An election day story - non political - Page 3

Gorgf · ‎03-10-2010

@vermint We still have paper ballots. Voting machines were available here only about 10 years ago. Today paper again due to Covid. One sits in your car and you take your turn driving in a maze. Three lines and into one. They take your Driver's licence twice. Give you a number and write a number on your car. It takes about an hour to an hour and a half The assistants were all nice guiding us through. Half of the 2300 registered voters have voted either by appointment or mail in so I figured I would go in person.

I had to redo my ballet as I thought heard the assistant say follow the arrows and it was CONNECT the arrows. Dummy me...made an X like I did in April with the similar paper system and for most of my adult voting years (50). I began voting at 18. I was allowed to redo my ballot.

They used to have pencils connected to those voting booths and I think we had four booths. The machines were slick, fast and I miss them. So much more private and organized. Small town USA?

Porcelain · ‎02-19-2014

Growing up I remember my schools were always voting places. It was always considered such a special festive thing. I couldn't wait until I could go in there one day and pull the curtain behind me too.

They don't have curtains on the booths anymore, so that part never happened. I still love my wonderful right and haven't missed a major election in a long time. I have my 'I voted' stickers on my laptops because I'm so proud of them. When one computer dies, I start a new line of them on the new computer.

When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.
"Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

chiclets · ‎07-01-2012

Voting is important.

What I like about voting is the right to do so.

I remember having to bring proof of who I was and where I lived and a bill or something showing I actually lived there when I voted.

I relocated and the first time I voted in that state they actually handed me a piece of paper. I literally laughed. I told them I read about this in school books explaining how people used to vote. No one wanted my identification and I was scolded for holding up the line and for being ignorant.

So educated myself about the town. I made appointments to speak with those who were on the town boards and I observed the process. I became a census taker, and on the committee to count the ballots. The person who had called me ignorant actually apologized to me. I asked him how he remembered and he replied it was my New York attitude and speech.

It is so easy for fraud to be done when there are paper ballots to be counted. So observing your vote going through the machine is an absolute when you can. And anyone can be you.

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

My story is more my husband's story. We live very rural, and our polling place is never very busy relative to what happens in cities. We both went to the machines at the same time, and they are rather open, you can see everyone around you (not their screen though).

My husband was struggling, and looked over at me and said " This machine is flipping my vote". Every vote he made, it registered just the opposite. I looked at him and said, "Don't tell me, tell them", as I pointed to the poll workers.

They closed the machine and moved him to another.

I've always wondered if people really review their ballots, and watch to be sure what they are selecting, is what is being tallied.