Throwback Tuesday: When my DD was little I told her we were going to go vote. After we were done, she said something like “But where is the boat?”
Voted at 7:15 AM. Very busy. I vote in all elections and mid-terms are usually dead.
You can (and should) complain to you Secretary of State’s office if you think there is an irregularity in receiving or handling your ballot.
I just walked across the U Wash campus. A woman is waving a sign and calling out to passersby, urging them to vote and advising them on how to go print out a ballot. She’s getting a good reception.
Our state mails ballots, which we can then mail back or drop in secure boxes. I have confirmed online that our household’s ballots have been received. One kid’s signature is being verified—the challenges of people who don’t sign a lot, and so don’t have a consistent signature.
According the Seattle Times, “Washington state’s midterm election turnout could surpass 1970 record.”
No lines at my polling place. I signed my name in the big register, grabbed my paper ballot, colored in the corresponding circles, and placed it in the slot in the wooden box. I was in and out in less than 5 minutes. Saw a few neighbors and purchased some baked goodies at the exit. DS, DD, and I have also texted pictures of ourselves with our stickers. DH will vote after work. Hopefully he’ll get his sticker too!
Any way for her to vote at her college?
No line at my polling place, but a steady stream of people at 8 am when my husband went, and also at 1:30 this afternoon for me. My daughter, who’s studying abroad in Australia, contacted the election people before she went overseas. They told her how to download an absentee ballot. When we got there to visit her in September, she had it all printed out and filled out for me to bring back to the US to our election office. She had to sign an oath for her signature, and then I had to put it in 2 envelopes. It went into a vault, and is supposed to be opened tonight.
DH & I voted mid-morning in VA. No lines then, but the poll worker said it was crowded earlier.
We saw an older, African-American couple who came out in the rain on their electric wheelchairs to vote. The husband, a Vietnam vet, was thanking everyone else there for coming out to vote. His wife told us that her grandmother couldn’t vote, but told her grandchildren that they’d be able to vote someday. This woman says she doesn’t take her right to vote lightly. How inspirational she was.
D was excited to see the actress Olivia Wilde this morning outside the polling place (Wilde’s mother is a candidate).
Just saw this on Twitter:
Ignoring the politician this woman is voting for, I teared up the first time I saw this on the news.
Texas woman’s tearful support of Beto O’Rourke goes viral
https://www.nbcnews.com/card/texas-woman-s-tearful-support-beto-o-rourke-goes-viral-n932061
@atomom my kid also requested an absentee ballot and never received it. When she’d check online it just said it was mailed and she should be receiving it. She’s just finished college and relocated out of state but not yet established residency in the new state. She’s frustrated.
The rest of us voted by early ballot. They are postage paid return envelopes but I always fill mine out last minute and drop it off at the polling place.
HS kiddo is a poll worker today. His AP Gov teacher encouraged the kids to do it, and most of the class signed up. They get out of writing an essay and the job is paid. Also 5am-8pm. Yikes.
I was greeted by a student at my polling place when I dropped off my early ballot. Lots of early ballots in that box I put mine into. The polling places didn’t seem crowded late morning but they’ve added a lot of locations since massively long lines and a big fiasco a few years ago.
Did you guys see what Google page says today? 
I voted at 3 pm today. I was the only voter when I arrived but the poll workers told me that 50% of registered voters had already voted. I have never experienced a midterm election with this much activity.
Steady stream of people at the location I went to today but no waiting. Was in and out in 10 minutes. (around 4pm)
Volunteers were helpful and cheerful.
After a comedy (or maybe tragedy) of errors, I was finally able to cast an absentee ballot.
Despite following all the directions to get one mailed to me away from home, I didn’t receive it in time. It took six calls to the election department in my county to find out that I could vote by email. After giving my address multiple times, I still wasn’t getting the email with the necessary forms. Yesterday I called in the morning requesting to speak to a supervisor and was told that they’re all in a meeting. Hmmm. Same thing in the afternoon. Really, an all day meeting the day before the election?
So I called the election division at the Secretary of State’s office and recounted my plight. Thirty minutes later I had a personalized email in my inbox. It felt like a victory - lol.
@LVKris, it seems just criminal that it was that hard for a registered, eligible voter to cast a vote. The infuriating thing is that most people won’t go to those lengths to make it happen, and the people making it difficult well know it.
I dropped off my ballot a few days ago and I understand why the party pushes people to vote as early as possible. But I miss the experience of going into a booth, especially a booth with those old fashioned mechanical machines. There was such a sense of community in the large, cheerful church basement where it was held. There were always donuts (which I don’t even like, but like the thought) and bad coffee (but I drank it anyway, lol) and lots of neighbors. It felt like, this-is-what-Democracy-looks-like. I miss those days.
My son is working out-of-state for a few months, so requested an absentee ballot over a month ago. He called our county office when it didn’t arrive after 2 weeks; the clerk checked records and found that son had left off a digit on his long temporary address. Clerk corrected it and immediately sent another ballot. It arrived in plenty of time!
@Nrdsb4, I was thinking the same thing. Sadly, I don’t think most people would have invested the amount of time I did.
I persisted! ?