I put on the news this morning and the first thing I saw was voters lined up at various polling places around the country.
So how long did you have to stand on line? If you want to say who you voted for, that’s fine, but I’m more curious as to the wait time.
PAD
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My polling place in Copiague was well-trafficked, but organized efficiently into the different election districts (seperate line at each table), so when I showed up around 7:30AM, I only had to wait behind one guy. I voted all Democratic, but I realized afterwards I forgot to see if there were any propositions on the ballot. Doh.
I voted last Wed. in Florida. It was an 90 minute wait, but wasn’t too bad since they had an auditorium I could sit down in. It got so busy here in Broward, that three of the libraries that were also polling places, closed down to everyone but the voters for the last 4 days of early voting. On Sunday at my wife’s library, the “cut-off” time was at 4. The last voter left at 10.
David
Also in Montgomery County MD. I was in line around 8:15am and out in less than fifteen minutes including voting. It seems to me that there were longer lines two and four years ago. Election officials said that the lines at 6am were 30 minutes long and things were shorter and better when I went.
Also in Montgomery County MD. I was in line around 8:15am and out in less than fifteen minutes including voting. It seems to me that there were longer lines two and four years ago. Election officials said that the lines at 6am were 30 minutes long and things were shorter and better when I went.
5 minutes in my Rochester, NY suburb, at 8:30 am. But they had had far more people already than usual. I was like #113 for my district. There have been years I have shown up at 6 PM and been #25 or less. (#9 one year.)
5 minutes in my Rochester, NY suburb, at 8:30 am. But they had had far more people already than usual. I was like #113 for my district. There have been years I have shown up at 6 PM and been #25 or less. (#9 one year.)
I got to the polls about 10 minutes before they opened this morning. Normally there is no line and when the doors open I go in and vote. There were nearly a hundred and fifty people in line in front of this morning and when I left there were at least another hundred still in line outside. That gives me a glimmer (a very small glimmer) of hope for McCain since the surrounding neighborhoods that make up the 2 precincts are predominantly Republican and full of lawns plastered with McCain signs.
If it’s like this all across the nation, we should end up with historic numbers of voters turning out to vote.
It moved pretty fast. The polls opened at 7 and I was done by 7:30 with 138 people completing their voting before me (our ballot reader actually told you what number you were!)
I voted in New York City this morning and I figure it took about 30-40 minutes standing in line. But I wound up in line next to a delightful 72-year-old woman (She told me her age unsolicitied; a gentleman never inquires about a woman’s age, after all) and had a lovely chat during the wait. Turns out she’s a working TV/movie/stage actress who’s been in a few things I’ve seen. That’s the fun part about Election Day at the polling place; meeting your neighbors, being out in the world, part of your community.
I voted in New York City this morning and I figure it took about 30-40 minutes standing in line. But I wound up in line next to a delightful 72-year-old woman (She told me her age unsolicitied; a gentleman never inquires about a woman’s age, after all) and had a lovely chat during the wait. Turns out she’s a working TV/movie/stage actress who’s been in a few things I’ve seen. That’s the fun part about Election Day at the polling place; meeting your neighbors, being out in the world, part of your community.
Early voted for Barack in Georgia about three weeks ago, and the whole thing was under 10 minutes. Not even a line out the door. The rush didn’t hit until 7-10 days later.
Three hours and ten minutes, Saturday before last. So far I’m the champ (woo-hoo!)
The polling place I went to, (Alafaya Library in Orange County, Florida), has been shown on the news several times, whenever they do a story on “long lines at early voting”. Figures I picked the worst possible location. My wife, who is much smarter than me, went to a different library and was in and out in thirty minutes.
I brought a folding director’s chair, a sun umbrella, a book, and plenty of sunscreen, all of which came in handy.
I was at the polls here in Hammond, Indiana at 6:30 am and there were 10 people ahead of me. When me and the hubby left at 7:00, there were 30 people lined up waiting to get their ID’s checked. At my polling place there were only two machines. Needless to say, Indiana’s sudden “battleground status” didn’t lead to more machines being sent out. I assume the lines are gonna be long all day. Our polls close at 6 pm CST tonight.
Early voting in Texas on Thursday took 35 minutes from walk in to walk out.
Early voting in Texas on Thursday took 35 minutes from walk in to walk out.
About ten minutes total – Fort Worth, TX.
Probably about 15-20 minutes this morning. I’m voting in Astoria, NY.
Line, what line? I went shortly after 9:30. Was able to walk right up to the table for my district, give my name and address, sign the record, get my numbered voting slip, walk right over to the booth, hand the person there my slip, and vote. Whole shebang didn’t take over a minute, about 30 seconds to sign in, 30 seconds to push the buttons and record my choices.
I should point out that I don’t live in the most populated area, certainly not the big city, but it’s also far from a deserted nothing-for-miles town, especially compared to, say, 25 years ago when I first came of age to vote.
General location: NJ, about 25 miles East of Philly.
Line, what line? I went shortly after 9:30. Was able to walk right up to the table for my district, give my name and address, sign the record, get my numbered voting slip, walk right over to the booth, hand the person there my slip, and vote. Whole shebang didn’t take over a minute, about 30 seconds to sign in, 30 seconds to push the buttons and record my choices.
I should point out that I don’t live in the most populated area, certainly not the big city, but it’s also far from a deserted nothing-for-miles town, especially compared to, say, 25 years ago when I first came of age to vote.
General location: NJ, about 25 miles East of Philly.
Now for those who had a long wait–was it the number of people or the slowness of the process? Did they have enough workers available or were there lots of empty booths?
An Abby Normal situation at work has me leaving the house at 5:15 am and getting home at 6:30 pm. Last week the polling location in my county was open from 8 am til 7 pm. I told my manager I was going to try to vote on the way home, but if I could not I would be late the next day. When I got there at 6:30 I could not find a place to park and was also getting hungry. I returned the next morning at 7:15, 45 minutes before they opened. There were about 100 people ahead of me. I do not know what time they actually opened the door to allow voters in, but I was thru by 8:10. There were probably 350-400 in line as I left.
Sorry, meant to mention Mike from above is in middle Tennessee.
Sorry, meant to mention Mike from above is in middle Tennessee.
in Akron OH it took me 45 minutes (car door to car door
in Akron OH it took me 45 minutes (car door to car door
From start to finish, I was at the polls about 40 minutes. C. 8:20 to 9:00 a.m.
Rick
It took my wife and I twenty minutes to vote in Roswell, GA. It was a diverse line of people. What was most heartening were the parents who brought their children with them to vote. My parents did that with me when I was growing up, and I think it helped me not miss a presidential election since I’ve been of voting age.
About 15 minutes from the time I got out of the car to the time I got back in. And that’s taking into consideration a 2.5 year old who walks slower and asks a lot of questions tagging along with me. I too saw the lines around the block on the news and got a little worried. God bless the suburbs.
I got to the township hall at about 9:30, and I was done in about 20 minutes. It would have taken less time, but for the fact that my ballot pen (we connect the arrows, at my voting place) was faint and worn, and I needed one I could be sure the computer would read.
Writing instrument issues aside, being part of the rural vote has its benefits.
I only waited about 5 minutes this morning in the Bronx but one district in my polling place had a line out the door.
Voting? Took me about two minutes on October 14th. Mind you, in Canada we have a ballot with one question on it — who do you want to be your local member of parliament. For me it was a list of four names with their parties. You use a pencil to put an ‘x’ in the circle next to your choice, and then you fold the paper and put it in the ballot box in front of the polling station official.
No breakdowns, and when I went at lunch, no long lineups.
Voting? Took me about two minutes on October 14th. Mind you, in Canada we have a ballot with one question on it — who do you want to be your local member of parliament. For me it was a list of four names with their parties. You use a pencil to put an ‘x’ in the circle next to your choice, and then you fold the paper and put it in the ballot box in front of the polling station official.
No breakdowns, and when I went at lunch, no long lineups.
Kath and I just returned from voting. It took fifteen minutes. Which may sound like nothing, but in all the years I’ve been voting in Long Island it’s never taken more than five. So it was three times as long a wait.
PAD
Got to the polls in Mt Morris, MI around 8am and was about a fifteen minute wait in my voting district, the next district over had no one standing in line.
Got to the polls in Mt Morris, MI around 8am and was about a fifteen minute wait in my voting district, the next district over had no one standing in line.
hour and a half.
Voted early (first day of early voting) and the machines were jammed and we had to hand them in without them scanning them in.
hour and a half.
Voted early (first day of early voting) and the machines were jammed and we had to hand them in without them scanning them in.
Sorry, I am in Raleigh, NC
No line at all. The early voting lines on Saturday were over 2 hours long. Today, at 9:30am, no wait.
It took less than fifteen minutes at my voting location in Pennsylvania.
No line at all in rural Groton, NY.
No line at all in rural Groton, NY.
One of the few benefits of living in a small suburban New Jersey town. Even though we’ve never had any lines, I showed up with a cup of coffee and a good book, but happily no lines at all. The poll people said it’s been steady since they opened but nothing that couldn’t be handled. Mind you, that was at 9:30 this morning, and things will certainly change A) when the soccer moms pick up their kids at 3:00 (our polling station is in the school gym) and again when folks get out of work.
Greenville, SC here, got to my polling place about 6:45, polls opened at 7. Probably 100-150 people when they opened. Chatted with the folks around me, invited the cute girl in front of me to my local pub to ‘watch the returns’. Voted about 45 minutes later. Line was roughly as deep when I left. Grabbed breakfast and passed back by around 8:15. Line was doubled. Biggest disappointment, no ‘I voted’ stickers.
I live in Powder Springs, GA and vote in Cobb County. I arrived at my polling place at 6:40 and was back at my car at 7:58. Pretty quick!
I live in Powder Springs, GA and vote in Cobb County. I arrived at my polling place at 6:40 and was back at my car at 7:58. Pretty quick!
My county has gone to mail-in almost entirely on its ballots (there are a couple of locations for those die-hards who insist on voting in person), so I sent in my vote almost two weeks ago.
Since my cohusband J is in the Army, he got preference (for all the county knows, any given military member could be in Iraq or Afghanistan), and sent his in a week or so before that.
Lines? What lines? 🙂
Haven’t voted yet, but drove by the polling place and saw a line about 20-30 people long outside the building, something I’ve never seen before here in this small village in southeast Michigan.
Haven’t voted yet, but drove by the polling place and saw a line about 20-30 people long outside the building, something I’ve never seen before here in this small village in southeast Michigan.
Forgot to note – our wife, H, sent in hers at the same time as mine. Nobody gets away without voting in this household!
Forgot to note – our wife, H, sent in hers at the same time as mine. Nobody gets away without voting in this household!