For Citizens of the USA

Tom · November 07, 2006, 05:07:20 PM

Yep, I voted. I could hardly wait. It rained so we shut down the mill and went to the polls at 3pm

Tomorrow is the day when we yell back and forth across the log pile about what we voted for. Some things aren't anybody's business. Somethings we have talked about together for months.

Tomorrow will be a fun day.

crtreedude · November 07, 2006, 05:14:04 PM

Can't vote in anything except the president - and I am planning on being able to do that in a couple of years.

Dan_Shade · November 07, 2006, 05:24:03 PM

i went. well, in some races. I never vote for a guy that's running unopposed, i guess it's just a matter of principle, so I had a few "blanks"

thurlow · November 07, 2006, 06:14:19 PM

I don't know, guys; I'm so embittered by the political process and the direction in which the country is (apparently) headed. I've never failed to vote since I was first eligible in 1964 and will continue to do so. Maybe it's just my pessimistic nature. Some of the quotes attributed to folks as far back as Socrates pretty much define my thoughts, so maybe it's not so bad now. It's like neither of the three branches of the Gov't have ever heard of the 10th amendment. I'd like to see someone run on the platform, "I'm going to Washington and vote against pretty much everything!" When I see the socialistic leanings of the state and Federal governments and knowing there are 10 or 15 million folks here ILLEGALLY............well, this accomplishes nothing; the hail with it. Tonight's my poker night; I'll feel better in a couple of hours.

Dan_Shade · November 07, 2006, 06:32:48 PM

I agree, thurlow, the 10th amendment is my bandwagon.

I think the government that accomplishes the least is the most effective. we definately need government, but some of the stuff is nuts.

as for the crooked politicians? i say we take care of them mussolini style. we put our trust in them, we do not need them undermining our interests. hanging is too good for them.

wesdor · November 07, 2006, 06:49:30 PM

It is always a question if you vote the right way, but I figure that if you don't vote, then you have no voice in politics until the next election. So put up (vote) or shut up.

I'm with Dan Shade. if someone is running unopposed, I leave that contest blank.

PawNature · November 07, 2006, 07:20:26 PM

Voted 2 weeks early

DomR · November 07, 2006, 07:58:32 PM

The only wasted vote is the one you don't cast. I voted. I get a kick out of the people that vote a straight ticket when half of the people are running unopposed. So they vote for (Blank). How is that even a vote? Well atleast they tried a little.
Good luck in all your state and local races- may the right person win.
Dom

Ron Wenrich · November 07, 2006, 08:03:30 PM

We got those new fangled computer machines for voting. They couldn't get them working for the first hour because of a time stamp problem. Our briiliant county commissioners thought they could save money by doing their own programming. These are the same guys that decided to unscrew every 4th light in the courthouse to save energy. It cost more to unscrew the lights than what they saved.

Anyways, the time stamp problem apparently had something to do with daylight savings time (when they did the programing). They used paper ballots in the meantime.

When I voted, there was a girl who voted, but didn't follow the exact instructions. She didn't hit the confirm button. When the poll watcher found it, they went and called here back. But, it took too long and her vote was lost. They didn't allow her to revote, it was lost.

Then there's the reports that when people voted a straight ticket, it recorded as a different party.

And you wonder why people don't vote.

scsmith42 · November 07, 2006, 08:04:13 PM

I also voted (my usual split ticket - I vote for the person and how they feel on the issues - not the party).

Like Dan, I left a few blanks. Not only the folks running unapposed, but also the ones where I was not familiar with their position on the issues (such as local county auditors, etc).

Dan_Shade · November 07, 2006, 08:09:13 PM

i don't vote for school board, because I don't follow that, and really don't care.

I don't really understand why we have school boards, but then again, the county I grew up in the school board "lost" 1.6 million dollars when I was in high school.... then 2 years later, some school board guy "found" savings bonds in his desk...

Corley5 · November 07, 2006, 08:14:56 PM

We've had voting machines for the past several elections but they apparently weren't up to par this go round. Something about something that happened in Fla awhile ago ;) Our ballots were oversized Scantron cards. We completely filled in the ovals with specials pencils and then they were checked by a scanner but not before we slid them into a special jacket for privacy. The machine sucked them out of that to count the votes and what was wrong with paper ballots and manual counts ???

PineNut · November 07, 2006, 08:26:32 PM

Not this year but when the candidates were so bad I couldn't figure out which was the least worst, I voted a write in vote for Mickey Mouse. I know it didn't do any good but at least I expressed my opinion.

customsawyer · November 07, 2006, 08:38:42 PM

This is the first time that I didn't vote. I have gotten really tired of voting for the lesser of two evils. I know there are some that feel that I am wrong with this line of thought and that is ok but I like to go back to the pledge of allegence and the line that says "AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS". I don't recall anything about a demacracy. As for not being able to say anything till the next election I figure since I have served in the military I have earned the right to say what I feel as long as we have the right to free speech.

beenthere · November 07, 2006, 08:54:12 PM

Sorry to say, but by not voting, customsawyer gave the greater of two evils an extra vote (by not voting for the lesser of two evils). Makes me sad that people do that. I think cancelling out a vote for the more evil candidate is better than not voting at all. :(
Strength in the system comes from voting, or becomming active and running for an office, IMO.

Our ballots are marked with felt-tipped pens, connecting two lines. Following that, the ballot is fed to a machine for counting. At anytime the ballots can be proof read again for confirmation of count. No chads, no person counting, and for several years now - no problems. I don't understand how the electronic and ballot systems can get so messed up in this country. Me thinks it is planned that way, and on purpose.

Dan_Shade · November 07, 2006, 08:56:19 PM

I don't trust the electronic stuff. we have electronic voting here in Maryland. I don't care so much about the security, but what about the glitches?

Tom · November 07, 2006, 09:13:21 PM

I used to go into the voting booth with my Granddaddy when I was a wee little boy. It was a complicated machine. There were two lines of switches one for Democrats and one for Republicans. Might have been another if there was another party. Each represented a candidate and the switch, which looked like a military light switch, was set in the vote position. Then he would bring a long metal bar down that locked the vote switches and the votes. Then he reached up to the left corner of the booth and pulled a big handle. There was a lot of kerchunking and he would let the handle back up. The switches automatically returned to there non-vote position and the bars retracted.

The curtain that hid all of this came down only to his hip pockets. I was so small that I could look out from under it.

Each of those lines of switches also had one switch that allowed for a straight party vote.

When he left the voting booth, there was no record that he had even been in there, accept for his signing in at the poll.

rebocardo · November 07, 2006, 09:19:32 PM

My wife and I voted today at different times, in total we took 3 of our 5 children with us to watch. My wife has more patience ;) she let one of the girls push the correct choice on the touch screens.

woodbowl · November 07, 2006, 09:50:25 PM

Just got back from the polls. We had the usual, color the ovals. I voted for the good of the country!

Quote from: Dan_Shade on November 07, 2006, 08:56:19 PM
I don't trust the electronic stuff. we have electronic voting here in Maryland. I don't care so much about the security, but what about the glitches?

I don't like electronic voting either. Who's to say that it can't be changed during or after the fact? There is no paper trail or tangible proof of the vote.

I know that we live in a marvelous age of technology and should explore the outer relms of it, but some things should not change. A handshake and a mans word, Grannys apple pie and paper ballot voting should be among them.

CALSAW · November 07, 2006, 10:05:58 PM

I still get exited about voting. When I was a little kid I always went to the polls with my parents, then we would stay up and listen to the returns on the radio, they taught me that it was important and my duty. I feel that if you aren't going to vote you might as well move to N Korea. Out here in the sticks we have paper ballots, fill them out and put them in a box, you keep the stubs, like a reciept, and they give you a sticker that says "I VOTED" I wear it with pride, on my forehead. ;D

PineNut · November 07, 2006, 10:42:29 PM

Don't like the electronic voting machines. If they are no more reliable than the electronics in my auto, home appliances and other equipment, we are in for big trouble. And don't forget that the manufacturer of some of these machines will not let anyone see the source code of the computer program. That is like the fox saying, "Trust me".

pigman · November 07, 2006, 11:00:35 PM

Yes, I voted today as usual. Because of lacking of parking, I had to walk a few hundred feet in the rain through deep mud puddles with a broken leg to get to the polling place. Then when I got there got teased about my wife breaking my leg. :

The joys of knowing everyone working at the polls in a small town. We have used machines in this county since I started voting in 1964. Used to be the mechanical kind like Tom described and later the electronic kind. Any kind of voting method can be compromised if the poll workers do not have any integrity.

Bob

Don_Papenburg · November 07, 2006, 11:05:36 PM

I voted on a paper balot .

What I don't like is so called news agencys calling the winner before the polls are closed. and then with only 1or 2% of the polls reporting. AP claimed that ripoff rod Blago was the winner of the govners race in Ill. Now with 50% of polls reporting he is behind.

I think that exit polling and reporting any tallies should not be reported till four hours after all the polls have closed.

brdmkr · November 07, 2006, 11:07:00 PM

I voted. It took no more than 15 minutes. Like some above, I refuse to vote for someone who is running unopposed.

Years ago, I worked with an older fellow who referred to the political parties as "two rival gangs trying to take control of the treasury". I used to think he was goofy. Now, I am not so sure.

Bibbyman · November 07, 2006, 11:20:27 PM

Mary and I voted about 12:15 today... I've been watching the election returns for our state and it looks like we're in pretty good shape but would have like to see some real conservatives running. Glad to see Lieberman won.. He's a cocky little guy.

We voted a paper ballet that all you had to do is mark a line to complete an arrow. The you fed it into a machine that looked like a paper shredder. Zip! It went right in and the lady standing behind the machine said "It took it." I'd say...

:D

I talked to Mom this evening and she said she didn't know there was stuff on the back side of the ballet. It was mostly judges and school board elections.