Election Day

This afternoon about 2:30 I drove to the Township Hall to vote.  The parking lot was crowded, with about a dozen people filling out their ballots or waiting for a vacant voting booth.  We had a long ballot this year, but I took my "cheat sheet" with me.  I spent only about ten minutes filling in the little ovals and feeding the completed ballot into the electronic ballot box.

(American Embassy,
Tokyo, Japan)

Then I hunted up Cynthia, the Township Clerk, to see how she was doing.  As Clerk, Cynthia is in charge of the election process for Presque Isle Township and has to be on-site.  However, since her name is on the ballot (she is running unopposed) she cannot enter the room where voting takes place.  Accordingly, I found her in the kitchen, washing dishes.  Poll workers prefer chili on Election Day!

Cynthia told me that over 1,000 people had already voted, in addition to all the absentee ballots she has received.  At one point a line stretched from the meeting room, where the voting booths are located, out into the lobby where the those waiting on line formed a big, slowly uncoiling circle.

Cynthia looked a little stressed with all her responsibilities.  But that's nothing compared to what election officials are facing in the parts of New Jersey and New York hard hit by Hurricane Sandy.  How do you conduct an election under those conditions?

And I am amazed that people in Florida and Philadelphia are forced to wait on line up to seven hours in order to cast their ballots.  Running an election isn't rocket science!  I'm sure that if Florida's governor was himself forced to wait seven hours in order to renew his driver license at the DMV, he'd make heads roll.  But voters, it seems, can be inconvenienced (or disenfranchised) without any penalty.

My neighbor Floyd tells me that between 10:00 p.m. and midnight Patrick should learn if he has been reelected Township Supervisor.  He has really worked his tail off these past four years.  I hope the voters show their confidence in his leadership.

Anyway, it's Election Day, and Americans in their millions are doing their patriotic duty.  •••