Voting on Election Day 2008

Tweet

Contrary to all of the news outlets highlighting the long poll lines around the country, voting in my suburban hometown today ran outstandingly smoothly. The balmy, dry weather certainly helped to entice people outside and to the polls, so it appeared that our turnout would dwarf previous election days. Yet the polls were a model of efficiency. No traffic backups, no lines to get in to vote, no lines to receive a ballot.

As an additional benefit, the gathering was collegial and almost festive. While I imagine that the votes in our town are likely pretty evenly split between Obama and McCain, neighbors, friends and colleagues greeted one another warmly and many stopped to chat inside and outside of the polling place, regardless of political affiliation.

Watching the national news, I am shocked at the ridiculously long lines as so many polling places. While we had a steady stream of cars driving in and voters walking inside, I only waited less than one minute for one person in front of me to state her street name before being handed a ballot. I had a choice of 14 or empty ‘booths’ in which to mark my ballot—we fill in bubbles with a black marker (provided) pretty much like a standardized test. Then I checked out, inserted my ballot into the scanner and departed, okay, with a multitude of conversations along the way, but otherwise no delays. I wonder whether our suburban location has a better ratio of voting booths and volunteers to voters, or whether our scanned paper ballots are a more efficient means of voting.

I took my daughter with me to vote on this historic day. I filled in the bubble for president and she noted that I had left a small white gap. So she helped to ensure all the bubbles were properly completed! Many parents were at the polls with their children alongside. I wonder if 50 years from now, those pre-teens will look back and vaguely recall being taken to vote for president in 2008. What elements will stand out most strongly in my daughter’s memory? The positive and united feeling in the air? A small white bubble being filled in black? A piece of paper sliding into a scanner and the counter ticking from 1250 to 1251? As a community we are united, individually each one of us is significant. I am proud to be a citizen of this country and embrace the positive feeling shared among disparate voters today despite the challenges we face collectively and independently.