[Mrjinglesusa]

Don't post until you actually vote.

[Shaddim]

and here come all the Europeans and Canadians who will, no doubt, vote in this poll.

[shmerek]

Blame Canada!!

[shmerek]

Damn that Nader he is stealing votes from Kerry!

[Shaddim]

If Bush wins, I'll remember to send Nader a nice fruit basket.

[TheBadgerHunter]

While I am not American to be fair I did choose Nader. Just so the other vote wouldn't be lonely.

[icruise]

I just got back from voting. I went at 6:00AM (which is when the polls opened), but I still had to stand in line for about half an hour. Then they said that my signature didn't look enough like the signature they had on file, so I showed them ID. Then I and a couple other people had to wait because the poll workers thought we needed a different kind of ballot (that turned out not to be the case). The poll workers didn't seem to be on top of things, but I did get to vote.

[Voch]

I showed up at the polls here in Cleveland at 6:20. They opened promptly at 6:30. I was eighth in line at my precinct (they split up our ward by precinct so the lines are shorter). Signed my name. Punched some holes. Almost dropped my ballot in the box without the jacket cover thingy (!). Went home and ate breakfast and now I'm at work.

[wataru]

I voted Kerry by absentee ballot.

On the other hand, I voted against Thor Anderson for whatever post he was running for. I figured it would be dangerous having someone with such a powerful name in public office.

[Shaddim]

Originally posted by wataru:
I voted Kerry by absentee ballot.

On the other hand, I voted against Thor Anderson for whatever post he was running for. I figured it would be dangerous having someone with such a powerful name in public office.

If I were you, I wouldn't go outside during any thuderstorms for a while.

[scadboy]

I arrived at my polling place at 6am, an hour before it was sheduled to open, to find a group of ten or so people already in line. No biggie, so I got in line and chit-chatted with my fellow citizens, and by the time the polls opened, the line was stretched around the side of the building.

Strangely, everyone ahead of me got log-jammed in the "A-K" registration line, and being the first "L-Z" I got to cast my vote first in my district! woo hoo. Somehow, I feel like my vote should be weighted since I was first, but that's probably not how they do it.

Oh, and I voted for Kerry, pretty much a straight party ticket, except Sheriff, since I worked on the Republican candidate's campaign, and cuz he's had the job for 100 years and everybody loves him.

woo democracy!

-michael

[vmpaul]

Voted bright and early at 7:00am. Waited about 15 minutes. When I left, the line was 3 times longer than when I came. Good sign.

Kind of an empty feeling voting electronically though. No receipt, no verification that my vote has gone through.

Call me an Ageist but I'm a little skittish about Seniors handling these sophisticated electronic voting machines. I have a feeling if we followed them home all their VCR's would be blinking 12:00...12:00....12:00....

[ManOfSteal]

Originally posted by vmpaul:
Call me an Ageist but I'm a little skittish about Seniors handling these sophisticated electronic voting machines. I have a feeling if we followed them home all their VCR's would be blinking 12:00...12:00....12:00....

[Shaddim]

Originally posted by vmpaul:

Call me an Ageist but I'm a little skittish about Seniors handling these sophisticated electronic voting machines. I have a feeling if we followed them home all their VCR's would be blinking 12:00...12:00....12:00....

What are these "VCRs" you speak of?

[vmpaul]

Originally posted by MacNStein:
What are these "VCRs" you speak of?

LOL. Exactly.

[itai195]

Originally posted by vmpaul:
Call me an Ageist but I'm a little skittish about Seniors handling these sophisticated electronic voting machines. I have a feeling if we followed them home all their VCR's would be blinking 12:00...12:00....12:00....

At my polling place they could get assistance from a poll worker. But I'm not sure every polling station is as well staffed as mine was (hopefully they generally have more parking though). But I'd imagine they would have more trouble with the old paper punch ballets, seeing those little holes/numbers might be tough with old eyes.

A woman left my polling place still carrying her electronic voting card. Ooops.

[scaught]

went at 10:30 or so. short line. scantron style ballot. a bunch of plastic standups on a table to ensure privacy while filling it out. it looked like a "DM screen" (for you geeks out there), or a "trapper keeper" binder you would use to guard your test answers in middle school.

line went quick. voted kerry.

weird thing, and maybe someone can help me here, noone asked to see any form of ID. they trusted that i was who i said i was.

which led me to think: go around my neighborhood and find all the yards with bush signs on their front yard, search their name, and beat them to the polls.

[xi_hyperon]

Originally posted by scaught:
weird thing, and maybe someone can help me here, noone asked to see any form of ID. they trusted that i was who i said i was.

wow.

[itai195]

Originally posted by scaught:
weird thing, and maybe someone can help me here, noone asked to see any form of ID. they trusted that i was who i said i was.

I also wasn't asked for ID, but the girl in front of me was. I think only first time voters in my county have to show ID.

[GSixZero]

In Washington State, it's against the law to ask for any voter who has voted in WA before for photo ID. First time voters can be verified by photo ID, but not otherwise.

[Turias]

Registered and voted this morning at 7:30. Took about an hour, and it was pretty painless. Quick form to get registered, simple fill-in-the-oval ballot, and I was done.

One old lady wheeled up to me and asked me if I was for or against the president. I shrugged and walked away. I don't think she is allowed to do that, but whatever.

[Logic]

Originally posted by scaught:
weird thing, and maybe someone can help me here, noone asked to see any form of ID. they trusted that i was who i said i was.

That's really weird. Here on Iceland and in Sweden you aren't able to vote unless you provide an ID.

[MindFad]

I many states ID is not required. Your signature is your ID.

[finboy]

Originally posted by MindFad:
I{n} many states ID is not required. Your signature is your ID.

That's scary as hell.

[Xeo]

I voted at about 10am. They had a van going continuously between the voting place and our school so I was able to hitch a ride which made life easier. When I got there, my name was on the list of registered voters, but since I'm in a different dorm room I had to re-register. Rather stupid since my actual address is the same, but whatever. We were forced to use red ink, which I found odd.

The entire process took me about 20 min, and half that was filling out the registration, and half of the other half was riding in the van. Piece of cake.

I was surprised at just how many candidates for president are on the MN ballot. I didn't even know who most of them were which I guess makes me a not-so-informed voter. I knew who was getting my vote for that one anyway. Most of the other positions I was ill-informed about only had one candidate for each so I just circled them in.

So, +1 for Kerry. I was the 276th voter at that location today.

[icruise]

Originally posted by Logic:
That's really weird. Here on Iceland and in Sweden you aren't able to vote unless you provide an ID.

Do you have a national ID system?

[ThinkInsane]

Here, you have to sign the vote book, next to a photo copy of your signature from the voter registration card, they then compare the signatures, but don't ask for ID. better than nothing, but probably not the best method.

[scaught]

Originally posted by itai195:
I also wasn't asked for ID, but the girl in front of me was. I think only first time voters in my county have to show ID.

thats what ive gathered in conversations with my peers since i went to the polling place this am (uh, i talked to some dudes on IM).

but i have a young friend whos 19, and she didnt get asked to show ID.

no signature comparisons either. pretty much no method of verifying who i am other than i said i was who i said i was, and my name was in the book.

oh. and i think i was number 0485 at around 1030, which is a good thing.

[Logic]

Originally posted by Icruise:
Do you have a national ID system?

Sort of. We don't have any special ID cards(anymore at least, I think) but any debit card, passport, etc will do since those aren't issued unless it's absolutely certain that you are who you claim you are. They are compared to the national register etc etc.

[itai195]

Originally posted by scaught:
but i have a young friend whos 19, and she didnt get asked to show ID.

She may have voted in the primary. I was caught off guard that I didn't have to show ID the first time I voted at a polling place a few years ago, because all my previous voting had been done absentee. I absolutely agree that voters should have to show ID. It seems like a pretty obvious requirement to me!

[Geezus_Aach]

I VOTED!

[boots]

Originally posted by finboy:
That's scary as hell.

It is, but a lot of people (certainly not a majority or anywhere close) don't have photo ID's. If you don't drive, you generally don't need one. Given that, how do you require photo ID when you know part of your electorate does not have them?

Do you require them? Well, that's pretty close to a national ID, and a lot of people are vehemently against that. So what do you do?

[Turias]

Originally posted by boots:
It is, but a lot of people (certainly not a majority or anywhere close) don't have photo ID's. If you don't drive, you generally don't need one. Given that, how do you require photo ID when you know part of your electorate does not have them?

Do you require them? Well, that's pretty close to a national ID, and a lot of people are vehemently against that. So what do you do?

Really? I thought that most people without driver's licenses had state IDs. Can you really go through life (getting a job, a place of residence, etc) without any photo identification?

[boots]

Originally posted by Turias:
Really? I thought that most people without driver's licenses had state IDs. Can you really go through life (getting a job, a place of residence, etc) without any photo identification?

Yes. All you need is a social security number for employment, etc. One could argue that we do have a national ID system, it just isn't a photo ID.

[E's Lil Theorem]

Performed my civic duty about three hours ago. I got to there about 7:05AM and the line had about 10 people, plus the seven or so that were already voting. It wasn't my first time voting, so I was not asked to show an ID. All in all, a good 20-30 minutes well spent.

[ThinkInsane]

Originally posted by boots:
It is, but a lot of people (certainly not a majority or anywhere close) don't have photo ID's. If you don't drive, you generally don't need one. Given that, how do you require photo ID when you know part of your electorate does not have them?

Do you require them? Well, that's pretty close to a national ID, and a lot of people are vehemently against that. So what do you do?

In NY, you can get a "Non-driver ID" from the Department of Motor Vehicles. It looks just like a driver's license, but says Non-driver ID across the top. You can also go to your county Sheriff's office and get a Sheriff's ID.

[mitchell_pgh]

Showed up at 6:30 am only to find a 100 yard long line of people waiting... Seemed a fair mix between both parties. Waited... waited... waited...

Did the electronic thing and went to work late.

Good thing my boss is cool!

[mitchell_pgh]

Side Note: I didn't need a photo ID to vote... just a voter registration card (and the ability to say my address from from memory)

[finboy]

Originally posted by boots:
Yes. All you need is a social security number for employment, etc. One could argue that we do have a national ID system, it just isn't a photo ID.

That isn't true, really. I've always needed proof of who I was for employment.

And I've ALWAYS been required to show photo ID when voting. Each state has a provision to provide people with a photo ID whether or not they drive. How do folks without a photo ID get on a plane these days?

[RAILhead]

Early voted last week. It took my wife and me a whopping 6 minutes.



Maury

[boots]

Originally posted by finboy:
That isn't true, really. I've always needed proof of who I was for employment.

And I've ALWAYS been required to show photo ID when voting. Each state has a provision to provide people with a photo ID whether or not they drive. How do folks without a photo ID get on a plane these days?

They don't. Air travel is a privilege, not a right. And it is illegal in many, if not most, states to require an ID (aside from signature) for registered voters. One can register with three, I think, forms of non-photo ID or one photo ID and one non-photo ID.

Birth certificates, social security cards, and bills sent to current mailing address are sufficient for establishing ID (there are others also). Same is true for employment. It's easier if you have a photo ID since you need fewer pieces of ID, but you can still do it without one.

Each state can issue state ID's, but they aren't mandatory.

(I know all this because of my work with the homeless. Establishing ID is a real problem, but can be done without a Photo ID.)

[Atomic Rooster]

Originally posted by MacNStein:
and here come all the Europeans and Canadians who will, no doubt, vote in this poll.

Many are dual citizens. Good for them. I'm a dual Americanadian.

It's good to see this much enthusiasm.

Funny how you would think everyone who doesn't live in the USA but has a right to vote would be voting against Bush. This is the message Im getting from you.

You are a very sad man indeed if you are a man...

[finboy]

Originally posted by boots:
They don't. Air travel is a privilege, not a right. And it is illegal in many, if not most, states to require an ID (aside from signature) for registered voters. One can register with three, I think, forms of non-photo ID or one photo ID and one non-photo ID.

Right, so you can vote with your "voter ID card" that is sent to you. Unless it's sent to some other address or something. Or you lose it.

If I have to show positive ID to open a bank account, shouldn't I be required to show positive ID to vote? Really really scary.

[Mrjinglesusa]

Results so far seem to support what many have said here - that MacNN Political Forum is ~30-40% Republican. Glad to see many are voting (in real life) either way. I bet that the turnout turns out to be ~60-65% this year. In VA, there are predicting 80%!!! This election apparently means A LOT to many people. Took my wife and I about 10 minutes. We were in the A-C group and there was only 1 other person in line there. The R-T line was looong. A lot of Shifletts in VA. No joke. The white pages literally has about 50 pages of them.

[boots]

Originally posted by finboy:
Right, so you can vote with your "voter ID card" that is sent to you. Unless it's sent to some other address or something. Or you lose it.

If I have to show positive ID to open a bank account, shouldn't I be required to show positive ID to vote? Really really scary.

I'm not disagreeing that its scary. But opening a bank account is not a guaranteed right. Voting is. So I'm not sure how to fix that scary part. Again, positive ID is three forms of non-photo ID, so it isn't that hard to fake that either.

[aberdeenwriter]

Originally posted by MacNStein:
and here come all the Europeans and Canadians who will, no doubt, vote in this poll.

Your comment made me smile.

[scadboy]

I joyfully volunteered my Photo ID along with my voter registration card, and didn't notice if they were asking anybody else for theirs, but it was posted "You will not be allowed to vote without a valid photo id" on the door.

-michael

very funny boots, fixed

[boots]

Originally posted by scadboy:
I joyfully volunteered my Photo ID along with my voter registration card, and didn't notice if they were asking anybody else for theirs, but it was posted "You will not be allowed to vote with a valid photo id" on the door.

-michael

Heh. So they let you vote even though you showed your ID?


(elections are state run, so each state can be and probably is different)

[zigzag]

Originally posted by boots:
They don't. Air travel is a privilege, not a right. And it is illegal in many, if not most, states to require an ID (aside from signature) for registered voters. One can register with three, I think, forms of non-photo ID or one photo ID and one non-photo ID.

Birth certificates, social security cards, and bills sent to current mailing address are sufficient for establishing ID (there are others also). Same is true for employment. It's easier if you have a photo ID since you need fewer pieces of ID, but you can still do it without one.

Each state can issue state ID's, but they aren't mandatory.

(I know all this because of my work with the homeless. Establishing ID is a real problem, but can be done without a Photo ID.)

I'm surprised that our more conservative friends wouldn't have a wariness towards elaborate identification requirements - requiring ID is very statist, after all.

In the course of my work I've become increasingly exposed to different cultures, not always by choice. Many of the things that white mainstream culture takes for granted - like driver's licenses, bank accounts, and permanent addresses - simply aren't a part of some other people's life experiences or vocabularies. A lot of people never "get on an airplane." And I'm not talking about the homeless, or felons - I'm talking about working, law-abiding citizens. I understand the desire to make sure voters are who they say they are, but assuming that everyone carries photo ID is a bit off.

[Shaddim]

Originally posted by Atomic Rooster:
Many are dual citizens. Good for them. I'm a dual Americanadian.

It's good to see this much enthusiasm.

Funny how you would think everyone who doesn't live in the USA but has a right to vote would be voting against Bush. This is the message Im getting from you.

You are a very sad man indeed if you are a man...

I was thinking you're a pathetic excuse for a vertebrate... but, then I realized, you're liberal and likely have no spine.

"Many" are dual citizens? Funny. I doubt that, very seriously. Most who are supporting Kerry, here on MacNN, are foreigners (not citizens of the US). For those that actually live in the US, and can vote, I'm sure the poll would be split almost 50-50.

Oh well, this is as close as the CanadiEuros on MacNN will ever get to voting in this election, they should just dive right in.