Sunday, November 9, 2008

Voting Observations

On Tuesday, I exercised my right to vote. Ken and I studied up on all of the California propositions and we watched portions of both of the conventions (as well as some of the debates)and I felt more informed than I have ever been as I went to the polls. Now I have voted in Chicago, Cincinnati, and California.
I went around 11 am and walked right in, no wait whatsoever. In California, they don't require you to present any identification. So, I simply told them my name and they gave me my ballot. I wondered what would stop people from looking at the list of names (which is clearly visible as I checked in) and coming back to vote under another name that wasn't crossed off yet...
My polling place was at a local church but I had some friends who voted in people's garages. That seems a bit wacky to me. Also, I voted with an ink stamp rather than the punch card ballots of Ohio and Illinois. Oddly enough, California doesn't have a universal voting method. Some of my friends voted electronically, some by mail and some voted by this dial thing that they turned.
All in all, it was a good experience. I hope to work at a polling place at an election in the future. I did that once in Chicago and it was really fun and exciting. I worked from 7am-7pm and learned a lot about the process there.

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