Using Technology to Deepen Democracy, Using Democracy to Ensure Technology Benefits Us All

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

So Far So Good

Eric and I voted together and the process was smooth as silk. The morning pre-work rush had dissipated about half an hour before we arrived, and the poll workers were definitely regathering their energies and wits in anticipation of a lunchtime surge, but there were no problems to speak of and things went quite quickly.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Concerning your previous post, "California Propositions," please take into consideration the computing capacity (or lack thereof) of your readers. Embedding that many videos will cause some people's browsers to freeze or crash, as it did to mine twice, which is why I'm posting this comment in this post.

----

Regarding voting today, I didn't encounter any problems either.

I cast my vote Obama, Lunsford (KY-Sen) and Yarmuth (KY-03) as expected. I never know who the rest of the people are, so this year I voted for a Democrat if available, and in the non-partisan races, I voted for a woman when available. I thought, why not give more women a shot in government. In one race there were two men, but one guy had the last name Brooke, so I voted for him. :)

Robin said...

I volunteered as a pollworker today. I just got home, 13 hours registering voters and updating registrations for people who had moved.

I'm nearly in tears at how many black women over 50 (and 60) voted for the first time in their lives today.

I'm considering posting my sappy thoughts on my public blog instead of my locked whiny livejournal account.

Needless to say, every time I used the phrase "participatory democracy" you were on my mind ;)

Anonymous said...

Obama did echo your call for public participation well beyond the elections themselves.

All in all, a great night and a vibrant speech. Good going there, guys.

Anonymous said...

Just have read the news :) Congratulations to all Americans!
If Obama's presidency will be half as good as his speeches, there won't be any problems.

And yes, no need to move to Antarctica. :)


P.S. Did Bush REALLY said that? In public?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081105/ap_on_el_pr/election_rdp
"You are about to go on one of the great journeys of life. Congratulations and go enjoy yourself."
"Enjoy youurself," indeed...

Anonymous said...

Bittersweet as always, isn't it Dale? Obama wins, Prop 8 passes. Ted Stevens won. How did that happen? He was down 6-8 in the polls but won by 3.

Dale Carrico said...

Is this bittersweetness I'm feeling, or just a hangover?

Anonymous said...

I hear ya.

jimf said...

> Is this bittersweetness I'm feeling, or just a hangover?

Probably a hangover.

I had a slightly sour experience while voting before work yesterday morning.

I walked to the church a block away from my usual bus stop, and was able to find the right sign-in table only because I recognized one of the ladies from the last time, not because I remembered which district I'm in.

Anyway, there was a bit of a line, both for the sign-in table and for the voting booths, and while I was waiting in the second line to push the buttons there was a woman ahead of me accompanied by a young man who I assume was her son. So after she voted, she whipped out a digital camera (with a flash) to snap a picture of the boy as he was entering the booth (again, I'm guessing, but I expect it was his first time).

Immediately, a geezer from one of the other tables (the whole place was staffed by senior-citizen volunteers) came bounding over with the message "You can't take pictures in here!" The woman retorted that the geezer guarding **our** voting booths had given her permission to take the photo (which apparently he had -- he apologized both to the woman and to the other geezer for his mistake). At least she didn't have to surrender the camera or delete the photo, and she did get the picture she wanted.

But what **is** it these days with cameras, anyway? That used to be a stereotype about the Soviet Union -- tourists and journalists being warned "no photos, no photos here." It seems to be becoming the default thing here in the States, now (and in the UK too, from what I read on _The Register_).

Now cell phones -- I wish the hell those **were** banned in public!