Give Them a Choice and They Will Come
I was hardly prepared for the scene that greeted me at our local polling place when I arrived shortly before it opened at 6:00 a.m. It was still very dark. I had to park a block away and there were already 278 people in line in front of me. I know this because a long-time official was making a count and shaking his head in disbelief. I contrast this to the last Presidential election when I arrived at 6:00 and was 4th to vote.
As we waited in line to vote, a well-dressed man passed out Democratic sample ballots. The black man ahead of me said he was quite sure of how he would vote and didn’t need one. I was happy to see Obama’s name on top thinking that’s a good place to be psychologically.
An overweight man in a blue tee shirt walked by but didn’t even offer me a Republican sample ballot. They had been there obviously though putting up McCain signs every 10 feet along the sidewalk where we waited.
I talked to a couple of lawyers who had come from Maryland to make sure there was no funny business at the polls. Everyone was in good spirits as we alluded to the change we all needed and conveyed our choice without even mentioning his name.
This was a time when I was overjoyed to see a line, to spend an hour waiting to take advantage of my right as a citizen.
posted by Barbara at 11:30 AM
11 Comments:
We are six hours ahead of you, so I will have to stay up late and watch CNN. we are all quite excited here, too. 85 % of the Germans would vote for Obama!
Isn't it funny how everyone was talking about Obama without a whisper of his name? I loved it.
Angela -- Hopefully when you wake up tomorrow, you will know that Americans did the right thing!
Lemmonex -- Yes, everyone was being so polite as we talked in a "code" language. Quite funny!
I was out just after 6 a.m. and the line already stretched around the corner and down the block from the polling place. It's so exciting to see people engaged! And everyone seemed to be in such good spirits. I think we're all glad to have this thing OVER.
Steve -- I selfishly want it to be over with the outcome I voted for! But yes, it will be nice to free up the front page for something else. Life beyond Super Tuesday...
Wow. As excited as I am to hear about the overwhelming turnout at the polls, I'm also happy that I was able to waltz right in at 10:00 without so much as a ten second wait to vote. Guess it pays to live in a smaller community, because I remember waiting forever when I lived in Chicago.
P.S. OBAMA! W00t!!!! Sorry, just couldn't contain myself...
My goodness, Barbara- you must be a morning person! See...as a self-employed person, I chose to go vote in the late morning (10:15)with the rest of the self-employed, unemployed, and retired folk...and I was outta there in under 6 minutes!!
Mo -- I'm thinking I have the feeling of a husband waiting for his wife to give birth, wanting it to be over, but more than anything to know that the baby turns out to be healthy. Not sure if Obama would like this analogy, but that's the way I feel today.
Aileen -- The good news is that as a retired person I could come back home, have some breakfast, and then go back to bed, which is exactly what I did. I loved talking to people in line this morning. It was sort of like the pre-game entertainment.
A friend of mine emailed me from his iPhone while he was with the Arlington Co. Sheriff, monitoring the poll there. NoVa seems like we know what will happen, but we'll have to see about SoVa. Meanwhile, voting in my laid back neighborhood was laid back, with zero line.
MC -- Virginia was giving me a lot of heartburn for the first couple of hours. It was when the Northern Virginia votes got added in that the balance shifted significantly. I was about to think all my work had been in vain!
I'm with Mo - I walted in without a wait at 10 a.m. but I wouldn't have minded a line. Yesterday was just so anxious for me; physically waiting would have fit so well with the way I felt.
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