What was slowing down the voting process? Was it people waiting for a voting booth? Waiting to sign in? Waiting to have the process of filling out the ballot explained?
I think that even a flood of people can be pushed through the polls relatively quickly except for the wait to get a booth, and when I was an election judge regularly had people filling out their ballots while standing and waiting. This was their choice, and permitted.
I feel for lsanderson who is working now as a precinct support judge. I hope he comes back with some stories, anyway.
K. [I met him well before he found fandom, when I was judging and so was he]
The bottleneck in my precinct was that they had only one vote-scanning machine. Hope they'll have more next time.
There were a number of people who stood in line for an hour, only to discover at the sign-in table that they had come to the wrong voting place. Precinct lines had just been redrawn because of the new census.
I know that registered voters were sent a postcard well before the primary to tell them where to vote now. It's always so hard on people who don't navigate well in our quite liberal system for registration and voting. I was amazed to see that they now permit registration on election day using a utility bill as part of proof of identity. When there are reports of problems that can be solved in real time, my experience with Election Headquarters is that they do an impressive job of providing solutions. If there was not some map to understand the new redistricting posted on the wall (to be pointed out) or someone telling the line of people waiting what the new district boundaries were (to get them sent on to the proper polling place), then I am surprised.
K. [certainly some people arrived at the correct polling place too late to cast a ballot, and no doubt they are angry about that]
There were maps on streets and apartment buildings everywhere in my area and up Nicollet. It was pretty cool.
The election volunteers are pretty attached to those utility bills -- they almost didn't let me register in my new precint with my (correct) driver's license!
It was very slow at my precinct because we only had one ballot scanner. Hope there will be more next time. A number of people discovered belatedly that they had come to the wrong polling station. Our precinct boundaries were redrawn, of course, because of the recent census.
The results have been coming in slowly but enough have been tabulated that I spent my breakfast this morning crying over my newspaper about the election results.
I too duly exercised my rights as a citizen. For, as has been said downthread, all the good it did me. There were lines at my voting place too, for a number of reasons: the new maps, and people explaining them to the map-impaired (waves hand); the necessity of explaining the ballot -- single new bit for the Senatorial race, don't vote in this blocked-off bit -- oh, man, did I ever have an overwhelming primal urge to vote for Wellstone even if it would have invalidated the ballot -- the School Board is on the back of the first page, don't forget it; the second page is all judges, you don't have to vote in every race but it's great if you do. Then you had to hand the Senatorial piece of paper to an election judge and then run the rest of the ballot through the scanning machine. We had only one, like Peg.
Also they had run out of folders for the ballots (Raphael got a couple of sheets of cardboard taped together, with "Folder" written on it, though not in crayon) and they had run out of I Voted stickers, which inclines me to believe that turnout was higher than anticipated, which would also slow things down. I thought everybody working there did a great job, though. I just wish the voters had done a greater one. For my local value of "greater." Wah.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
I think that even a flood of people can be pushed through the polls relatively quickly except for the wait to get a booth, and when I was an election judge regularly had people filling out their ballots while standing and waiting. This was their choice, and permitted.
I feel for
K. [I met him well before he found fandom, when I was judging and so was he]
Minnesota voting
There were a number of people who stood in line for an hour, only to discover at the sign-in table that they had come to the wrong voting place. Precinct lines had just been redrawn because of the new census.
Long day for the election judges. Oy.
Re: Minnesota voting
K. [certainly some people arrived at the correct polling place too late to cast a ballot, and no doubt they are angry about that]
Re: Minnesota voting
The election volunteers are pretty attached to those utility bills -- they almost didn't let me register in my new precint with my (correct) driver's license!
no subject
Voting in Minnesota
The results have been coming in slowly but enough have been tabulated that I spent my breakfast this morning crying over my newspaper about the election results.
Damn. Paul, I miss you so much today.
Peg
Re: Voting in Minnesota
Ain't that the truth.
*sigh*
I had a couple of good long ranting conversations with friends who were as depressed by the election outcomes as I was.
no subject
Wish it did some good.
B
no subject
Also they had run out of folders for the ballots (Raphael got a couple of sheets of cardboard taped together, with "Folder" written on it, though not in crayon) and they had run out of I Voted stickers, which inclines me to believe that turnout was higher than anticipated, which would also slow things down. I thought everybody working there did a great job, though. I just wish the voters had done a greater one. For my local value of "greater." Wah.
Pamela