman said to me, "Do they have any help for people needing assistance?" I saw that she was with an elder who likely was her father. He was using a walker. I looked around and realized how many elders we have on canes and walkers, or just couldn't stand that long.

I said, "I don't know, but I WILL find out." I went back into the vote room and spoke to 'bossmam'. I said, "There are many people in line who have physical challenges and must have assistance. What accomodations are being provided?" She didn't like the question, but I pressed strongly and we agreed to provide the next room with an OPEN door for them. I asked her promise that they would be immediately assisted in voting, not ignored, and she agreed.

I went down the long line many times and brought people into the room where they could sit comfortably, and by golly, I saw they WERE having their votes taken and given attention and care. So I left, went home. I felt uneasy and went back, to see if some people again should be told that there is a way for them to vote witout trying to stand in line an hour.

So I went back. I walked up the line. There wasn't a cane or walker to be found in line?! I went into the side-room and found 'bossmam' talking with voters who needed assistance.

I spoke to the other precinct opscan woman who said that nobody ever thought about it before I brought it up, but that they'd been walking down the line ever since.

It was a grand day for me. I voted, and I helped some others to vote, too.
I know, their votes probably cancelled mine out several times over (as they're mostly likely republicans), but I'm happy to have helped make sure they could vote.

As I left, I spoke to a good Dem-lookin' woman at the end of the line. I explained it all, and she promised to keep watch and help and pass it along.

[Melissa G]

8. Good for you troubleinwinter!

Glad you helped the folks vote and glad you voted Edwards!

[troubleinwinter]

5. What an amazing thing that we can have a DOZEN EMPTY BOOTHS

with a paper ballot, an hour-long wait.

WTF? When I went back there the second time, I walked past hundreds of people in hour-long line, and then watched the voting room for 20 minutes with one booth used every now & then. EMPTY voting booths.

[rumpel]

6. Here on the Wside of LA County CA

After many many years, they changed the polling place. We are about 65k people (total)It was always quite busy at the usual polling place, an elementary school.
When my daughter, her fiancee and I went to the new place, a church, hardly anyone was there. It was about 2pm. Quite dem leaning in general, represented also by the ratio of booths - heavily more than REP booths. Two tables, obviously they consolidated the polling places, I don't know why. There is no explanation by Registrar Logan to the County Supervisors in terms of public information of this decision.
But having worked at the old polling place before, relatively speaking - turnout was very slow. I wonder whether the change has had an impact.
I was surprised at how few people were there hearing about heavy turnout elsewhere in the media. Disappointing.
Voting was on the usual InkaVote system. No problems observed outside or inside.
There was a prominent sign about electioneering right at the parking lot, but as usual no posting of anything outside for the parties to observe the turnout...
This time my daughter was on the rolls, and she voted on a regular ballot.

[diva77]

7. my polling place was changed and I didn't receive notice of that change

I'm on the permanent absentee ballot list (which I want to be removed from but haven't gotten around to it) and in past elections have surrendered the ballot in exchange for a voting-day ballot. In past elections, I have always received info. regarding my polling place despite receiving the PAV. When I walked to my usual precinct polling place after dark, a woman was standing outside telling people that the location had been changed. I wonder how many people came by while she was on a break and as a result never got to vote...