My Voting Experience, What's Yours?
Off work today from my job so I was going to sleep in and then go vote before heading in to my bookstore. Been hearing about long lines, but that's never been a problem where I live; I wasn't too worried about it. But when Mercury Man was getting ready to go to work I decided to go with him. Boy am I glad I did! The line was very long. In all it took a little over an hour, we got there at 6:55 and I was done a little after 8. Mercury Man had to go, he's going to vote after work. The line pace was picking up as I was leaving so I suspect it was just the early morning rush hour work crowd; all the folks who have to be at work by 830, 9.
They closed all the schools in my town, but my sons are big boys so I left them home. I was going to bring them but was so glad I didn't because the place was packed!!
It gave me such a feeling of peace and joy seeing Obama's name, voting for him. There was also on the ballot lots of local issues, including an environmental issue that would protect the lands around the lake and such. It really does seem to me I can feel history in the making, I'm a part of it. I've been voting for the past 18 years since I turned 18, every election I vote, local, state, national...it's something I believe in and feel is a part of my responsibility as a citizen of this country. But this election is something else. The tide is turning, the scale is tipping away from evil now...and all because the American people are exercising their right to vote, our belief that the system can work.
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My voting experience was pretty uneventful. We voted about 2 weeks ago. I'm in class right now listening to people say that it's not right that Obama wants to take away money from the upper class to give it to lazy people who won't work.
I quickly explained how far from correct that statement is, but it doesn't matter. I know this sounds bad, but I sit among a group of people that come from old money rich families, and they really think that if you aren't wealthy it's because you aren't working hard enough...
I live in a state that gets screwed by the electoral college.
The only ray of light is that a lot of them are saying that they don't even need to vote because McCain will def carry this state. If only enough people would feel that way...
Since I was on bedrest in 2000 I didn't bother voting. Never again! So I registered as an absentee voter, sent in my ballot last week. I was extra careful to fill it out properly, but I still get nervous that it won't get counted for some reason. Paranoid, maybe. DH filled his out this morning and will drop it off at a polling place. Glad I'm an absentee now though, I'm not supposed to stand or walk for more than a couple minutes at a time right now due to an injury. Though it's kinda uneventful, filling out my ballot at home in the living room, I still got a thrill filling in that bubble _oh so carefully_ by Obama's name! 
I'm really optimistic.
I've never been so emotional about an election. I am all kinds of wound up. My heart leapt at the Obama bumper stickers at the polling place. We got in, signed up, voted in less than 10 minutes but stood around chatting for another 15. E was saying, "Come on, Obama, Come on!" (but he says it "Tum on" so cute)
On the way out a pick up truck came in with home-made anti-Obama graffiti all over it and that brought me down but only momentarily because...Obama is GOING TO WIN!
So we all vote by mail. I voted a week and a half ago, and I just want to know what the results are!!!! I feel bad for everyone that has to wait in line. It would be cool if everyone could vote by mail. It gives you a long time to look up the various candidates and issues on the internet too, if you want, or talk to people about them, etc.
"Fundamentally the markswoman aims at herself" DT Suzuki
"Fundamentally the markswoman aims at herself" DT Suzuki
I love the KA CHUNG sound of the voting machine as you pull the lever. It makes me feel like I've done something real.
I went in at about 9:15 with my 1.5 year old. We were serenaded on our 1 block walk by smiling faces leaving the polls and salsa music blaring from our neighbors bearing the sign "Latinos for Obama" Margot stopped to dance a bit and we did a little fist-pump. We were greeted with the longest line I have ever seen in the polling place (I, too, vote in every election and primary). I was voter #180, which blew my mind because I usually go in the afternoon and have been #75 or 105. Huge turnout.
My one downer was that I was sandwiched between 2 bitter Hillary supporters. One was a 68 year old man who told the news reporter that it would be the first time he voted Republican. The woman behind us, who I know loosely as the local crime watch lead in our neighborhood, who writes a crazy newsletter that always makes insanely un-PC statements about what gang members look like, mentioned what a painful decision it was for her to make as she was also a Hillary supporter, but she would stick with democrats. I just don't get it - I do not understand Hillary supporters that would go to McCain, aside from blatant racism.
That said, the rest of the crowd was clearly excited, school is out here as well, so there were a lot of kids with their parents. The kids all seemed really happy to be there, too. Except for mine, our 30 minute wait was a bit much for her, so I didn't even protest when one of the pollsters gave her a lollipop.
I did end up calling the local Obama office because 2 would-be voters did not have their names on the list. they didn't speak english and I could see some massive miscommunication. We live in a largely latino neighborhood and I'm nervous about possible voter supression.
This is the first time that I was truly proud to draw that line to a candidates name, being such a close race here I feel like my vote WILL make a difference.
I was lucky and stood with two other women that were both voting for Obama. One of them was telling us that it felt like when she voted for Kennedy and has not felt as emotional about voting since.
Gotta love Oregon.
he United States can always be counted on to do the right thing...after first exhausting all other options.
- Winston Churchill
The heart has its reasons whereof Reason knows nothing.
- Blaise Pascal
The heart has its reasons whereof Reason knows nothing.
- Blaise Pascal
But I had to turn in my ballot so I would get my sticker! If you mail them in you do not get one. And I want my sticker!!!
"Fundamentally the markswoman aims at herself" DT Suzuki
is tucked out of the way, and there were only like four people in line. DH and I went and voted, then came home. I think the whole escapade took us like 20 minutes. After I got my sticker and walked out the door, I was surprised to feel myself tearing up. I am usually pretty cynical about the political process, but I have to say, it was really exciting to cast my vote.
"Too weird to live. Too rare to die." - Hunter S. Thompson
Am I the only McCain supporter here at HM?
[just kidding }:) ]
I voted early, like 47% of my county. On the way out of the building, an old woman and I were walking side by side and each of us expressed how happy we were to vote, how we vote in all elections but this one is extra exciting, how good it was to see the brisk pace of voters on Halloween day. I don't know who she voted for, but from the joy and hope on her face, I'd bet it was for Obama.
at about 11:30 and there was no one ahead of me in line. It was crazy this morning and it will be crazy this afternoon. I was able to vote, do a post office run, and go grocery shopping with Ike in his radio flyer.
I just told my mom we are inviting ourselves over to watch their TV (we don't have TV). I am going to go make some Obama Pizza right now.
Got off the phone with my niece. Her neighbor was trying to talk her into voting for McCain. She is a shit stirrer and I love her for it. His sole argument was the partial birth route and he was trying to convince them by describing the procedure (which I am pretty sure he has no idea about). She blew him off and told him she called me to listen in because I had the opposite ideas from him.
Blood pressure was a little high after that. Minnesota USED to be very blue. It is definitely turning red as the repubs assimilate the religious and make them dumb and fanatic. Glad we moved over the river to WI.
Joe the plumber talking about partial birth abortion as a political key point. PUKE!
Just found this really interesting picture site that is making me kinda weepy...
http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0810/callie-bp.html
I wasn't for Obama in the beginning. I was too much for Hillary as a woman, to distrustful of Obama as a younger guy. Once he got beyond campaigning for nomination and got down to campaigning for president, my view really changed. He obviously has the intelligence, stamina and compassion it takes to be THE leader.
The opposition doesn't.
This stresses me out. I am afraid Obama won't win. I am really afraid McCain will. I want to believe we can make it, but I guess we will see tonight!
Happy voting mamas!
I just got home from voting. My polling place is 2 blocks from my house, so the walk was bearable. At least the way there, I had some more intense contractions on the return. Anyway, The line wasn't very long so I didn't ask to go first, but nobody offered which kind of surprised me. I'd been hearing that people let pregnant woman go first. Oh well. It took a total of 20 minutes.
The polling place was at a middle school and the kids were chanting vote for Obama! It was pretty cute. I feel very nervous, excited and want to be around other Obama supporters. I don't want to go anywhere alone however. I'm hoping to hear back from friends about joining me somewhere. If I don't go anywhere I'll be on here!
Happy voting! Let's hope for a happy ending.
http://verityrae.blogspot.com/
how exciting!!
noa and i voted this morning at about 10 am; we were in and out in like 3 minutes. while we were in the booth she kept poking her head under the other booths, looking up at people, and saying "hiii! i'm voting!" i thought people would get pissed, but thankfully they thought she was funny. when we left they gave her a sticker that says "i voted in NH!" and all day long when i ask her who we voted for she says "a sticker!"
so the *tiny* town of dixville notch in NH is always officially the first poll to close, and at about noon today the results were in: they had 17 votes for obama and 10 for mccain! WOO! the last time they picked a dem was in 1968 when they voted for hubert humphrey (vs. nixon). so now i don't know whether this is a good sign or not!
I woke up today with a brand new cold on top of my three week old cough, and felt flat and exhausted all morning. I walked to the polling place a couple hours ago thinking how ironic that after my post yesterday about how I expected to cry, I was feeling too dull and tired to register any emotion, but as I got closer I started to feel some prickles. Then in the booth when the curtain closed behind me, and I saw the name Obama on the ballot, the tears came. I have to confess that voting always makes me cry -- it's a weird quirk I have-- but this time it was really special. Then I voted. Ka-chung! One day I want to tell my grandchildren that I voted for the first black president of this country.
Then I came home and got online and am enjoying being a part of the mounting excitement and nervousness here. I love you mamas.
I went at ten, there was no line really, I waited for about five minutes. When I got to the Obama section it was pretty cool - I am so glad he is the nominee and I hope against hope that he wins, because as far as I am concerned, he is the president.
not me, but i am. the line was out the door at our polling station which is very unusual. i vote at every opportunity, too, and i've never seen it even crowded, let alone out the door. standing in line holding Morrigan's wee hand, i got all teary-eyed. i got teary-eyed filling out my ballot. i got teary-eyed listening to a youngish man on his cell phone outside as we were leaving haranging his friend to come vote. i've just flat cried several times already. we three walked home with our "I Voted" stickers on, and Morrigan told my ma on the phone that she was going to tell everyone at {pre}school that she voted for "BarackObama!" now, the waiting . . . and after that, the celebrating! {oh, please, please, please, please, please!!!}
"if i pass for other than what i am, do you feel safer?" ~ lani ka'ahumanu
dragon knows dragon
"if i pass for other than what i am, do you feel safer?" ~ lani ka'ahumanu
dragon knows dragon
Our polling place is a block away so T., the Wee Papa, and I walked over at about 10:30am. No line per se but lots of people there. I worry about our district, I feel like there's lots of disenfranchised folks and every other time we've been there to vote it's been empty. So it made me so happy to see all the people and one of the election volunteers said the line had been around the block when they opened. Here in MN you can register to vote the day of the election and lots of people were doing that. And there were lots of older folks, recent immigrants/refugees and families of three generations voting. We took T. wearing her cute, silly Tshirt and the Wee Papa and I traded her off while voting. Like blueorange said, it feels amazing voting this time, cos I know it's for T.'s future. Makes it that much more amazing for me.
Here's T. in her special election-day outfit:
Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough. -- Emily Dickinson
You want to do what you think is right and what matters to you, and if other people don't like it, as my father would have said, they can go fuck themselves. -- Amy Bloom
* Boss let us leave on paid time (didn't have to clock out) so I voted at 10. No line, but a steady flow of folks. Lots of folks doing day-of registration.
* The person in charge of my "H - L" section let ME find my name. Hm. Okay. Maybe I'll go back a couple of times and be DIFFERENT names this time...whatever. 
* Obsessively checked to make sure I filled in the right bubbles on my ballot. Had NO CLUE who a bunch of the uncontested judges were running on the back side.
* Left. I was absent from work for 20-25 minutes.
* I might end up watching my daycare provider's 3 kids after work so SHE can go vote, if her husband is working.
24/MN. Queer, veg, single, AP mama to DD1.
25/MN and WA. Queer, veg, single, AP mama to DD2.5.
My polling place is my dd's chol so I jst went after I piceked her up. Crazy busy before work as i'm sure it will be after work. Some friends were working there.
So now we see................
.
Its a tradition, now 8 years old--first time Asher was 5 days old. Kids had their buttons and Obama Tees, Fra sat on Daddy's shouldars and watched, Asher and Emmet leaned over my ballot sheet(they let us sit at table because tehre were so many of us) and kept asking--Are voting for Obama now?" "Not Yet," I 'd say. I did all the local stuff carefully then said--"Okay watch" I filled in the little bubble next to his name and said "Thats it! I voted for Obama!" They Cheered. When we went I, I got all choked up and teary. I keep think about the last 8 years, when I have had brought three wonderful children into the world, into this dark time time into America. I believe in my heart I am bringing these two little ones into a new, bright America.
Mummy's alright, Daddy's alright, they just seem a little weird...
Mummy's alright, Daddy's alright, they just seem a little weird...
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