Voted in Iowa’s early vote time.
Pretty big turn out even two weeks into it.
They CHECKED ID and argued with a lady whose credentials didn’t match up. She made a couple calls and got it straightened out to their satisfaction, but they checked and double-checked ID there. It took a while to get through because of it, but I was thrilled to wait!
http://theamcpages.com/misc-files/TimeToVoteAgain.mp3
Mid-MO conservative district, high turn-out. Was the 100th vote cast and I arrived shortly after the doors opened.
Canton, Ohio - I voted at 6:30 a.m. this morning. I took my mom who is 85 and the whole thing took about 30 minutes for us together.
It looked organized, but I can see where it will get very hectic later:
• They have people leaving and entering the voting area through the same doorway (a narrow, short foyer area with a step down to the grade school gymnasium where tables were set up for different precincts). A ramp WAS to the right for disabled, though no sign outside indicated where it was…you just had to sort of find it on your own. .
• No overhead signs designating respective precincts so people entering the crowded gymnasium can see above the crowd to find their proper table.
• None of the polling staff went out into the exterior of the building or along the line outside to determine that voters knew their precinct. So, anyone entering the voting area proper, had to sort of mill around with everyone else in the crowd till they found their table.
• After voting, we returned to the table where we got our computer ‘card’ in order to return it to the workers there. We had to break across the line of people entering to GET their cards in order to return our card to the table.
Too bad, this was a brand new grade school, with ample space if workers had capitalized on it properly.
I guess it could have been worse.
Was at the polls a little before 6:00 am when they opened. The line was out the door even before the pools opened. I expect there will be heavy turnout.
Biggest question: will Chris Shays (RINO, but the only remaining Republican Congressman in all of New England) survive? My guess is yes, but it will be very, very close.
Just saw a woman setting out some McCain/Palin road signs here in marxist New Hampshire...I made some comment about being up early to work for McCain, and she said “got to do what I can...the other one is the AntiChrist!” LOL...she’s employed by the town.
Just voted at a smallish middle school in my neighborhood...One thing that struck me was that there was an armed security guard out in front. The guy was jacked and had a long sleeved polo that just said security. Perhaps not a big deal but I’m 38 and have voting since 1988 (Daddy Bush!) and have never seem an armed security guard. Maybe a school “rent a cop”. Just a bit different I guess...the atmosphere is tense...Go Palin!!!
I’m the clerk / head election judge for our city and here in central Minnesota we are off to a brisk start to voting. A tad bit more traffic than normal but the influx of people is definitely a steady stream.
I’m too close to the forrest right now to get a sense of what tilt this particular slice of the electorate is heading towards. About 10 a.m. we will process the absentee ballots and that’ll give a bit more of an idea of how this area is voting. I say if McCain breaks 70% here - he’s got a fighting chance to win MN. Pawlenty (Governor) won with almost 70% here and barely squeaked out a victory in 2006. Bush won the area with something on the order of 65% and lost the state by 3+ percent.
Louisville, KY checking in!
Hit the polling station at 0700. KY-3rd District, 126th precint, currently held by John Yarmuth the Usurper. Missus and I scoped out the polling place as we voted. One ballot taker, and one Diebold - the poll worker explained when asked that it was for the illiterate voters...
Line was short, but moved slowly; the poll workers were VERY DILIGENT about ID checks. One older worker (possibly a veteran) confided that there were a MASS of black voters he had never seen before. And that was since 0600. Either an influx of first-time ACORN voters, or bussed in from other places...
It’s begun.
I mailed my absentee ballot in three weeks ago. Nothing but a knot in my stomach today.
I voted this morning in Warren County, OH (25 miles north of Cincinnati). One of the reddest of red Ohio counties. The lines were unprecedented. Easily 5x as many folks there when the polls opened than in 2004. GOP turnout is through the roof.
At my polling place at 5:30 - by 5:45, the line was down the sidewalk. I was #22 in line, #3 at the F-L table and finished voting at 6:06. By that time, the line was down the sidewalk past the school building, going around the bus loop, and out of sight - several hundred people, I would estimate. Cars were lining the street, both sides, up to the main road with folks probably walking a 1/4 mile to get to the school. It is also raining in our area, too (Central Virginia).
I attended a Sarah Palin rally in my area Saturday night - stood for 6.5 hours to see her. She’s terrific and I PRAY she is our next VP.
Voted here in S. Indiana, our polling place was light, but went by another that was packed, hundreds in line at 6:50 am.
Got to my polling place in Loudoun County Virginia at 0555. Done voting by 0630. Easy peasy. Probably about 200 people in line (but someone else’s estimate). But once it opened the line split into 4 lines (by last name) and it moved rather quickly, if you did paper ballot.
I did almost have a heart attack when they couldn’t find my name in the book. I informed them that I voted there in the primary and the mid-term election. Turns out the records still have my maiden name. Then it occured to me, even though I was married last year I didn’t get my new driver’s license until April of this year. So I still gave my maiden name in the primary.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that the young people that were there, just a handleful, mostly had the Republican sample ballot. Only the girl behind me had the Democrat’s version. It was her first election. She was excited. Hopefully she stays interested in voting, but wises up about her choices.
Okay, I already told you guys the trouble I was having voting this morning.
Here is a report from my husband. I called him to see if any of his co-workers (all McCain supporters) had any luck voting.
Same situation, lines were too long, had to get to work (nurses, doctors, pharmacists). He said they were all upset, and will go back this afternoon.
We were 2nd & 3rd in line...
...by 6:15 there were 50 people behind us..
..by 7AM there were over 200 people, the parking lot was full and cars were parking on the street....
I vote in Florida...a 'Battleground' state.
Take a small chair, a book, etc....could be a long day.
We voted at a church and the gracious pastor was hauling his church chairs outside to the voters, God bless him, and also giving them permission to go inside & use the church bathroom.
Voted last week Thursday. In and out within 20 minutes; two security checks and ID checks, even though I’m a registered voter who has voted at the same place for the past 15 years. I was glad to see that.
Upbeat mood in the room. I got there at the right time; when I left, the line was well down the long hallway and around the corner. But no one was leaving. :)
My husband and son voted the next day, and they said pretty much the same thing I just did.
Voted this morning at 6:15 at my polling place in a blue, small city 40 miles outside NYC. There were somewhere in the vicinity of 200 people in line, most likely commuters voting before heading for the train. What caught my eye was an elderly black woman, caught up in the emotion of voting for Obama, weeping and fanning herself with her ballot. Bless her heart (in the southern sense of the phase).
I have voted in this same precinct for over 25 years and this is largest turnout I have ever encountered.
Great turnout in Lancaster, PA. I was early and people were lined up by 6:30. Polls don’t open until 7:00.