Tuesday, November 07, 2006

vote early & often

3Voted. Had to produce some address verification in addition to my mailed sample ballot. I was prepared for that. My drivers license expired so I showed this month's utility bill & a county photo I.D. The lady at the Ward 3 District 3 table fussed over them a bit, but I checked the rules last night, I knew I was good-to-go. She looked at some guy sitting by the table, he grunted & sipped his Dunkin' Donuts coffee, & I was in. No lines, but business was brisk at Magie Ave. School around 1:30, only Democrats outside handing out candidate cards. Street money in the form of bored men standing at intersections with Menendez/Freeholder placards. That's a good thing. This is a hispanic city & Menendez will have to run up huge pluralities here to overcome the suburbs. Then I went to library, another polling place in same ward, glad it was open for books. I got some Elmore Leonard short stories.

The only serious problem I ever had trying to vote was for a general election years ago in Linden; the poll location had been changed from the previous year & they somehow misplaced my records page during the shuffle of moving. They were way too casual about the possibility I wouldn't be able to vote, reminding me the polls were closing soon, like tough luck, we can't do anything now. It was around 7:30 pm. I threw a fit. & I do mean a fit. I went ballistic. I had my sample ballot with me. Someone got on the phone, I was worried he was calling the cops, but he was talking to City Hall, & about 10 minutes later the city clerk walked in & personally handed me a provisional ballot, very apologetic. I was raised by parents who always voted. A lot of people don't have my cantankerous kind of personality, & they're the ones the repugs are trying to scare away this year with misleading robocalls, bizarre flyers saying Democrats vote on Wednesday or the relatives of naturalized citizens will be deported, & with intimidation tactics outside & inside the polling places. I have never encountered any of these, but they are very real in other places.

Comments:
I'm not happy with the Lamont loss, but, all in all, taking the House was definitely a high point. The bar has been open for hours!
 
Lamont ran a surprisingly weak race after that great primary fight, he didn't did take off the gloves until late in the campaign.
 
See I dont feel informed enough to make an educational comment on this post (my fault I realize). Do you understand now why I bowed out of the voting process this year?
 
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