"Private Berry has voted."

[gridlore]

Heard a story on KCBS that made me oddly depressed. Seems that vote by mail (what used to be called absentee ballots) has become so popular here in the Valley of Silicon that dozens, if not hundreds, of polling places will be closed due to a lack of need.

kshandra registered for permanent vote by mail a few years back, but I've been a hold out. I like going to the polls. I like the ritual, the booths, turning your vote over to the little old lady or man and getting your sticker (and at the firehouse we voted at in San Francisco, cookies!) I love the personal touch of getting out and adding my one voice to the tidal wave that sets our government's course.

This has a lot to do with my first experience as a voter. I was still in Infantry OSUT in the fall of 1984, but the Army went to great lengths to get us registered, got us out absentee ballots for the proper county, and one Sunday afternoon in mid-October we were all herded into a classroom set up with privacy screens so we could fill out the ballots. volunteers from Columbus' city college and Chamber of Commerce were on hand to help us, if needed. Other than the omnipresent photo of Reagan in the room, there was no coercion to vote any particular way. After every one was done, we lined up in our usual company formation, and handed over our sealed ballots to an election official and a USPS employee. As we did this, we were checked off a list, and the official would announce "Private so and so has voted."

When my turn came, and I heard those words, it gave me a thrill that's hard to describe. I had voted! Admittedly, my vote that year was like spitting into a hurricane, but I had voted! Ever since then, I've had this fetish for free elections. I cheered South Africa finally allowed free and open elections, was thrilled with seeing Czechoslovakia decide, by vote, to split, and even the elections in Iraq have pleased me.

So I'll fill out the ballot, and mail it in, but it's just not the same, y'know?

Comments

[meglimir.livejournal.com]

I always liked the machines. 'Way before I could vote, of course - I was maybe 5 yo. I followed Mama up to the BIG machine and the heavy folds of curtain growled their way around us, coming together with a swish. Then she set the big levers and pushed a button and the machine chunked through its sequence. Finally the curtains opened again (growllllll... Swish!) and we left, sometimes collecting a cup of apple juice on the way out. Fun!

[capplor.livejournal.com]

>sigh!<

I'd prefer to vote in person too. But the massive voter fraud wrought by the Diebold company has made even me too leery of how things might be despoiled. So, for the first time, I, too, am voting by mail. The blasted silly piece of paper with all of the stuff about the various Colorado propositions & local school board refuelings lies but inches to my right.

This year, my bit of spittle may actually make a difference as we are amongst those who have turned this once brilliant red state into a faded Dresden blue one.

Carry on Private Berry, & may the best vote win.

[biomekanic.livejournal.com]

Oregon has no polling places.

And while I can't eat the cookie, I miss the feeling of going in and voting. Dropping it into a box just isn't the same.

[kengr]

Kinda fun driving (or busing or biking) to the County Elections office and dropping it off there in with the rest of the crowd of last minute folks.

And that way I know it didn't get lost in the mail or something.

The last few elections before the switch to vote by mail I had a *terribly* hard time voting. My polling place was the fire station one street over and half a block up. Can't quite throw a rock that far, but...


I do like the extra time to sit there and re-read the voter's pamphlet and the like on the hard decisions.

[mikkop.livejournal.com]

I can understand that.

I have voted on the primary voting day every time except the one time I was on a trip abroad. I like the atmosphere in the polling places - the pre-voting day voting in post offices just lacks that. I think it's much more *solemn* in the proper place.

Municipality elections are coming up here soon. There's always the problem of not having a good enough party and a person to vote for.

[collie13.livejournal.com]

I vote by mail, but I seal it into the envelope, then carry it in and deposit it into the box in my polling place, on voting day. That way I get to explain why I'm doing that, and spread the word a bit more about how unreliable Diebold is... and I get the sticker and the enjoyment of going out and getting to see the folks there. Best of both worlds! :)

[claidheamhmor]

I voted for the South African elections in '94 - though, as it happened, I was in London, so I voted at the embassy. Just as well - a 30 minute queue was far better than the 8 hour queues many people faced back home.