Election Day, 2008
November 4, 2008, 8:19 am
Posted by David Gibson
Open thread: Feel free to post observations from your voting (or non-voting) experience–anecdotes and data, impressions and technical glitches, joys and hopes, griefs and anxieties…
Here at Moo U, I’m sending the students out to do the old-fashioned man-on-the-street interviews:
Are you registered to vote (if not, why not)?
Have you voted yet?
Who did you vote for?
What issue/stand most affected your decision?
There was a line at the polling place this morning at 7 am; first time I’ve ever seen it in my phat little suburb.
I brought my children with me so they could see. I let them press the red submit ballot key, which they found very exciting.
There was a pile of “I Voted for Gap Kids and Junk Food” stickers next to the usual “I Voted!” ones. No idea what that was supposed to be, but the patriot in me didn’t like it.
The results of Notre Dame’s mock election:
http://media.www.ndsmcobserver.com/media/storage/paper660/news/2008/11/04/News/Notre.Dame.Prepares.For.Historic.Results-3522872.shtml
We waited 1.5 hrs to vote here in Michigan this morning. Weather is great, and turnout seems to be big. The mysterious ballot-eating machines seemed hungry.
With agony, I voted for Obama. I don’t think I would have without reading this blog and CWL.
Wow, Unagidon, that makes me unreasonably angry. The Gap Kids stickers, I mean. Especially since NYC doesn’t have “I voted” stickers at all (at least, my polling places never do). I’ve been scowling at the Gap’s election-themed window displays for weeks now — something about their trivializing the democratic process to sell clothes makes me very cranky. But actually passing out stickers at the polls is another order of inappropriate.
I waited less than 5 minutes at my polling place, though some of the other districts had much longer lines. While I was waiting for my turn, the poll worker said he likes our district because “everyone shows up to vote.” I commented that the line didn’t seem that long, and he said, “No, but you should have seen it at 6:00!” (It was around 8:30 by the time I got there.) It seems like lots of New Yorkers showed up early, hoping to beat the crowd, and ended up being the crowd.
In suburban Long Island, an election district where Congressman Peter King and the Town of Hempstead Republican machine hold sway, we waited only five minutes. Few lawns or cars have political signs, and the few that exist are McCain/Palin. I could be wrong, but it seems that the “machine” has used for several decades a parallel listing of who has actually voted. Having signed in on the official Board of Elections form, we are asked to sign an adjacent list in numerical order (at 9 a.m., number 130 or so of 800 in the election district), and list D or R party affiliation or leave the affiliation blank. When I questioned the reason for that list some years ago, I was told that the page and its carbon are held for party poll watchers. As the day progresses, one party uses the list to remove from its index card file the names of those who have already voted. The cards of those who haven’t voted then lead to phoned reminders to vote. I was told that the R party used the lists, and that the D party never showed up to track who voted.
My wife and I voted 10 minutes after the 6am opening of the polls here in Westchester County, NY. The line grew to about 8 people. The woman in front of us said she had been voting at 6am for many years and never seen a line.
I’m going to vote at lunchtime. Based on the reports of long lines here, think I’ll eat, then vote …
“Veni, Vidi, Voti.”
Okay, so I speak “ig-pay atin-Lay.” The whole experience took just under an hour, and I had to vote by afficavit ballot, as for some reason my name didn’t appear on the rolls. Hmmm…Fraud? Purge? Stupidity? I actually had my proof of registration, but this is Brooklyn, so who knows.
In any case, the act of voting is really profound, akin to (forgive me–though I doubt some will) a civil sacrament, performed with your community in a rather old-fashioned way: School gym, ancient voting booths, and me, raising my right hand and swearing to my bona fides. All the while poll workers explaining briskly but patiently to people of an amazing range of ethnicities the ins and outs of the voting machine. Not just immigrants, either. The guy in front of me was something of a hipster dude, say mid-20s, and the cool veneer slipped a smidge when he had to explain that he’d never voted before and needed help. She explained.
That’s the warm, fuzzy upside. Not to start whining, but I am frustrated (angry, really) at how difficult it is for so many to vote–it takes hours and hours, and especially this election, judging from news reports. Commuting times are the worst, but otherwise people have to miss work. Many can’t. I’m fortunate with a fairly flexible schedule (it’ll be a late night!) Polling places aren’t up to snuff, nor, frankly, are enough poll workers. We talk about exporting democracy, but we don’t manufacture a very desirable product here. It’s grand to talk of civic duty, and the sacrficie of standing hours in line, but many can’t, and they are often the marginalized in society.
Someone tell me again what’s wrong with Saturday or Sunday voting, or both? Here’s a recent Times op-ed on the history of Tuesday voting:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/opinion/24ornstein.html
I suspect if Obama is elected, he’d be loathe to do something as “un-American” as changing the voting day, not to mention broaching the direct election of a President.
But I do think these voting delays are an unacceptable form of disenfranchisement. MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow has a powerful comment, calling this a new poll tax:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hX4TC4rP2U
Right on.
HT: The Daily Dish: http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/11/she-has-a-point.html
speaking of Rachel Maddow, I once checked out the pundits at Wikipedia and was surprised at theier level of education. Maddow is a Rhodes scholar with a Ph. D. In politics from Oxford. There might be hope for TV after all.
A guy in my community voted in the Bronx today. They’re using the old pull lever style voting booths, so he asked for assistance, having never seen one before.
The Republican election supervisor helped him out, and in the voting booth here’s what she said: “I’ll demonstrate using McCain. That’s who I voted for since he’s white.”
No joke. In the Bronx she said this.
We’re really hoping it’s just been a running joke all morning among the multiracial election volunteers, and in her fatigue her internal filter shut off for a moment.
Lots of happy voters here in my corner of the Bay Area. Only 1 person ahead of me in line at 11:30 am, but poll workers said it was busy earlier. (Too bad — I vote in a school library, and enjoy the books while waiting!) After this long and arduous campaign, it felt quite wonderful to fill in my little oval. The very cheery poll workers were encouraging folks to head over to Starbucks and/or Ben & Jerry’s to celebrate.
My dentist was bubbling over with joy this morning at the thought of President Obama. Good thing I agreed with her, because it’s very hard to argue during a teeth cleaning.
I hit the polls in my small town in New Hampshire at 1:00 with two of my four daughters. My only wait was at the check in table as the 19 yr old and I are on the same list. We allowed the eight year old fill in the bubbles and put both of our ballots in the optical scanner. We were all thrilled with the experience. I wanted the little one to have a strong memory of this day, so that when she is an old woman, she will be able to tell people she voted for Barak Obama
Election day in our town always feels like a festival day. Numerous service groups line the middle school cafeteria and a good time is had by all, or at least most.
Thank you to all of you who post frequently on this blog. You have given me a window into Catholic intellectual insight that I crave, but have no other access to!
I voted about 1:15. Short line for the electronic booths, no line for the paper ballots, so I went low-tech. In Cook Country, used to be, you used a stylus to punch holes. Post-2000, now we use black sharpies to draw a black line between two ends of an arrow (if that makes sense). Lines were long in the morning but now it seems to be petering out.
David G., I agree with your “civic sacrament” (more or less :-)). It is a simple but profound act of civic engagement. I don’t claim it’s the only thing in the history of humanity that has worked, but believe that we’re blessed.
“There was a pile of “I Voted for Gap Kids and Junk Food” stickers next to the usual “I Voted!” ones. No idea what that was supposed to be, but the patriot in me didn’t like it.”
Yeah, that’s weird. I confess I’ve been oblivious to the Gap campaign that Mollie mentioned, but – junk food? What’s that about?
The Gap campaign (in their window displays) has been election-themed but not partisan, or even relevant — the windows are covered with “lighthearted” slogans like “Vote Peace” and “Vote Freedom.” (On their website, it says: “Vote for what makes you you.” Barf.) And Gap Kids stores have signs that say “Vote Junk Food,” since, you know, kids love junk food. It’s totally inane. I guess the stickers in the polling place were meant for children accompanying their parents? Ick.
Jason–Is that true?! Well, you wouldn’t fib. But that’s a keeper.
I went to the polls here in Mount Vernon, NY, during the low time in the middle of the day, and didn’t have to wait too long. But the poll watcher told me turnout was high, and there were lines at 5:30 a.m. The mood was serious, but there was hopefulness and good cheer just under the surface.
I must say, I love those old voting machines. They are as substantial as a Remington typewriter, and just about as ancient. And closing the curtain by pulling on the handle that resets the machine! There’s nothing quite like it. The curtained booth reminds me of the old confessionals. Yes, I voted my conscience. I voted for Obama!
Having voted early, things seemed to be kind of reasonable over at our polling place (local fire station.)
Interesting that in New Mexico, over 200,000 early voters in a State with less than 2 Milion population.
I really think early voting is a good idea given the problems we would have faced without it.
It appears the emay be some problems still in Las Cruces, where the City honcho says they run a tight ship with a small staff and folks who filed for absentee ballots the first week in October, got then in the mail last Saturday.
But, in general, things seem OK here.
After spending most of my life in the NYC area, I am now living near Albany NY. First time voting here and I encountered no lines in my sleepy suburb.
I arrived at 6:11am and was voter #7 in my district, with no wait. As the day progressed and I drove by the polling places there were tons of cars.
Friends in other cities have reported long lines, especially 2 of them in NYC.
My son’s 4th grade Catholic school class “voted” this afternoon: 18 for Obama, 17 McCain.
It’s been interesting listening to what he and his 3rd grade sister pick up from friends at school. “Mommy, why does Lisa’s dad think that Obama wants to kill babies?” It has made for some fascinating discussions at home.
Still heard some people saying that Obama will bring socialism. That would not fit well with his big money backers. Amazing, how many follow the mindless Limbaugh, Hannity and other shouters.
Planning till the end, notice how Obama campaign makes sure there are ample white persons in the front rows and where visible.
At Grant Park in Chicago, that is, where a live feed can be picked up.