I just voted, and . .

[gp0560]

I feel so citizen-y!

 

You?

[+ Charlie]

I just voted, too. I was amazed at how crowded my polling place was, in the middle of the day; it's usually pretty quiet for anything but a Presidential election. Maybe there are some surprises to come this evening.

[Guest countryboywny]

I voted at 6 this morning (eastern time). I was number 4.

[seeker630]

I voted on the way to work, and it was moderately busy.

[jgoo]

I voted last week by absentee ballot. I have to say that while very convenient, it doesn't feel quite as good as going to the polls to vote. Not sure how to articulate why it feels different, but it just does. Still the most important thing is that I voted.

[Sooner405]

I voted at 2:00pm this afternoon at a downtown precinct and was surprised how very slow the polls were. Only two people ahead of me. in 2008 at the same polling location, I waited for 90 minutes to vote in the Presidential election. It always feels great to be part of democracy in action.

[MsGuy]

I voted last week by absentee ballot. I have to say that while very convenient, it doesn't feel quite as good as going to the polls to vote. Not sure how to articulate why it feels different, but it just does. Still the most important thing is that I voted.

 

It's the ritual aspect of voting that you're missing, jgoo. Voting is one of the great civic ceremonies of America. Taking the time out to go down to the precinct building, signing in, standing in line with your fellow citizens and casting your ballot to choose a government is at least as much an acting out of the ideal of a constitutional republic as it is a utilitarian act. Sort of the invisible made manifest, to borrow a religious analogy; not unlike folks standing for the national anthem at sporting events. It's from such symbols and rituals that human institutions draw their power to command our allegiance.

[+ glutes]

. Voting is one of the great civic ceremonies of America.

 

Civic ceremony, or civic duty?

[orbital sander]

We have been doing it by mail for years...no precincts here any more.

[NYTomcat]

I go because it is my civic duty.... and yes I take my kids to instill the same in them... and yes my son and I look up the candidates online and discuss the differences and what issues we feel are important. Too bad I usually leave feeling "can I vote none of the above/"

[Kevin Slater]

Too bad I usually leave feeling "can I vote none of the above"

 

In 1982, Jack Fertig, known as Sister Boom Boom (of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence), ran for San Francisco Board of Supervisors earning over 23,000 votes with her occupation listed as "Nun of the Above". San Francisco passed a law soon after, commonly called the "Sister Boom Boom Law", that all people running for office had to do so with their legal name. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisters_of_Perpetual_Indulgence

 

Kevin Slater

[+ glutes]

Also on the SF ballot that era was Jello Biafra. Good history lesson LaterSLater!

[NYTomcat]

In 1982, Jack Fertig, known as Sister Boom Boom (of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence), ran for San Francisco Board of Supervisors earning over 23,000 votes with her occupation listed as "Nun of the Above". San Francisco passed a law soon after, commonly called the "Sister Boom Boom Law", that all people running for office had to do so with their legal name. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisters_of_Perpetual_Indulgence

 

 

Kevin Slater

Omg. I love that. And Would have voted for it. If for no better reason than being clever. I swear we need to elect a few escorts strippers and porn stars to Congress if for no better reason than its time to oust the career politicians and I firmly believe that average Americans of any field and intellect would do a better job making common sense decisions than these bozo's do so worried about their careers in washington

[+ azdr0710]

this has been an especially dirty political election season.....really frustrates me and even depresses me.....sorry to use this term, but you have to w**** yourself to even begin to make it as a politician.....can rarely say things as they really are and have to compromise yourself to get anything done....no revelations with all that, but it's so messy and mean.....smug, self-righteous folks on both sides.....gee, sorry to get all serious on you all.....let's see what happens in two years: I'll bet the voters have a very short memory!!

[Guest countryboywny]

I agree azdr.. I have a theory about the nastiness, but I'll post it in the Politics forum..

[Greathands]

I moved to a new community about our years ago. This is the third time I've voted at my new polling place. The first two times they asked for my photo ID, but this time they just asked me my name and didn't require an ID.

 

I then came home for lunch, turned the TV on and "The View" was just starting. The first topic brought up by Elizabeth Hasselback (not normally my favorite lady on the View) was that she had not been asked for her ID when she voted that morning. I must admit that I totally agreed with her that you should have to show proper ID to vote. (I was a little surprised that the rest of the ladies didn't seem to agree ... and Sherry Shepherd kept saying that you had to show ID in order to register to vote. As usual, I think she missed the point.)

 

Later in the day, I went to dinner with some friends and two of them also commented they were surprised they had not been asked for their ID when they went to vote.

 

What's up with that? If you're not required to show ID, couldn't just anyone have walked in and told them the name of someone they knew may not be voting?

[orbital sander]

I moved to a new community about our years ago. This is the third time I've voted at my new polling place. The first two times they asked for my photo ID, but this time they just asked me my name and didn't require an ID.

 

I then came home for lunch, turned the TV on and "The View" was just starting. The first topic brought up by Elizabeth Hasselback (not normally my favorite lady on the View) was that she had not been asked for her ID when she voted that morning. I must admit that I totally agreed with her that you should have to show proper ID to vote. (I was a little surprised that the rest of the ladies didn't seem to agree ... and Sherry Shepherd kept saying that you had to show ID in order to register to vote. As usual, I think she missed the point.)

 

Later in the day, I went to dinner with some friends and two of them also commented they were surprised they had not been asked for their ID when they went to vote.

 

What's up with that? If you're not required to show ID, couldn't just anyone have walked in and told them the name of someone they knew may not be voting?

 

Yeah, but you realistically, who is going to do that? The risk of getting caught is too great, and unless you are a real cool character, and you know someone elses name, and that they will not come to vote later (or have already voted), it would not work anyway. Yes they should ask for ID every time, but they wont. In Oregon, all the Ballots are mailed out, there are no voting precints any more. Each election office has one booth just in case, otherwise, everyone votes by mail and that system has been working for many years now.

[+ Charlie]

I've been a registered voter in four different states, and I don't remember ever being asked for ID to vote. In two of those states I always had to sign a form verifying my identity, and the signature was matched against my registered signature.