No Wednesday?

Heffalump

I lied earlier: my On This Day just popped up in FB, and apparently 2012 was 90 minutes.  Must be like childbirth, you don't really remember how bad it was.

short+sassy

Voted for Clinton in '92.  I was a few weeks shy of 19.

I've never had much of a wait time to vote.  I've even voted in two different states/areas.  Wow!  I've been shocked to read those posts.

SaintPaulGal

Wow, I'm pretty horrified to hear that some of you folks have to wait for an extended period of time to cast your votes.  I mean, I've heard about the concept of voting lines on the news but it's not something I have ever experienced.  The longest I have ever had to wait was in college when some organization took vans of students to the polls.  We all had to wait in line to register to vote, then take our newly-minted registrations to the next table and wait in line to claim our ballots, and finally line up to take our places in the actual voting booths.  Even at that, as one of the last people off the bus, I was in and out in about 15 minutes.  At my polling place I have voted in every election/primary/referendum in the past 6 years and it has never taken more than 5 minutes total.  I am also super lucky in that my polling place is directly across the street from my house so the entire process of voting since moving here has never been more than 10 minutes from leaving the house to getting back home.

In my state we have in-person early voting and no-cause absentee ballots. (This is a somewhat recent development; you used to have to have a qualifying reason to vote by mail, but now anyone who is eligible to vote can do it that way.)  A bunch of my friends have already voted, but I prefer the excitement of doing it on election day.  I'm a little disappointed that FI will be on a business trip that day so we won't get to go together.  He is doing his by mail.

Oh, and the first presidential election I voted in was for Obama's first term.  My first experience voting was the midterm election before that in 2006.

OliveOilsMom

My first election was the 2000 debacle of Bush/Gore. I voted for Gore, thanks a lot Florida!

I have also never been more than 20 minutes at a polling place.  I've lived in 3 different districts now, all NJ.  I typically will vote prior to work to beat any crowd.  But even when I stop at the polls on my way home, I've never had a long wait.  They also don't give out "I Voted" stickers at our polls

Heffalump

OliveOilsMom said:

My first election was the 2000 debacle of Bush/Gore. I voted for Gore, thanks a lot Florida!

I have also never been more than 20 minutes at a polling place.  I've lived in 3 different districts now, all NJ.  I typically will vote prior to work to beat any crowd.  But even when I stop at the polls on my way home, I've never had a long wait.  They also don't give out "I Voted" stickers at our polls

Blasphemy!  I am 5 years old inside, so I love the stickers!  DS got mine this year:

bleve0821

I voted for the first time in person in the primaries this past spring.  It was anticlimactic.  No lines.  No waiting.  I have never voted in a general election in person, always by absentee.  My first election was 2008.

I remember when I was very small, my mom took my brother and me with her to vote at one of the local polling places.  I think it was a school.  It felt like we waited all damn day in line.  That had to have been the early '90's.  We were still in MD at the time, so '92, maybe?

*Barbie*

2004 was the first presidential and probably first overall. 
I'm pretty apathetic when it comes to politics (giant douche vs. turd sandwich analogy), so until recently I haven't voted in the years between presidential elections unless there was a specific candidate or measure that I had strong feelings about.

lyndausvi

*Barbie* said:

2004 was the first presidential and probably first overall. 
I'm pretty apathetic when it comes to politics (giant douche vs. turd sandwich analogy), so until recently I haven't voted in the years between presidential elections unless there was a specific candidate or measure that I had strong feelings about.

Unfortunately that is kind-of the problem with the US.   A lot of people only vote every 4 years. Or only presidential and governor if they were in different years.

 Local, county, state, senate/representative elections are just as, if not more important the presidential.      

The president only one third of our federal gov't structure.    The president needs congress to get things passed.  When people ignore the elections in between the presidential ones they are essentially allowing career politicians remain in office.   And around and around we go with congress and the president fighting to get shit passed.    If more people took interest in the mid-presidential-terms elections we might be able to get better people in office. 

Glad you started voting in other elections, I wish more people would do that.


ETA - while I'm on my soapbox.   Voting is NOT limited to electing a politician to office.  Here in CO we have 3 or 4 amendment additions and/or changes. We have issues like raising minimal wage.   Locally we have 3 issues wanting to raising taxes.    

2 years ago we had a bill that essentially banned all abortions.   Lobbyist love to put those types of bills on ballots during mid-presidential-term elections knowing people do not bother paying attention to those elections.

short+sassy

*Barbie* said:

2004 was the first presidential and probably first overall. 
I'm pretty apathetic when it comes to politics (giant douche vs. turd sandwich analogy), so until recently I haven't voted in the years between presidential elections unless there was a specific candidate or measure that I had strong feelings about.

I think this was one of the best South Park episodes, just because of the discussion it fostered about voting...even when the choices are bad, because they usually are.

lyndausvi said:

*Barbie* said:

2004 was the first presidential and probably first overall. 
I'm pretty apathetic when it comes to politics (giant douche vs. turd sandwich analogy), so until recently I haven't voted in the years between presidential elections unless there was a specific candidate or measure that I had strong feelings about.

Unfortunately that is kind-of the problem with the US.   A lot of people only vote every 4 years. Or only presidential and governor if they were in different years.

 Local, county, state, senate/representative elections are just as, if not more important the presidential.      

The president only one third of our federal gov't structure.    The president needs congress to get things passed.  When people ignore the elections in between the presidential ones they are essentially allowing career politicians remain in office.   And around and around we go with congress and the president fighting to get shit passed.    If more people took interest in the mid-presidential-terms elections we might be able to get better people in office. 

Glad you started voting in other elections, I wish more people would do that.


ETA - while I'm on my soapbox.   Voting is NOT limited to electing a politician to office.  Here in CO we have 3 or 4 amendment additions and/or changes. We have issues like raising minimal wage.   Locally we have 3 issues wanting to raising taxes.    

2 years ago we had a bill that essentially banned all abortions.   Lobbyist love to put those types of bills on ballots during mid-presidential-term elections knowing people do not bother paying attention to those elections.

Yes!!!  I think local elections are far more important for a typical person's day-to-day life.