It’s interesting to me the various methods for checking voters in and voting - either via paper, voting booth (the old levers??) or computerized. I wonder how it’s decided who will use what? $ the city has for resources? # of people who vote in the individual polling place??
Our mail ballots said they required $.71 postage (right on the envelope, where the stamps go), but there were hundreds of places to drop them off for free, including my regular voting place (a rec center).
They really are making the mail in voting easier. In the past you had to re-assemble the 4-5 page ballot, and then And then put it in a sleeve with a code showing, and then into the main envelope, then sign and date the envelope. For the primary, if you were an independent you received both the democratic and republican ballots, but could only vote for one party. MANY people made mistakes and sent in both, so neither was counted.
Now it is just vote (although the ballot was 6 pages), put it in the envelope and sign.
My funny moment today (and only marginally political). There was a mom with her preschooler in the booth next to mine. The toddler says "mommy you did that one wrong. “. The mom replied " no that one is OK, I don’t believe in spending our money that way.”
It was pretty hard to not just start laughing
No line at all for people signing in with last name starting N-Z, where we fall. There were quite a few people in the A-M line!
I saw a man hugging an older election worker. Probably his mom. 
We saw a neighbor from our street, too.
We’ve done mail-in for so many years, I don’t even know where the polling places are. The last time we did walk-in voting was more than 25 years ago in a small town like @cameo43 described with paper ballots and the hand-crank box, and there was never any waiting. I loved the smell of the old, waxed gymnasium floor in that elementary school and the sense of community when the elderly woman at the card table near the door would say, “Ya husband was heah about an owah ago. Heah’s ya ballot and pencil. Vote for <everyone’sfavoritecandidate> and give ya ballot to Henry over theah by the box.” She probably broke every election law in the book, but I always laughed because I WAS there to vote for <everyone’sfavoritecandidate>. :)</everyone’sfavoritecandidate></everyone’sfavoritecandidate>
Took my mother to her polling place mid-morning. It was very busy but no line in her part of the alphabet. Then a doctor’s appointment, which got me back to my ward at a little after noon. It was really quiet, but they told me I’d hit a lull and it had been busy all morning.
One of my favorite election day memories is my father in 2000. He had his gallbladder out a few months prior and was having a long, slow recovery. Just getting dressed for the day in comfortable sweats would tire him and he’d have to rest before breakfast. That year their ward was at a new location that I was familiar with, so I went to take them . . . and there’s my then-79-year-old father, freshly shaved, wearing nice cords, a button-down shirt, and a tie.
Make sure to thank your poll workers! Even if they are slow and overwhelmed
Heavy turnout reported locally.
We vote in person, as we have in every election/referendum since we bought our home 21 plus years ago. One of the election officials in our town is our long-since retired former nursery school teacher. When our pups were little and came along to the polls with us, they’d look very puzzled as to “what is SHE doing here - she lives at the nursery school?” but they would run and give her a hug anyway. This year she gets to see some kids from her last nursery school class are voting for themselves - but she still gets a hug from perhaps a third of our little town’s voters. God Bless Mrs. Z!
Love the volunteers. My place always has someone at the door. They open it when you’re still walking up, not the last minute. Makes me feel welcome.
We had the tablets, too.
I mentioned this on a previous thread but it was unusually busy early voting around here. Four tries before I actually voted:
- Opening day of early voting while taking DW to the airport (to take care of her mom during back surgery and rehab). Line outside was 50-75 yards long. Normally we walk in and vote.
2-3. Different days, same line. I heard it was 45 minutes.
- Waited until a moderate shower passed by, figuring any outside line would scatter. Success! I waited outside in light rain for around 10 minutes to get in. I asked the polling people why there was such a long line. They said it was record early turnout, not a long ballot or machine issues. Anyway, once inside, everything went smoothly: fill out a form, take it and drivers license to the appropriate alphabetic line (e.g. A-F) to pick up a chipped card, plug the card into a machine and vote.
It will be interesting to see if this was simply more people taking advantage of early voting or a higher total turnout.
I voted absentee a couple of weeks ago. The ballot was 6 pages, back and front, in 3 languages (English, Spanish and Creole) and the envelope was postage paid. Good thing, since it was so huge!
Lines at the polling places have been very slow, both during early voting and all day today – mainly because of the long ballot. There are quite a few amendments that take a long time to read, and then you have to figure out whether a yes means you are for it or against it! :-?
DH votes before 7am and reported there were lines but the wait was not bad. I voted around noon and the line was forming again on my way out. Bad weather here but hoping the turn out to be good.
I had an almost sleepless night two years ago and am not looking forward to that tonight. Fingers crossed.
Voted at 10:15 this morning in our small Connecticut town. No waiting for my street-group, and only 2-3 in line for the other street-groups. Local paper reporting 33% turnout by noon. There was a lot of traffic in the parking lot and a lot of activity and energy – but no waiting!
Steady crowd but not long lines for us. DH took coffe orders for the volunteers and then went for them and delivered them after he dropped me off.
my 77 YO mom (married 50+ yrs) volunteers every year at the polling place. It’s in a retirement home, it makes her feel young! she was actually hit on one time, i wonder if that’s why she goes back!
this year, my 2 college students came last night into town - just to vote! we were so surprised and had a great night with them. They voted early and popped by to see their grandma. She was very busy, and so happy to see them. Voting brought our family together, if just for a bit. My DH remembered 2 yrs ago - and the huge issues between extended family at thanksgiving. Hoping this year won’t be like that.
Today’s my volunteer chaplain day. Nearly half of the patients I visited reminded me to vote. One told me to please vote for his preferred candidates since he can’t - made my day. And fortunately they are my preferred ones as well so I truthfully said I would.
@bgbg4us
Great post! Thanks for sharing. I don’t understand why most youths don’t vote. Their future is most at stake.
H, S#2, and I all voted early. Glad this was offered in our area–so convenient. There was a short (5min.?) wait the day I went. Lots of volunteers, mostly retired folks, all very friendly and efficient.
Not positive–college D ordered an absentee ballot well before the deadline. Her ballot never arrived. She called about it and was told that she could still vote if she went to the place where she was registered! Really?? Why did she ask for an absentee ballot in the first place? Oh, yeah–because she has no transportation and it would be a four-hour roundtrip to come home to vote. This would’ve been her first time voting. She did everything right, and it doesn’t seem fair. She feels like she has been prevented from voting.
I don’t think I’ll ever vote by mail. Heard the ballots are kept in an unlocked closet in town hall. Also, my friend said they wrote her name on the manilla envelope. I don’t like that idea as the town leans in a particular direction. She leans the other way and so do I. I worry that someone could see the name and interfere with those they don’t agree with. Our town is so small that people know each other very well and can tell who agrees with the party line and who does not. My spouse was going to vote early and get it out of the way until we spoke about the envelopes. So we’ll both vote today. Exciting times. Whether our side wins or loses, I always exercise my right to vote.