I have encountered a lot of people who said they didn’t vote in New York state because it makes no difference if you vote Republican so you might as well not vote at all. I happen to disagree wholeheartedly, think about all of the people who said this – does it not make it worthwhile to show Republican candidates that it is worth it campaign in NY. What if so many people said this that it was enough to swign the vote.
This will be the first time in election history that I will not reveal who I voted for – I just can’t come to terms with my decision – but I am curious to hear about your expereinces. Were the lines long, I spoke to a guy at the skatepark in Bay Ridge today who told me he waited on line for 2 hours – would you have waited?
Did you see anything interesting on the way or while you were there? Did you refrain from voting because you couldn’t make up your mind like some people I know?
I had a pretty good experience, until AFTER I voted. My precinct votes on Western Michigan University’s campus and there are TONS of political groups that where there today (100 feet away from the voting site, of course.) Well, I was walking to my car after fulfilling my civic duty and a rather flustered looking fellow walked up to me and asked me who I voted for. My response was my usual “None of your business” that I like to give to people I don’t know/don’t like.
Now this meathead (seriously, his head looked like a meatball) gets all angry and starts following me and calling me a liberal something or another that I choose to not repeat. Finally I turn around giving my best stink eye and he backs off.
Because you know, intimidating me AFTER I’ve voted really makes sense, right?
It was a painful experience. I was bouncing back and forth between McCain and Barr…. Wisconsin is a blue state and has gone blue in the last two elections so it didn’t really make a difference how I voted it seems.
On the way I saw tons of people campaigning for Obama downtown. All of the bus drivers were honking as they drove by.
Also when I went to vote, there was a TV news reporter guy reporting “There are in fact no lines at this polling station, no wait whatsoever.” Great reporting.
They almost turned me away. The polling people couldn’t find me on their big list. Even though I told them a million times how to spell my last name. I ended up going through and showing them my name…. talk about lame.
Ok I just realized what a dumb comment that was.
No line by me. I don’t get why anyone would wait for more than 10 minutes on a line, theyre open the entire day. Just come back later when its empty sheesh.
Easy choice for me, I hate liberals.
It was great.
The voting site is on the way to my kid’s day care. Before going, to speed things up, I looked up my election district here. After dropping my son off, I went to vote. The place was almost empty.
The voting site was in Murrow HS and students were selling cookies and stuff to voters, though not kosher. 🙁
HAHAHA.
Even if you can’t bring yourself to vote for either candidate, you can still vote in your local races. You can go in the voting booth and just press the button without making any selections, but you should vote. I was once involved in a local bond referendum and we got lists of who had and hadn’t voted in the last 3 elections, and I sure made fun of my neighbors who never voted (or were never even registered).
I made fun of them in private, wimpily, that is.
Why would you not be able to bring yourself to vote for either candidate. You get educated and choose the one you think will be most effective. It doesn’t mean you think he/she will be perfect or even great. You do have to make a choice. Most people don’t get educated so they are stumped. I wasn’t thrilled with my choice, but I did choose.
Well as the Rush song says you can choose not to make a choice.
My polling place was pretty crowded but the lines went quickly and the wait wasn’t too bad. UNTIL this idiotic couple right in front of me decided that they wanted to get a picture of their 4 month old baby voting. So the husband holds the baby, goes in to the booth and positions the baby’s hand on the lever while the mother starts snapping photos of this Kodak moment. The voting inspector lady comes running over and starts screaming that you are NOT allowed to take pictures of people when they are in the voting booth. The idiotic wife ignores her, snaps a few more pictures, pockets the camera and says “Well, it’s too late now.” I almost slugged her. What a moron.
Well, the inspector is also an idiot. She’s taking a picture of her husband, not some stranger.
I would have said “Sorry Ma’am we have to confiscate your baby.”
Went in at around 11am, and I was the 309th person to vote in my district. In the 2004 elections at around the same time of day I was the 80something person to vote.
There was only 2 people in front of me when I came in at 11, although I hear that from 7-9am the line was going around the block.
I voted Obama, and mostly democrat except for attorney general, where I voted libertarian (I didn’t like the democrat or the republican, they were both basically running on a campaign of restricting civil liberties).
amazingly, no wait. took all of ten minutes in fact. better than a visit to the dentist.
most people just went to the booth, bubbled in their choices (paper ballots), and left. well, except for this one woman who must have been in the booth for at least 15 minutes because she had no idea what was up for the vote. walking back home i hear her thank some campaigners outside the building for informing her about one of the local candidates so she would know who to vote for. just goes to show that waving posters in someone’s face minutes before they vote really does work.
I had a great experience. Waited on line about 15 minutes, filled out my ballot, got the little sticker so I could hit Krispy Kreme with the kid, and out the door. Oh, and then the tie-dye and birks scared an exit pollster so badly he wouldn’t even speak to me. It just doesn’t get better than that.
Had a great experiance, went after 1pm and had no line. It took me a while to fill in my paper ballot but otherwise all okay. This surprised me as where I live is notorious for being slow and having problems. Will get Ben and Jerry’s later thought 😉
Moshe-
I disagree. The inspector was just doing her job, which is to enforce voting regulations so that there are no charges of impropriety. I certainly don’t want my vote to be voided because the Election Commission decides that there were legal violations at my polling place.
I waited for close to 2 hours in line, next to a 41 year old black man who told me it was his first time voting ever, which was amazing. Also right behind me was a 19 year old girl with her boyfriend. The boyfriend kept saying, “McCain, McCain, McCain,” even after we passed the ‘NO CAMPAIGNING!’ sign, because, “now, maybe we can get our guns back!”
We have paper votes here and when I needed to scratch something out, I was told I had to hand in my ballot page for a new page. I asked for an envelope so my ballot could remain private (having already inked in my vote for President.) As the Precinct clerk is writing CANCELLED across the “spoiled” page, the Asst. Poll Worker stares intently at my ballot page. I said to her, “Hey, please stop looking at my ballot.” She immediately starts yelling at me and saying that she is “training” and she’ll “take me to court for accusing her of doing something illegal!” I reported her to the County Elections Office for voter intimidation and all-around snarkiness. She made such a scene that someone less determined to vote would have fled the scene! They told me that NO WAY was she supposed to have read my ballot page! Or been so obnoxious! So, here’s the kicker – she was dressed in full Muslim apparel from head to toe. Being a sheitel wearer myself, I kept wondering about her motivation – was this a HATE-Rude? Anyway, took my daughter out for free Starbucks after school to celebrate Election Day. She had a tough decision today, too: Duck, Pig, Cow, or Sheep.
well, I work in an office that overlooks a voting place.
I swear- from 9-5 it was 90 percent black voters, but before 9 and now after 5, its 90 percent white….
Great story Dave and all around I am loving these comments.
Wow, and I thought my polling site was outdated, manual switches and lever instead of computer. Paper?! Writing?! That’s why it takes 2 hours. Took me all of 5 minutes from time I walked in the door to the time I walked out. Pull, click, click, click, pull, done.
I guess you yanks are realy into this. Maybe it’s got something to do with the endless media coverage of the candidates since 2 years or so. Glad it will all be over tonight, maybe something interesting on TV for a change.
We Canucks managed a whopping 20% voter turn out (record all time low) in our last election which took place a few weeks ago. Our election is strictly based on votes for the party, no the person or popular vote. My district has always voted 75-90% Liberal (for the past 80-100years), so there really is no point in going to vote, as the balance is split between 3-4 parties. Had I voted, my vote wouldn’t have counted, as I would have voted Conservative.
At the end of the day the conservatives won the country (same guy re-elected, nothing changed), liberals won my district (same guy re-elected, nothing changed), and now I’m stuck paying for the election (same old story, nothing changed)!
I filled out my absentee ballot at my kitchen table and gave it to my Dad to drop in the mailbox….threeish weeks ago. I have never voted normally (it’s only been two elections) but I still feel incredibly lucky that I get to vote. Couldn’t do that 100 years ago. 🙂
Right on Miri!
Yeah ours are paper ballots too and when I put it in the machine the worker was staring at my ballot…..
computer ballots?? wow, high tech, nothing like that here.
Of course I knew whom I was voting for, so I went it, clicked, pulled open the curtain, and left. The election ladies (who also work at the library) said to me, “wow, that was SO quick!” I didn’t want to be rude as they are all senior citizens with wobbly necks, but what gives?
Raizy: that was funny, I never thought of doing such a thing. Although I never had babies with me.
When I went to vote this person before me was a blind guy, so he had his sister with him, and before he went into the booth, the lady by the booth asked the lady who she was, and asked her if she will influence his vote at all, she said she won’t, and that she’s his sister, nothing to worry about. So they went into the booth together.
Then I saw this old sick looking man with a helper coming out of voting, and I started to think to myself, perhaps their getting all these old and sick people who normally wouldn’t vote, to go vote so that they can get a “double vote”. Perhaps that’s why there were so many more voters this year than ever before.
Since I couldn’t vote, I was cleaning my guns the whole day. Gotta be ready.
Investment tip: When Obama wins, all the rich people are going to be upset and pull their money out of the market, which will make the market drop.
Wait for the market to drop. Then buy shares of google, Microsoft, Apple, and maybe Merck, Johnson & Johnson, Home Depot, etc. (Don’t sue me.)
In Lakewood they vote for whom the Va’ad promotes. Usually it applies to the local officials, but they also give an opinion on the presidential based on consultation with the g’dolim (great of the generation). Of course they promoted McCain.
And yes, it was packed; many parents brought their children.
On the way there I saw three deer on North Lake Dr. (I was coming from yeshivo area).
While there a saw a young Jewish man [‘yungerman’ in Yiddish] who had brought his son. Besides that his son wanted to understand what it means; when his father said they will ‘push the election’, also the father noticed an elderly staffer trying to move over a sign to make some more room. She was having a little hard time; there was a stand with the sign on it, so he held the sign while she moved the stand.
Shal-m. Ultimately it’s all up to Hash-m; we have to go in his ways, and all will be good – better yet – great!!!
p.s. Here is a map link for a good aerial view of the area with the deer. Once your there, drag the screen to the left until you get to Forest Ave, then drag up until you get to 7th St and you will see the yeshivo (Private Way)
I left out the link: http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCC&cp=qphcsj8td0j2&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=7922153&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1
For the first time in my adult life I didnt vote. Not by choice though. I’m registered in NY State, didnt get an absentee ballot this time. Since absentee ballots are not secret and since I voted Bush the last two times, I completely suspect that some part of the Democrat Machine in NY removed me from the rolls.
Chris,
Sonds like democracy at work, funny how they call themselves democrats.
My wife had to wait a half hour to vote first thing in the morning, but I had no wait at our computerized voting machines and it took maybe 2 minutes to vote (in Maryland).
It was raining, so we had fewer of the poll workers shoving literature at you than normal, but while picking up one of my kids at the JCC (not where I vote), they were selling food (from AZA/BBYO).
i swung back to my home district at lunch and popped in and out of the polls.
in Baltimore City, and everything’s been Diebold (or whatever their new name is) here for a while, though they’re talking of going back to manual. basically you get a blank smart card, stick it in the machine, touch some screens, pop the card (still blank) back out and give it to the officials.
the good part is no problems with non-secret ballots.
the fellow who showed me to my voting station remarked, “You look like a smart fellow. I’m sure you’ll vote for the right candidate.” he was a middle-aged black man, so I assume he meant Obama. i’m not revealing who i voted for, but the comment seemed out of place.
Thank God there were no hanging chads this time
I keep my mailing address (for tuition purposes) in my hometown, so thats where my polling place is. When I came to vote at 9am, there was a mini HS reunion in the poll line.
We all had a great time waiting to vote, talking about everything BUT the election 🙂
The woman giving out the tickets wouldn’t give me a second “I voted” sticker, though. That was a little dissapointing.