voting

[abka]

I just came back from voting. This is the first time I've voted at the polls, before I only voted absentee. It was somewhat novel as well as very quick and painless, the lines were short (I did plan to go at 2pm for a reason) and everything was clearly marked. Only 2 surprises: I was expecting a voting booth. Instead the "booth" was just a stand up desk with partitions and then I got to wait in another line to feed my ballot to a big machine that told me it was no. 1110. Lame, but space saving. I also didn't realize I got a choice between a paper and electronic ballot. I picked paper, seemed more concrete and there was a line for the electronic machine.

Beautiful day, too bad I have to sit at home and work on my 30 page presentation due next week, the day after my currently-unwritten 10 page paper is due. Blech.

[added 2 minutes later]
I also found out from my mom that not only are my parents voting (my dad always does, my mom is more sporadic), but my grandparents voted absentee from the nursing home. This is particularly good since they're in Ohio and voted for Kerry. (At least they'll cancel out my aunt and uncle who are voting for Bush.)

Comments

[mrsjadephoenix.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I remember the first time I actually voted at the polls. I was kind of disappointed at how lame it was. Practical, but lame. But hey, whatever. In the grand scheme of things I'm happy to vote at a table with cardboard partitions, since it means I was born in a country where I can actually vote! And where voting actually (for the most part) means something!

[sanj.livejournal.com]

when you get all of these papers done, y'all come up and see us sometime....

Take a break -- come to the housewarming party this Saturday!

[coffman.livejournal.com]

It'd be interesting to find out how many places still had actual booths to vote in, with the curtain and all. It definitely makes sense to have little plastic tables and cardboard partitions or the like for the sake up quick set up, but it makes the phrase "voting booth" kind of misleading.

[abka.livejournal.com]

definitely, can you email me your address? I can't believe we haven't seen you yet.

[grumph.livejournal.com]

Was the paper ballot a scantron ballot? I'm a big fan of scantron ballots--wait, you're in MA, where they used to have scantron only, they have electronic machines now? WTF?! I hate electronic machines! Fuck you home state! What was wrong with scantron?

I love you scantron. I miss you.

some more thoughts (http://www.livejournal.com/users/grumph/111761.html?view=326801#t326801) on scantron in the comments.

[grumph.livejournal.com]

You mean, like "ballot box" and "ballot"?

In NY and LA they have booths with curtains, because they are built into the machines, it's all one unit. I don't remember how it was in MA when I was there or in NH, where they both had scantron.

An actual curtained booth is a lot less necessary with a paper ballot than with a machine I think. The machines effectively hold up your votes on a big vertical board for all to see if you didn't have a curtain. But it's a lot harder to stare over someone's shoulder at a paper ballot without being really really obvious.

[abka.livejournal.com]

no, I'm in Washington not MA remember? I don't know what they have in MA. I think it's scantron but I'm not sure, I had to complete the arrows and then run it through the machine.

[grumph.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, I forgot you moved. It sounds like scantron from what you described.

[coffman.livejournal.com]

No, I meant the booth with the curtains. I've only ever voted in California, where it's mostly scantron, so I haven't seen the machines. Thanks for the info!

[grumph.livejournal.com]

No no, I meant terms ballot and ballot box are also becoming anachronysms, outside of scantron districts.

Go scantron!

[coffman.livejournal.com]

Ah, I got it. It's definitely too late on this side of the pond... need to get some sleep and then wake up and watch the ballots get counted!