So the wife and I tried to vote on Monday. But of course I have little patience with government. We got to the one "1" poling place in this fairly large county, only to find a double line, out the door and across the parking lot. Its not a single file line and appears longer than it should because others like the wife and I go to vote together. Lots of others, too. The line does seem to be moving from time to time, but slowly, and the social distancing mandate keeps it spread out.

On Monday, being impatient, we left. But then yesterday the dreary drizzle had sort of let up and we stood in line to get a 2nd shower, this one cold and without soap. We got inside to see what was taking so long. Poll "workers", kind of a generous term, were checking drivers licenses and working at the speed of government. Which is slow at best. No wonder folks aren't even bothering to get out of their cars and get wet. But then its the only game in town so to speak. If you want to vote for the prospective laggards, this is where you do it. The only place in the county. Guess I could have asked for an absentee ballot. But then I'm not the trusting type and I've been reading about crooked mail folks tossing dozens in the garbage because they are just too bulky to bother delivering.

So here's my bet. There will be a bunch of changes next election cycle.

Back in my youth I went hunting. I put on my heavy canvas coat, pinned a license on the back, and went looking for disfavored critters to shoot. We should require anyone seeking office to wear bright colored clothes with a hat that contains lights. Just to make them visible. Then we get to blast the living hell out of the bastards.

If voter totals are down, its not a big surprise that most folks won't stand outside in a drizzle to vote for or against them. I've seen longer lines at individual precinct polling places. In a more normal year, we'd be lynching the election officials. Its what we need to do this year. Maybe make them wear beanies with red lights, too. That way we'd know who to shoot. Failing to wear the identifying garb would subject them to immediate castration. I haven't figured out a suitable punishment for female election vermin. But I do know it should be painful and embarrassing.

I used to hear hollow talk about a thing called the "will of the electorate". Anyone here know what that speaks to?

After long lines in 2000, our county (Santa Rosa, FL) election supervisor decided not to seek re-election. He hadn't increased polling places even though the population in the area had exploded. I saw lines snaking down the shoulder of Hwy 98! Across the bay in Pensacola, the election supervisor was outed by the Boston Globe for discarding votes to make the undervotes equal the overvotes. She also decided not to stand for re-election.

In FL and KY, you can drop off your absentee ballot at any election office; you don't have to mail it in. That's what I did.

I’m in CAlifornia. Been going to the church auditorium about 10 houses down the road to vote as long as I’ve lived in this house. The wife who researches all the ballot measures comes out and tells me yesterday if we want to vote in person 1) we have to vote somewhere else, they consolidated from dozens to a few polling places this year in my town. 2) we have to bring the ballot they mailed us which she promptly shredded because she refused to mail in her vote 3) if we want to vote in person and do not have the mail ballot it will be a provisional ballot at that site etc. Nobody asked me and I never heard about a discussion of these changes. We have always voted in person and never solicited an absentee ballot. The state just forced these changes willy nilly.

Your thread title is bait and switch.

The State isn't suppressing your right to vote. They aren't going out of their way to make it easy to vote early (or maybe even on voting day), but please explain the suppression. The process is established, follow it and voting will/can occur. It also appears you did so once inside?

Hate you had to deal with the elements and that the process isn't as efficient as it should be. If you want a different process, that might take greater involvement and yet more voting.

Stay well.

quote:

We got to the one "1" poling place in this fairly large county, only to find a double line, out the door and across the parking lot.

How many polling places will there be on election day? You don't have to vote early.

They invented this thing called an umbrella...

Just sayin...

I and many others spent some miserable years working on aircraft in some most inhospitable places away from home and loved ones, quite a number of folks did the same in rough seas aboard ships, some in fields, deserts, below freezing, damned cold wet, unrelenting heat, with dust, sand and bugs you never seen crawling in every orifice you knew of and some you were surprised to find revealed. And way too many folks to count, in the ground, during those times and places.

They did that to ensure you could stand for a few hours, once every four years, inconvenienced.

Life's tough, get a fucking helmet.

I have no more patience left for whiners.*



*(People with a legitimate bitch, not included.)

Scott County did a great job. The "judges" scanned your driver's license/state id, and the computer checked the rolls. I was given a paper ballot and pen. I completed the ballot, walked it to a scanner, and scanned it in. The ballot went in a box for cross-checking, I assume. 12 voting stations, 2 scanners, 10 minutes with 30 people ahead of us. It was slick enough I emailed my compliments to the Sec of State.

Wait, your election officials can make it rain whenever they want?

How is this voter suppression? You sound like AOC.

quote:

Originally posted by JohnCourage:
How is this voter suppression? You sound like AOC.

Hey! That's Congresswoman AOC to you, buddy.

You guys say that, but "go slow" work by the election crew during bad weather in "disfavored" precincts would be a classic voter suppression technique if it were done deliberately. Here, though, there's nothing to make it sound as though it was done deliberately.

There is no doubt in many D states the protocol was changed using COVID as the reason to suppress voter participation.

They limit access with COVID requirements, be it mail in, long lines, reduced voting booths, cleaning protocols, reduced precinct locations or all of the above. The result being people who come and leave, or decide to screw it because they see two lines of people 100 deep outside.

As a group R tend to vote in person, and late, D vote by mail or early. Just read the comments on the number of people here that are going on election day, statistics prove it out.

Our polling station it took triple the time to get through on the first day of early voting, what do you think the wait times will be on election day. Half the stations, required covid cleaning of each station, pen, required ID checks with digital signature devices that work half the time with the q tip you have to use.

My advice is to get there early and get your vote in now, don't wait for election day unless you have all day to wait....

I've never understood how delays count as supression of one side or another - it would seem that delays equally bother both D and R voters...

I believe from your prior posts that you are in Kenton County, as am I. If that is not correct, please disregard the rest.

-Kenton County has two (2) early voting locations, not one (1). One is at the County building in Covington, the other is at the Senior Center in Independence.

-My lovely wife voted early at the County building on Monday since she will be out of town next week. When she first arrived, she saw a long line as you described. However, upon further investigation she determined the long line was for vehicle registrations. She was able to walk into the building and vote with only a minimal wait.

-On November 3, there will be 23 poling locations, which is down from the normal 57. The reason for the reduction is a lack of poll workers and the need for voting machines to be at the early voting locations.

Not in my county in Texas. Except for having to fill out rather large boxes with a ball point pen (sanitized, for my protection). Otherwise, it was like the Jetsons. In, out. Bada bing, Bada boom.

Oldham County,Ky., had 3 early voting locations starting October 13, weekdays and Saturdays, plus absentee by mail or Dropbox. Easy, slick, quick, with ID and electronic signature verification, plus in person voting at 4 big middle schools on November 3. Excellent for a county of 60,000 give or take folks. Took the wife and me 30 minutes to vote. We are, indeed, fortunate.
I hope others here are as fortunate.
Good luck, stay safe.
Blackhorse4

You can’t get any more “effed-up” in Kentucky than Jefferson County (Metro Louisville), and we have 700,000+ people.

Currently have four (4) early voting locations for countywide (open 6-days Mon-Sat, from 0830 to 1630 hours), which will triple (using school buildings) that on Election Day itself (0600-1800 hours).

Wife and I voted in-person last week, and it took only 15 minutes. Multiple Voter ID check stations depending upon your precinct address, with multiple machines to scan the paper ballot.

We didn’t want to wait too close to Election Day, as you never know about what events (civil disturbances, voter intimidation, COVID Plague, whatever) might come into play.

Washington State is all “vote by mail.” However, just as I wouldn’t mail $1,000 in cash anywhere neither would I mail my ballot.
What we have are drop boxes. There are 50 in the county and are easy to find. It’s drive up, stick your ballot in the drop box and you’re done. The boxes are emptied once and sometime more each day.
We can then track our ballots online.

quote:

Originally posted by ffips:
Your thread title is bait and switch.

The State isn't suppressing your right to vote. They aren't going out of their way to make it easy to vote early (or maybe even on voting day), but please explain the suppression. The process is established, follow it and voting will/can occur. It also appears you did so once inside?

Hate you had to deal with the elements and that the process isn't as efficient as it should be. If you want a different process, that might take greater involvement and yet more voting.

Stay well.

Not to mention we started voting on OCTOBER 13........