Did you vote? Tell us about it!

I had an interesting voting morning as well. I live in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which has an interesting population split between older Italian folks and young artists and professionals. And this morning I was shocked to see long lines at the polling station, which I've never seen before in this neighborhood (the lady working my booth said that she had seen more people before 8am than she saw at the last election all day). The median age of the voters was probably about 26, so if the ladies working the tables had not been there I would have been the oldest person in the room.

The couple in front of me had just become citizens after immigrating from Peru, and they were so excited to vote (he even took her picture when she came out of the voting booth). And I actually got butterflies when I pulled the lever.

Oh, and it annoyed me to no end that there were three clocks in the school cafeteria where the polling was set up and one read noon, one read 9:00, and one read 8:10. No wonder our kids can't read!

Did you report this illegal electioneering? Most states have laws regarding what can be done within a certain range of a polling place. I hope you told the poll workers about your experience and called either your local Democratic office or the local Obama campaign office.

I LIVE IN A VERY SMALL VILLAGE AND IN MY DISTRICT THERE ARE ONLY 125 REGISTERED VOTERS. USUALLY WHEN I GO TO THE POLLS AT AROUND 7AM I AM #8 OR 9. TODAY I WAS #69 (YEAH YEAH I KNOW). THE PEOPLE AT MY TABLE TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD NEVER SEEN SUCH A TURNOUT IN YEARS.

Like many of your International allies, we are excited for a historical moment about to happen in U.S. Please be patient and do not give up !! It's still early, Once every four years is not that much of a task to be a citizen of a great nation like yours. Look at the big picture instead of one or two policy that you disagree with. Abstaining is not an obtion! Go out and mobilize people to get out and vote. Your families, friends and neighbors, even strangers on the streets. Regardless of who these people vote for, be nice and gracious to each other. Best Wishes!!

 

...so I actually cast my vote about two weeks ago.

Even though it's been this way since 1998 I still miss the more tactile feeling of actually going to the polls to cast my vote. There's something about shutting the curtain and pulling that lever that just makes one seem more connected to the process somehow.

The lady I signed in with said the lines had been to the street all morning. Glad to see so many people turning out - and hopefully for Obama.

We have early voting in Florida, so I cast my ballot a week ago--even then, I had to wait 30 minutes in line to vote! So proud to vote for Obama! Here in Florida, we have Prop. 2, one of those anti-same-sex marriage amendments to the state constitution--it hasn't received a 10th of the press that California's Prop 8 has received and will likely--and sadly--be approved.

Oh, and I went to the campaign rally featuring Obama and Bill Clinton last week! About 150 feet away from the stage, it was awesome; but standing for 5 hours...man, my legs hurt!

Check out my blog: http://radicalsexy.blogspot.com/

DID IT.

I HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH GIDDY POLL WORKERS AND VOTERS IN MY LIFE

IT WAS LIKE A BLOCK PARTY UP IN THERE!

LALALALALALALALA!

CHEERS BOYS!

First, if I may, can I ask everyone who votes to put what state they are voting in?  I'm in Studio City, California.   :)   NO ON PROP 8!!!

I got to the poll around 7:30 this morning.  Waited only about an hour.  I didn't notice much difference in the line from previous elections myself.  Sadly, I really didn't see the so-called youth voters either.  But then, Studio City is populated much more with young adults (25-35) than teenagers, I suppose.  So, that makes sense.

I have on my 'No on Prop H8' baseball jersey.  Covered it of course when I got to the poll.  Didn't want to be hauled off for electioneering, nope.

I wound up behind a couple from my apt complex.  I'd always known the name of the guy, but not the woman.  Aaawkward.  We chatted for the hour though, and when we got to the registration table, I snuck a peek at her drivers license...Kathryn!  Ah ha!

Btw, I WANT A LEVER TO PULL!  You guys're so lucky!  We just have some anti-climactic ink-pen doohickey to mark the ballot with.  But I was incredibly proud when I left the booth, ripping open my shirt Superman-like, revealing my 'No on Prop H8' shirt underneath, then flew outta there before I got arrested!

a presidential election. I can still remember the first time I was old enough to vote and how I couldn't wait. I was one of those nerds in high school who loved civics class and I've always taken my right to vote incredibly seriously and I never understood how others didn't. Call me geeky, but I found it profoundly moving that for most of human history, people had no real choice in their leaders, that in my grandmother's lifetime women didn't have the right to vote, that in my lifetime African-American's were so blatantly discriminated against, and that in entire countries such as South Africa, the Soviet Union, and China large swaths of people didn't (and often still don't) have any real voice in their government.

And I never took it lightly that millions have died fighting for that right. So there was no way I was ever going to not exercise that right and it thrills me today that we're looking at record turnout. 

Profoundly moving says Michael. Giddy says Darcolover. Yes, I felt all of that. Mush that I am I even teared up as I voted. That's never happened before. Here in bluer than blue MA - I love my home state - where Obama is a foregone conclusion the lines weren't too long but the excitement was high.

Keeping my fingers and toes crossed for our CA brothers and sisters! No on Prop 8!!!

There really is something to be said for pulling that lever. Yeah, it's old school and probably costly and inefficient, but it makes me feel like I'm taking decisive action.

I vote at 7:15 and there was no line my Queens neighborhood. I was in and out, but I didn't get a sticker.

My best friend is in LA and volunteering today to hold No on Prop 8 signs. From his voicemail he's had a pretty ugly morning. He and his partner just got married and the idea that they may lose recognition is more than I can bare.

www.thebittersuite.blogspot.com

Waited 2 hours this morning in Brooklyn. I've been getting teared up just about every hour on the hour since then.

 

So excited for tonight.

My partner and I got to our polling place about 5 minutes before the polls opened.  We waited for about 15 minutes.  No hassles, no pressures, nothing to report except for that awesome feeling of being a part of history (hopefully) and getting Obama into office!

I had to make sure we voted first thing, as I couldn't sit here at work all day without having voted.  I'm on the edge of my seat already as it is, and can not wait until 7 PM to turn on the news!!!

So glad I voted today. I was so worried I was going to have to wait a hell of a long time but it took no more than 20 minutes beginning to end, wheee! I'm so fortunate. I don't think Obama's going to have a problem winning in our precinct. Oberlin College soooo...very liberal (if you didn't know that already), I mean so many of us are such hippies.

I'm the only member of my family that isn't a citizen (Long Story). However, my parents and my younger sister are all registered to vote. Since I'm the politico-fanatic in the family, I get to fill out their sample ballots. I voted NO on 2 (the gay marriage amendment) and for OBAMA. They all dutifully followed the sample ballot. Not to mention they support Obama because we're all democrats dispite living in a very Red suburb of O-town. They voted early this morning and it took them less than a half hour. AND I too have been near tears for some time now.

I voted two weeks ago via absentee voting. I'm in a wheelchair and would hate to have to drive to my nearest polling place(even if the closest one to me is in a mall),sit in a long line just to do something that takes about five or ten minutes.

No,this was way easier.

I'm scared that people will decided they do not think my boyfriend and I worthy of respect or equality. I cannot believe people still have to fight for equal rights! Throughout history we find these marginalized, disenfranchised groups of people considered by most to be second-class citizens undeserving of rights. Aren't we over that yet? Are we ever going to decided that discrimination really isn't necessary? Can we learn from the past or from others who have fought before us? I'm scared of stunted progress. I'm scared of standing still.  I'm scared of shifty, corrupted politics. I'm scared of Sarah Palin!! I'm scared of being blown up. I'm scared of all of it. But I voted. 

I cast my vote for Mike Gravel.  Obama is the lesser of two evils in this election, but I'm still not voting for someone who will not support equal rights for all.

I live in Washington state, and I voted by mail two weeks ago.  I do not know enough about the election process in Washington, but it seems like I only had the option to vote by mail.

Then Governor Gregoire came to campus yesterday with Patty Murray and a bunch of other Democrats, and urged us to vote for Gregoire and Obama, but I think everybody there had already voted, too.

me and my sister were both first time voters this year. i didnt vote in 2004 because i 'knew' (bad feeling) that bush would win again, so today was very intimidating.

there wasn't a line at my station, but there were lots of cars with big 'obama/biden' signs driving all over the place with people shouting ''go vote!'' - so that was fun to see.

:-)

went for Obama and earlier results from Indiana indicate it's close there. Fingers crossed!

I voted  absentee here in Albuquerque.  So my ballot was in weeks ago.  In fact they calculated that 50% of the registered voters for Bernalillo County voted early or absentee.  50%!!  That is a huge turn out and there is still the election day voters, an exciting and important election.

I voted for the first time today in California. I got to my polling place (an elementry school down the street from my house) at 8:30 AM and there weren't any long lines. I was quite surprised after everyone's been talking about the lines. It might have been my timing because I got in and out in no time. I thought it was quite funny to find Ralph Nadar STILL running for president! Isn't he like 133 years old? I found that there was ALOT to vote for. There were like 11 props to vote on and I only knew 4 for them that I was voting for...opps maybe i shouldn't have said that :) I did vote NO on 8, unlike my family that is all voting YES. Also i had to vote on 2 bonds for the schools distract to have money to fix the schools. Because the school's can never have too many remodels. (I'm serious, when I was going to school in the school distract they remodeled the bathroom and painted the school...for 4 years!)

Well I'm happy to report that the gays of New Hope, PA were out in force to deliver the state for Obama. Lines were long, even at 7:00am.  Now just sweating through the wait to see how the electoral votes play out, plus all the ballot measures in other states.

Well I voted today - the lines were nonexistent - and -  weirdly enough - the voting machine were all digital. You got a card - you pushed it into the machine - a touch-screen came up - you touched onto your choices - no flippers or levers - how convenient! Weirdly enough I found myself voting for the Libertarians!

I'm without car, so it was daunting to go vote.  30 minute bike ride, uphill both ways, in the rain/snow.  I'm dead serious.  At least the wind was at my back on the way there.

Short lines, electronic voting.  I accidentally touched to vote straight democrat at first, but then decided I wanted to FEEL the power of marking that X by Obama, so I went back and did it.  Yep, it was a good feeling.

Despite the weather it was certainly a good experience.  It's hard voting Democrat in Utah because you know you vote counts for next to nothing, but all the same it was good to do.  I didn't vote the first time I could in 2000 because I was living in a tiny European country and it didn't feel like it had anything to do with me.  After I returned home, and politics seemed to have more and more to do with me, I made sure to be informed and to vote (futiliy) in 04.  I think it may not feel as futile this time!

so my vote for Obama probably won't count.  I voted to place Democrats in the Texas Supreme Court, but that seems unlikely so far.

I was also the only voter at the polling place at around 1:00 pm.

I'm not an American but I totally support Obama and was eagerly waiting like all Canadians for the outcome.

Where I work everyone seemed to want Obama to win. One guy had a tee shirt with "Vote Obama" on it.

I just hope "NO on Prop 8" wins. When I first heard about it, I was so anxious and scared that the NOs would lose to the YESs. I was so relieved to hear that all those actors donated money to defeat it. BTW where was GLAAD? Did they not put money towards defeating Prop 8?

BTW what is this lever people are pulling? In Canada we just go to a table with a carboard box surrounding the ballot for privacy and vote.

 

Live Long and Prosper

Did not vote. Was election observer. 

Congratulations to Barack Obama!

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• R.I.P. - Heath Ledger [1979 - 22 January 2008]
• R.I.P. - Sayif [2006 - 12 June 2008] - my cat, run over by a car..