I’m back from voting in Charlestown Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania (District 6). I met Bob Roggio’s wife at the polling station and had a nice long chat with her about her husband’s contest against Jim Gerlach and about the phenomenon of Barack Obama. They’re counting on huge coattails because they’ve been badly outspent (even on the History Channel). I wore my commie-red ACORN t-shirt that says ‘The People Shall Rule’. After I voted I stood in front of the McCain table out in the hallway, proudly displaying my shirt and watching the GOoPer’s blood-pressure visibly rise. It was my small piece of revenge for the massive maligning of a proud organization that does nothing worse than advocate for the poor.
My precinct has 3,200 voters and over 1,500 of them had voted before noon. They could be headed for 90% turnout. The lines were divvied up alphabetically. It just so happened that no one other than me was there with a last name between Le-Na, so I was in and out quickly. Other people had to wait in a line of twenty or more.
We use paper ballots with optical scanners (but no confirming paper). There were no reported problems with the scanners. They told me that they had already been emptied of ballots once. I was #251 on my particular machine. I had the option of voting straight ticket, but I wanted the pleasure of voting for Obama-Biden, so I filled in all the ovals (straight-ticket). The only thing on the ballot, other than candidates, was a proposal for the state to borrow $400,000,000 to rebuild the water system.
So far today, I’ve been contacted by Michelle Obama (by email) and Gerlach’s wife (by phone). I obviously talked to Roggio’s wife in person. Bill Clinton called me last night. Michelle’s email gave me five or six names and numbers of voters in my neighborhood that she wanted me to call. I will do that in a bit.
How’s your day going?
Oh, I forgot…
The only McCain yard sign I saw between my house and the polling place was crumbled and thrown up in a roadside tree. There were about six or seven Obama signs in people’s lawns.
check out the front page of philly.com
http://www.philly.com/
This is some quality FOX programming. Just beautiful.
What the hell is black panther garb?
And are there even black panthers around anymore?
Even if this is true, one polling place in one state versus multiple statewide efforts nationwide . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neGbKHyGuHU
Actually looks pretty stupid
I voted in Center City Philly around 9 am. There were only 4-5 people in line (my polling place is never crowded). I didn’t ask the folks whether the turnout was light or heavy compared to the past–I should have.
I went at what is usually the slowest part of the day, mid morning and we had a crowd, many new registrants.
Obama vote protection people were just outside the 100 foot limit. One judge told button wearers to take off their buttons in the polls but the atmosphere was genial and serious. Minneapolis will be there for the change we need.
Is that actually the case?
my daughter called me at 6:30am to wake me up and tell me to go vote….she had just voted in nj and was juiced….my polling place was confusing as there were actually 2 in one….with one line out the door and a guy at the door asking people where they lived and to show him their id so he could determine which line they should be in…..i got the short line…actually no line at all…..the other line had about a 10 minute wait….we have new machines….touch screen….i dont like them….i always liked that lever that opened the curtain when you were done….it felt so dramatic….i wore my Let Sexual Freedom Ring tshirt and as always got lots of looks…esp if they checked out the back which is a listing of SM clubs and adult toy stores etc…..went to pa to pick up the ladies….they were waiting for me….their line was long….over an hour….i had chairs for them which they really needed…and i had donuts….they were like little kids…i have never seen them so excited….honestly i had tears in my eyes several times as i thought about what this meant for them…..i also remembered how dirty i felt last pres election when i was forced to pull the kerry lever….im still bitter about dean not being the nominee and i still have his bumper sticker on my car….im so happy i dont have to feel that way this time around……im waiting for my girlfriend to get home so i can take her to vote…i think we are picking up some of her friends on the way….then its off to philly to visit my uncle at the va nursing home….then see if im needed anywhere then to pure to wait out the results and get plastered…..i will need a drink after going to the va.
i think obama should name oprah the fair election czar…..give her 2 years to get the voting system in this country on the right track. i bet she would kick some ass.
My wife and I live and vote in Menlo Park, CA (south of SF). We went to our local firehouse right at 7 am with our daughters and the line was out the door.
Several precincts vote at the fire station but the lines moved fairly quickly. We opted for paper ballots: each precinct had 4 computer machines and 2 stations for paper ballots. After filling out the ballots, they went into a big blue box. There was no scanner as there had been in past years. Lots of folks seemed to be choosing paper.
It was a pleasure to vote for Obama, of course, and against evil Props 4 & 8. We had a bunch of other props and city council, House and state reps. I showed my kids Obama’s name on the ballot and told them they would be happy they had seen it when they are older.
Then home for breakfast on on the bike/trailer to school. I am at the library pretending to work and listening to Linton Kwesi Johnston.
I look forward to later….
What a cute pair! 🙂
thanks. they’re why I do anything.
In at 9:59, out at 10:05.
Hard core republican country (Issa is our rep…ISSA!).
nalbar
I voted in Langhorne, Bucks County this morning around 9:30. My polling place divides the precinct by neighborhoods. Mine, of course, was the longest line and only had two machines allocated. It took about 20 minutes to get through.
In San Francisco we actually voted on city propositions A through V (that’s 17 measures) and state propositions 1 through 12, as well as about 6 different offices (including El Presidente).
One needs a degree in legislative affairs to figure all this out. Ballot proposition really is an insane way to run the state and local governments.
But on the fun side I got to vote for George W. Bush . . .
to name a sewage plant after him that is.
Bush. Bringing honor and integrity to my local shit factory.
I had tried to vote early. The line was ridiculous, and they ran out of ballots for my precinct (early voting was at the country election offices). So I voted today. Line was pretty reasonable, maybe 20 minutes wait.
In the early voting, almost everyone was black (my town is maybe a third black). In the regular voting, the balance was more the usual for here, maybe a bit less black than would be expected. From this unreliable bit of anecdote, I would guess that a huge proportion of blacks voted early; others not so much.
Another thing I noticed were young poll workers. In the past, they have always seemed to be senior citizens.
Just got back to work from voting. I live in Oakland, CA. This morning the lines were too long, something I haven’t seen before. But, at lunch, there were only a few people ahead of me. They said turnout was “brisk”. There were also “No on 8” (the hideous anti-gay marriage proposal) people on every corner. I took a moment to thank them all. It seems strange that they needed to be there, but the pro-8 folks were making big noise all over my town in recent days.
It feels good to be a part of history.
The ‘yes’ signs are EVERYWHERE in North San Diego County. Not just one on a corner, but 7, 8, 9.
I think it passes. That is my one prediction, that 8 passes.
nalbar
smooth sailin’ here. beautiful weather, no lines or problems to speak of. shuttled folks from 2 adjacent districts to their polling places and back and now just waiting it out.
local reports seem to be same all over the county, due in large part to the fact 70% ± used mail-in or early voting…[sent mine in 2 wks ago and verified it]…we might actually get results in by 9 or 10pm for the county.
looking for co to go blue!
was basically identical to yours…
I was out knocking doors with CBtE in Downingtown PA…most people had already voted, and everyone is excited. I passed the precinct on my way to my turf, and saw that the line came out of the township building, down the sidewalk, and out to the parking lot. The people I talked to had waited between 1 and 2 hours to vote, but only 1 person complained. Most were excited about making history today.
My mother lives nearby, and she was #13 to vote at her precinct…by the time she walked out the door at 7:15, there were already over a hundred people inn line to vote. Unheard of turnout.
Back at headquarters, they were busy making plans to deal with the long lines from 5 to 8, with having canvassers assigned to be at the precinct handing out water, snacks, and folding chairs for older folks while others are out knocking doors. When I ran to the store for a few cases of water, someone stopped me in the aisle to admire my “I voted” and “Obama Biden” stickers. On the way home from HQ, we drove past someone else with her Obama literature and clipboard.
Lots of enthusiasm out there.
No issues on my end in mid-LA County. There were a lot of people, only had to wait a few minutes.
Funny, though, two people in front of me showed their ID when asked. I’ve never had to do that. I used my sample ballot instead.
It was a good thing to vote for Obama/Biden. Now we wait and see.