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We voted this afternoon in Los Angeles, very easy. No lines, everyone was nice and friendly. And even if there was a line, we would've been fine waiting a little, it's Saturday, we had time on our hands.
As a kid, the local polling place was the elementary school that my siblings and I attended. Sometimes my mother would bring us with her when she went to vote. I remember asking her if I could come in and watch her vote. She said "no" and made us wait outside the school auditorium until she was done
When we moved off the mainland during my last 2 years of high school, my parents would vote in local elections. We were on US soil but not in a state. I went to college on the mainland and voted in my first election when I was in college. Both my parents were adamant that I register to vote since they couldn't vote for president. It was like I was their proxy. Yes, I did vote for McGovern in the one state (besides DC) he won.
When I was older, I would always take my daughter (from the time she was six months old) with me when I voted. When she was 2, I had her in her stroller when I went to the voting booth and closed the curtain. Even though she was next to me, she was scared and called for me. I gave her my left hand to hold and said "I'm right here." and used my right hand to set the levers and open the curtain. As she got older, I continued to take her. Over time, when the voting process changed, I would show her how it was done. When it was her time to vote, she knew how things worked.
This year, I did early voting and it took 45 minutes from the time we parked the car until we finished voting. More than ever this year it was really important for me to vote and I felt relieved after I did so.
Alabama doesn't have early voting, but this time, because of Covid, they had something called "in-person absentee", which is basically early voting. You had to go to the courthouse (the only location allowed), fill out the absentee form, get it approved, vote, seal it in two envelopes, wait for it to be notarized by one of the officials, and leave. Had to show ID, of course.
The process took about 45 minutes a couple of weeks ago. Shortly after, there were reportedly lines all the way around the courthouse square and then some - took hours.
Ballot was mailed to me. I sat on it for a few weeks. I finally decided to vote for Trump and I cursed myself for doing so as I filled it out. I drove to the location to drop it off in the official ballot drop box for my location and I had a blank stare for a minute before I finally decided to drop it in the box.
I requested a ballot on October 22; it arrived a week later as promised in an email from the county board of elections.
Today I dropped it off at a drop box in the courthouse parking lot. The box was staffed by a pollworker and a county security person. There are 10 drop box locations throughout the county. The pollworker checked to make sure I'd signed and dated the envelope, and I dropped it into the box. Took me all of 2 minutes.
Sure, it lacked the community of going to the polls on Election Day, but these are *ahem* unprecedented times. I also don't miss running the gauntlet of candidates' campaign staff.
My polling place (the same for decades) was closed, and moved to a pretty dangerous neighborhood (I live in a major city on the east coast). I used a mail in ballot, dropped it off in person instead. I'll keep doing that long term. It's a very logical way to vote.
All my life, I’ve found it a very positive experience to vote. It’s uplifting knowing that we get to choose who we want for president, each person getting an equal say, and there’s usually a shared pride among the voters. Lots of small talk on line, smiles, even jokes.
Not so this year. I stood in line to early vote (took about an hour), and it was dead silent. Nobody made eye contact. I certainly saw no smiles. The entire experience was....somber. Sad, almost.
It’s the only time I walked out of a polling place feeling disappointed.
My experience was a bit like Rachel's.
Ordinarily, DH and I vote at our local polling place (a bank), so we see familiar faces each time, our neighbors whom we "know" by sight but not necessarily name. The vibe is normally much like Rachel describes, a feeling of pride and patriotism (and respectful, without knowing how anyone is voting). Our city's population is around 120K, so definitely not a small town.
This time we voted at one of the new polling places in town, a much larger facility. It was busy but well organized & efficient, and we were in and out with no problem (everyone was masked and distanced...it's LA County). I wouldn't say it was sad or somber, but there was absolutely no community feel to it. I had to ask for my "I Voted" sticker when usually the poll workers at the exit are happily handing them out with a congratulatory attitude. Definitely different this time.
As a kid, the local polling place was the elementary school that my siblings and I attended. Sometimes my mother would bring us with her when she went to vote. I remember asking her if I could come in and watch her vote. She said "no" and made us wait outside the school auditorium until she was done
When we moved off the mainland during my last 2 years of high school, my parents would vote in local elections. We were on US soil but not in a state. I went to college on the mainland and voted in my first election when I was in college. Both my parents were adamant that I register to vote since they couldn't vote for president. It was like I was their proxy. Yes, I did vote for McGovern in the one state (besides DC) he won.
When I was older, I would always take my daughter (from the time she was six months old) with me when I voted. When she was 2, I had her in her stroller when I went to the voting booth and closed the curtain. Even though she was next to me, she was scared and called for me. I gave her my left hand to hold and said "I'm right here." and used my right hand to set the levers and open the curtain. As she got older, I continued to take her. Over time, when the voting process changed, I would show her how it was done. When it was her time to vote, she knew how things worked.
This year, I did early voting and it took 45 minutes from the time we parked the car until we finished voting. More than ever this year it was really important for me to vote and I felt relieved after I did so.
Great post. This was what I was hoping for. Not a I mailed an envelope this year, but what the voting experience has been in the past.
I loved taking my kids with me and teaching them. This isn't just a right, but a civic duty and a responsibility. same speech my Grandfather gave me. LOL. For my family it also helped my kids get to know the people in our community. That is something we are losing more and more. That sense of community. It's hard to feel it when you don't know anyone else.
I had a talk with an old barber about 5 years ago. Man, that guy cut my hair when I was a boy. He was still snipping. He passed away last year. Anyway, he talked about how the barber shop was the common ground for all the men in the community. They went there to learn the latest news/ gossip. They brought their son's for the first haircut. A meet and greet if you will. This is my boy. Boys learned how to talk like men, act like men, from older men.
Then a terrible thing happened. The men as in the fathers, abdicated their duty of the haircut to their wives. Moms took their sons the hair salon. Ok I'll say it. What the hell. I would never take my daughters to a barber shop, why would I take my son to a beauty parlor? Again what the hell. I know, because sometimes I took my daughters to the hair salon. There is no guy talk there. No talk of hunting or fishing or anything that is even remotely manly. LOL
I remember sitting as a boy waiting for my turn. The men talking about good fishing spots, fishing tricks, listening to the men, listening to the ball game on the radio. God how I miss that now. I live in Asia and their barber shops just aint the same. LOL
Back on topic. The polls were kind of like the barber shop experience, The kids met the old folks and listened to them talk about local topics. Interacted with the old women and men. In other words, they met and experienced their community.
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