Jump to content

How did voting go for you?


Iceheart
 Share

Recommended Posts

I went in yesterday and cast my vote in-person, as usual.

 

The differences?

 

There's a mask mandate right now where if you don't wear a mask in an indoor space you get fined $500. Except for at polling locations! There, there are signs strongly recommending you mask, but no requirement. I have no idea how polling locations can be exempt from the Governor's mandate, but there you are. I wore a mask, duh. All of the staff were masked and wearing face shields and gloves.

 

As I was walking out a guy was walking in, no mask, and a camo "Trump 2020" hat. Now, I seem to remember that wearing political messages on your clothes at the polls was illegal. Trump not being on the ballot himself may be a loophole, but there was a local race between a woman who is so conservative it's amazing she's even running for office and not staying home in the kitchen, and her opponent, who called her "Liberal Lynn" and based his entire campaign on how she's a Never Trumper, while he's a vocal Trump supporter. Considering Trump is on the ballot without being on the ballot... I didn't stick around to hear if anyone asked him to take it off.

 

Instead of using whatever pen or pencil is laying around unused, everyone gets their own pen to use from start to finish and take home. I don't know why getting a free pen now along with the sticker is so exciting, but it is.

 

And the state voted a few years back to not allow split ballots. This meant that I had to choose between voting for the state positions, which had Democratic challengers, and the local positions, all of whom were Republican. Funsies.

 

My main goal was to vote yes on the fire department millage, anyway. My neighbors are a bunch of crazy rednecks with huge bonfire pits and M80's, I'd be stupid not to.

 

How did it go for you? Did you even vote yesterday?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The California primary was back on Super Tuesday, in the Before Time. We're permanent mail voters, so it was a piece of cake.

 

Last time I voted in person was the 2016 primary I think, and only because I accidentally threw away my absentee ballot. It was at the church down the road, walking distance, and went really smoothly too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We vote by mail in Washington. Its fabulous and I vote in nearly every election. I looked up my voting history and apparently I took 2014 off, probably because I was dealing with a medically fragile child.

 

We had a school district bond on the ballot that was pretty important, so I also bullied my husband into filling his out (he almost never votes, despite how easy it is). We voted weeks ago, though. Unfortunately bonds need 60% here probably thanks to Tim Eyman (who thankfully didn't move forward in the governor primary), and it was 58.1% as of last night's count, so I have a feeling it won't pass.

 

We have a top 2 primary system so sometimes we have 2 Democrats running against each other. I am not thrilled about the Republican governor candidate who got through, but I guess it's better than Eyman. He is a police chief and anti-masker because FREEDUMB. The incumbent governor got over 50% of the primary vote, though, so hopefully that is a good sign. A lot of people are unhappy with him because of COVID, but I think he managed it really well.

 

In other excitement, a local candidate who is currently a school board member got hit by a drunk driver yesterday afternoon and broke her back in 2 places. I hope she makes a full recovery and wins her positions (she was actually running for 2, a precinct officer and also for state rep), I really like her.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I voted recently in the primaries which for democrats was super small for choices. I did it in person early and only three people were there. I used a pencil that they gave me to make my choices. It was easy peasey. Now in November it will be completely different and probably nuts. I plan to vote in person hopefully.

 

Something I love is that the city of San Antonio wants to take money that was going to parks and services to start a program to provide funds to start training unemployed people in critical jobs that are needed in San Antonio. They want to take what would have gone to playground equipment and building trails and start a nursing aid program to train people who want better jobs and not have these people pay tuition. I am okay with that. As long as people pick up after themselves in parks and don't destroy playground equipment I think it's a good way to spend money. Especially since no one can play on said playground equipment. They didn't open up the pools this year so they saved on that too. So basically the city is asking it's people is it okay to take that money that they didn't spend to maintain and clean pools and equipment and spend it training people to do good paying work. That's dollars that will go back into the city and I am for it. It will be on the ballot as measure in November. And the GOPers are losing their minds over this. I suspect they're the biggest litterers too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And Trump hired someone to make the USPS worse.

 

If I vote in person in November will be determined by antibodies/immunity. The postal service isnt bad enough to risk going through Covid again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I vote in person because I worked in magazine circulation for 4 years. I know how often mail gets lost. I want to see the machine count my vote.

Anytime one of my friends claim voter fraud is real, they tend to default to "I like to see the machine count my vote", and I always like to imagine a big scoreboard that makes a "ding!" after you press the button and emerge from the voter booth to cheers from one side of the bleachers and dejected silence from the other side.

 

I think I've encountered too many software bugs and expect to see the blue screen of death submitting an in-person ballot. Washington does let you look up your registration status and whether your ballot has been received, so I was able to make sure they received it. We also have in-person drop boxes in just about every town (especially the rural ones) because you used to have to stamp your ballot and no one seems to remember that its free now.

 

Admittedly, a lot of my bitterness towards in-person voting is because I remember the hurdles for my mom to vote in-person because she was wheelchair bound. My mom came home crying after 1 election because it was so hard and took hours and finally at like 8pm someone just ran a ballot out to her. Another friend with MD (also wheelchair bound) shared similar access issues. I voted in-person once in Florida and it was absolutely terrible, and I am able-bodied, have good ID, and transportation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow! That blows my mind about your Mom. The places I vote have been fantastic for people who are wheelchair bound. Many even let them go to the head of the line to vote.

 

I too know the whoas of the USPS. You don't know how bad package logistics is until you take calls ALLL day long this summer asking about a package that shipped three weeks before and still hasn't arrived.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Damn. All our precincts are wheelchair accessible, ground floor, low booths, ADA approved bathrooms on site...

 

It is actually kind of like that. There's a big screen attached to the machine, and when it goes through it makes a little "ta-da!" sound and there's a waving US flag graphic and some message about thanking me for being an American patriot that I never really read, because I want to see what my voter number is. 241 this time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was reminded that the county board of elections has a drop box available, so best of both worlds.

 

Edit: This also is part of a long-term Republican plan to discredit and destroy the postal service. While causing problems for mail-in voting may be the most obvious immediate benefit, this is long-term strategy, not short-term. Having said that, I cant remember the last time I got a package in the mail on the day it was supposed to be delivered. Normally at least 2-3 days additional. But the answer to poor service isnt to make things worse.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OMG Trump stop ****ing with the USPS. I can't take these calls from cry babies who ordered checks but don't want to pay for fast shipping and now are shocked when it takes WAY longer than normal for their dumb way of paying for their items and bills to arrive but couldn't problem solve their way out of a wet paper bag with a flash light and a knife. All this nonsense proves is that you are way scared that you pissed off enough people with your shoddy leadership that you know non-voters are incensed enough to actually vote for Biden and get your dumb ass out the door. Here's hoping your loyal base is healthy enough to make it to the polls. Oh wait, they may have to get an absentee ballot but good luck with that arriving to be counted.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.