The official 'Tell Us About Your 2008 Voting Experience' thread

[madbrian]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 6:59am

Share any stories about when & where you voted, any lines, waiting time, hassles, etc.

Here's my happily uneventful story. My daughter (21 years-old, first presidential election) and I arrived at our polling place at 5:35AM, 25 minutes earlier than the 6AM opening here in NJ. We were first in line, and by the time the polls opened there were about 30 people behind us. In general, the demographics of the group were different from the overall demographics of the area (younger and more diverse). Anyway, the polling place had the usual number of machines, but more workers.

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 7:14am

I went to the local elementary school gym to vote. I had three or four people say to me, "You're a (insert last name here) aren't you?" One of the nice parts about being from a small town. I got to the polls about 6:10 AM and had a 50 minute wait.

[Luscious]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 7:16am

I was #15 on line in NY at 5:30am. Polls opened at 6:00am. I was home by 6:30am. There was a long line when I left. The volunteers were as clueless as ever. It's going to be a long day for voters (and clueless volunteers) but the payoff tonight will make it all worth while. I've been waiting for this day for eight years and pulling that lever felt really good!

GET OUT AND VOTE!

Updated On: 11/4/08 at 07:16 AM

[Mandi Moo]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 7:32am

I went to vote around 7AM in my school's Student Union Building...and there was only one other person in front of me, and few showed up while I was there.

Hopefully this is just because college students like their sleep.

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 7:38am

Most college students I talked to have either voted absentee or voted early.

[CyCoSpAz2]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 7:40am

I filled in some bubbles, put my ballot in an envelope, put that envelope in another envelope, put stamps on the outer envelope, and dropped it in the mailbox.

Sigh, absentee voting.

[jlc6314]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 7:44am

I voted in Ohio at 6:30 this morning. There were probably 20 people in line in front of me, and there was nobody waiting in line when I left. It only took about half an hour.

The actual voting method was weird. This is only my second election, and before I voted in small-town New York where you have to go in the booth and pull the lever. Today I just had to fill out some bubbles on a sheet and scan it into a machine.

[caitiesus1522]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 7:52am

I did the absentee thing a couple weeks ago.

Jen - yay for voting in Ohio! Isn't it great that your vote means something?

I am going to enjoy reading this thread throughout the day. I just wish that there would be trained volunteers

[jlc6314]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 7:55am

Caitie! It was great to think my vote could mean something, especially after how disappointed I was in 2004 and feeling like my vote didn't really make a difference. It's nice to live somewhere that matters for once, lol.

And I was listening to the radio on the way home from the elementary school, and they were having a call-in of who people are voting for. This one woman called in and actually said that a vote for McCain was a vote against a Muslim ... wow. You should have heard the people on the show just crucify her after that.

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 8:06am

Polls open up here in PA at 7 and I was in line a half hour early. I love voting in a small town, I knew every person there (probably 50) and the staff is always nice. I am now getting ready to head out and work for moveon.org, making phone calls, knocking on doors and doing whatever is needed.

I am just happy I can be here for this election. My college (in NYC) gave us the day off for the first time and I am proud to be working in this swing state instead of spending the day drinking (oh college). However, most of my friends have already voted so I can't really judge.

Happy election day Broadwayworld, get out there and make it a good one!

[Mistress Overdone]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 8:11am

I voted absentee - it was terribly anticlimactic. But I do get to say I voted in my underwear.

[kec]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 8:16am

Polls in VA opened at 6 a.m., I got there about 7:25. Lines were separated by alphabet for people to check in, but one line for the booths. All went pretty quickly, and I was out by 7:45. Now it's on to work...

[Yawper]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 8:18am

Got in line 15-20 minutes before the polls opened this morning and was done voting about an hour later. Had ballot #494. Before the doors opened the line was all the way down the block and down another half block or more around the corner. We vote in the gym of the neighborhood elementary school.

[D2]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 8:19am

Voted here in NYC. As Luscious pointed out earlier, the staff at my voting place was also totally clueless, with misinformation about voting districts running rampant despite very clearly marked maps showing the neighborhood and where the cut off lines for each district lie. The confusion added to the very long lines.

Other than that, the voting itself was uneventful but the feeling of satisfaction and hope I felt after pulling the lever was very powerful.

[beacon1]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 8:37am

Had a 20-minute wait in line this a.m. (north of Buffalo)and the group was diverse ethnically and age-wise. Many were parents with children. There was a guy triaging for the 4 districts and tried to keep things moving.

NOTE: The guy in front of me was in the booth a very long time. I think the workers were getting ready to tell him his time was up. They kept looking at the closed curtain, checking their watches and whispering.

[madbrian]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 8:45am

I want to echo what someone else said about people bringing their kids with them. Our schools are closed today, but several people on line before 6AM had dragged their kid(s) out of bed to be with them in this historic election.

[Mamie]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 9:06am

I'm also in Virginia. I got there at 5:25 and there were (by my rough count) about 70 people in line ahead of me! By the time the polls opened (at 6:00) the line behind me was running out of the school grounds and down the sidewalk.

I don't know if it's a reflection of the voting or a reflection of the people working the party tables outside the school, but it looked to me like the people holding the Republican ballots outnumbered the Democratic ballots by about 3 to 1. I'm hoping it doesn't mean a thing!

Once the doors opened up the lines moved pretty fast. One of the first people coming back out the door was my elderly neighbor. I called to her as she passed by and asked her what time she had gotten there. She said 4:15!!!

Once I'd voted I headed for the bus stop to come on in to work. A young black woman came down the sidewalk behind me and headed for a car parked right by the bus stop. She was talking excitedly to someone on her phone. "I did it! I voted for the man! I can't believe it!". And with that she actually jumped up and clicked her heels together! (I have a feeling that 'the man' wasn't named McCain.)

[yodamarie78]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 9:24am

I got to my polling place just after 6 and the line was already out the door. However, the line moved quickly and I was done in about 20 minutes. I'm in NYC and I was very impressed with how well organized everything was. There appeared to be about 4 or 5 congressional districts represented, but they were doing a great job of sending everyone to the right machine.

[Parks]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 9:32am

Received, voted, and sent back my absentee ballot 2 Saturdays ago. It was so easy and fast. I'm proud to say I've voted though! :)

[LotteTBS138]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 9:49am

Just got back from voting in Washington Heights. I saw 2 signs posted in that place and this bus place has like 3 floors! Luckily, they had a police man, on the job and cell phone, there to guide people like me where to go.

No problems. Luckily, I took my confirmation sheet that I received telling me what district etc because everyone was standing in the first one. I asked a youngster in front of me and told me that they split it up by districts but he had no idea where he lives. So I was able to cut in the 87th line and went right in.
I moved from California and never seen such a machine! In CA, we'd get a scantron looking form and slide it into a machine and color the dots. Here, it was a pre-historic thing! There was a nice guy there helping people and I asked him to peak in! "I don't care if you see me voting for Obama, please tell me I did it right!" So after I gave Xs to other people I never heard of in my life, I moved this massive red switch over. I seriously thought I was Roger Bart turning on (not in that way!!!) Frankenstein!

But on the down side, NO I VOTED STICKERS!!! >

[tazber]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 9:57am

I got to my poll at 7:00am sharp. The wait was 2.5 hours.
There were tons of people, but it was all very organized.
Made friends with the folks around me. The actual voting took about 10 seconds, I only had 2 contests in my district.

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 9:59am

I was mailed a ballot. I filled it out. I mailed it end. End of anecdote.

[obsessedjb]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 10:12am

I voted early in Indiana about a week after it started. I was in and out in 10 minutes and then I walked back to my college's campus feeling like I accomplished something major.

[xxnewgirlxx]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 10:21am

Went this morning and it took about a half hour from the time I got in line to the time I walked out the door. Sooooo many judges to vote for! "Fill in the arrow" procedure. And Julius Meinl was there giving away free coffee...weeeeee...

And oh yeah...voted for Obama!

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 10:33am

I live in a tiny town in NJ and am usually the first or second to vote (my partner being the other) but I was #12 today.

Cranky and stupid were the requirements as usual for the voting officials, including mine...just annoying. I have also NEVER voted without having to spell my name 20 times, either in NJ, NYC or Philadelphia. It's amazing how frazzled these people become by 6:30am!

The guy who voted after me brought his 8 year old daugher into the booth with him and she hit the VOTE button before he could vote for anyone...OOOPS! That sent everyone into a tailspin while I left and caught my train.