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Croney

(4,646 posts)
Mon Oct 22, 2018, 12:37 PM Oct 2018

I was FIRST to vote! But what a mess.

I voted at the little library named after Tip O'Neill. It was supposed to start at noon. The room was 14' x 20' and it held a conference table, eight voting booths, a desk, seven chairs, a printer, scanners, ballot box, supplies, and five people who were just setting up and figuring out what to do.

As the line grew behind me, everybody was calm and jovial, but at 12:15 some people left. After much discussion, they handed me a ballot and I filled it in. But I couldn't put it in the box without an envelope that wasn't there. A police officer arrived with two boxes of 500 envelopes each. I got one and was told I had to stand there and fill out the info on it by hand, but there was no place to stand and the pens weren't working on the envelopes. Then I had to place a sticker across it to seal it. I finally put it in the box!

It was all worth it. I'm going to assume my ballot was properly handled and my straight D ticket will count. Yay!

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lunatica

(53,410 posts)
1. Did you get a receipt?
Mon Oct 22, 2018, 12:43 PM
Oct 2018

Something to prove you voted might come in handy just to prove you should be counted.

Croney

(4,646 posts)
6. No, they called the sticker a receipt, but
Mon Oct 22, 2018, 12:57 PM
Oct 2018

I had to put it on the envelope to seal it. It had identifying info on it. I've never been offered a receipt when voting. I don't know how it could be used.

lunatica

(53,410 posts)
8. There's usually a part of the ballot you can tear off and keep
Mon Oct 22, 2018, 02:33 PM
Oct 2018

It’s also on the absentee ballots.

Years ago when the first electronic votes were used I was stunned that I didn’t get a printout when I was finished voting. I was very uncomfortable with the knowledge that my vote seemed to go into the etheric void. Did it count? Did it get changed? Was it ever even seen?

I always made sure to vote absentee after that. I don’t trust the integrity of the people running the computers.

LisaM

(27,748 posts)
13. The spoilage rate of absentee or in-person ballots is much higher than in-person voting.
Tue Oct 23, 2018, 06:34 PM
Oct 2018

I'd prefer to vote in person, but our state no longer has it.

grantcart

(53,061 posts)
15. The return of mail in ballots is 30% higher than voting person
Tue Oct 23, 2018, 07:25 PM
Oct 2018

According to our local organizers

LisaM

(27,748 posts)
17. I think it depends. Washington got better over the primary because they added postage.
Tue Oct 23, 2018, 07:51 PM
Oct 2018

But we had an election not too long ago with the worst percentage turnout since the depression.

At least they have the added postage again. I think that makes a huge difference.

Croney

(4,646 posts)
11. Interesting thought! Other places, maybe,
Tue Oct 23, 2018, 11:10 AM
Oct 2018

but it's Cambridge, Mass., so I doubt if there was a Republican in the room. Just first-day bumbling; they were probably experts by the next day.

IrishEyes

(3,275 posts)
14. Hopefully, the people who left will come back another day.
Tue Oct 23, 2018, 06:38 PM
Oct 2018

They may have tried to vote on their lunch hour and ran out of time. It is better that they can open early and get out the kinks before Election Day.

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