6:30 am-Things seem eerily calm today. I wake up to an overcast, cool morning and think I should get to the polls as early as possible, before the lines got too long. I had heard horror stories of five hour lines just this past weekend at the early voting locations, so I thought I would get up around 6:00 and be at the polls when they opened at seven. Of course this was overly ambitious, but I do manage to arrive by 8:05, with a bottle of water, a granola bar, a novel, and all the time in the world.8:05 am-I arrive at the church and am not too horrified. A quick count reveals that I am about 80th in line. About half of my fellow voters look like they are on their way to work (in slacks and/or high heels), an the other half looks more like me, students and homemakers, etc., dressed in jeans or sweats, or leggings. We are not a very diverse group, but neither is our neighborhood. I settle in with my book.
9:05 am-There are now only about 24 people in front of me, the home stretch. My back is a little sore, but my spirits are high. The overall line is much shorter now, so I guess I should have come a little later after all. On the other hand, waiting in line with fellow citizens is part of the voting experience right?
9:30 am-I enter through the doors of the church and cast my vote, laboring over filling in the bubbles completely (just like taking the ACT!). The scanner swallows my ballot, and out the door I go with my "I voted today!" sticker. I hear that Starbucks is giving free coffee to voter, maybe a caffeine kick is just what I need...
I spent about 105 minutes voting today, the least I can do to fulfill one of my civic duties. Everything went very smoothly, a pat on the back for the poll workers. And the weather was great (sorry to all of you up North who had to wait outside in the cold). How long did you have to wait? Answer my poll on the right hand side. Also, please comment on your voting experience!
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