Althouse: Voted, blogging.

November 7, 2006

Voted, blogging.

Voting was easy. There were only a couple cars in the church parking lot. (I vote at a church!) There was a voter leaving just as I was going in and he looked exactly like Dennis Kucinich. And no, you're wrong if you think all the men in Madison look like Dennis Kucinich. I made my way down the stairs to the gym/auditorium, past the guy who was selling brownies and cupcakes to benefit the church school, got in a short line, then realized it was the unregistered voters line, and walked right up to the table with no line at all. I marked my ballot, front and back, voting for a mixture of Republicans and Democrats, and against the marriage amendment and the death penalty. On the way out, I checked out the now long line of voters waiting to register on the spot. They were all about 20 years old.

So I got to the airport earlier than I thought I would, and now I'm having a nice club sandwich at the Great Dane Brewery and splurging on the $7 WiFi.

38 comments:

MadisonMan said...: The line at the church I vote at was quite long this morning -- only about a 10-minute wait, though, during which time I waved to neighbors and watched the bake sale. This was right after the Franklin School Bus left, however, so it was people voting before going to work. I'm sure the line is shorter now.

The death penalty vote was an advisory referendum, meaning it means nothing at all. The Legislature can consider the results, and then ignore them (or not). I voted against that, against the marriage amendment, against most incumbents (except the Governor), and against J. B. van Hollen. So I voted for Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Greens, and Independents. I'll go so far to say that I voted for more different parties than anyone on this blog :); 11/7/06, 12:38 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 11/7/06, 12:51 PM
Simon said...: Dave said...
"Curious: what was the death penalty vote and why did you vote against it?"

Dave,
Click here for info about the vote; click here to know why Ann voted against it.; 11/7/06, 12:58 PM
BJK said...: And no, you're wrong if you think all the men in Madison look like Dennis Kucinich.

You're right, of course....but all the other men leave after graduation. ;); 11/7/06, 1:08 PM
chickelit said...: I voted on a new-looking Diebold machine with touch-screen machine with an optionally paper record. The San Diego County ballot was about 10 pages this year, whew!; 11/7/06, 1:23 PM
Tibore said...: Wait, wait... you all had cupcakes for sale at your polling place? Man, I couldn't even find the !@^$ water fountain where I voted!!!

Grumble...; 11/7/06, 1:24 PM
Sloanasaurus said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 11/7/06, 1:24 PM
Anonymous said...: I am glad to hear there were so many young people voting. I hope that is true all across the country.; 11/7/06, 1:26 PM
Sloanasaurus said...: I first voted in 1986 when I lived in Ogg Hall. I remember voting for Ed Garvey. My sister told me so - he was for students! I found out later he was a rich lawyer who represented the NFL players union.

I am sure there are thousands of kids doing the same today... falling for the democrat's tricks. Democrats are such phonys.

This year they have fake anti-cloning referendums in Missouri, and stealth tax referendums in Minnesota. How gross.; 11/7/06, 1:26 PM
Beth said...: I'll vote after work, at the outsourced charter school housed in the church, parish of St. Francis. I'm still trying to work my way through the list of 8 constitutional amendments; I've decided on the Libertarian candidate running against Bobby Jindal, who will win with 80 percent or better.; 11/7/06, 1:27 PM
MadisonMan said...: sloan, Ed Garvey's opponent Bob Kasten was no charmer, although his actions did help name the Bob Kasten School of Driving WI Student Government Party, so I guess some good did come out of his Senate Career.

The choices that year weren't very great. I don't remember where I voted that year -- I was living by Monona Bay.; 11/7/06, 1:39 PM
Maxine Weiss said...: What? No photos of the ballot booth? We need to witness those key-punches.

I ....with my carefree and convenience-loving lifestyle....opted to vote by mail.

I guess I'm cheating myself out of another heightened experience.

Peace, Maxine; 11/7/06, 1:41 PM
Anthony said...: I don't remember ever voting in person. When I first moved out to Seattle I made an aborted attempt to find my voting place, which turned out to be way the hell out of my way. Then I discovered permanent absentee voting and have done it that way ever since. The first year I did that we even had the hanging-chad sort of punch cards that were supposed to only be used in poor black places (sitting in my up-scale lilly-white yet oh-so-"progressive" neighborhood). I like voting by mail even though it has to be extremely carefully monitored. Very easy to cheat.

Oh, and I voted No on almost everything.; 11/7/06, 1:51 PM
tiggeril said...: Only a few more hours until the campaign ads go away!! Wooooo!

I voted this morning before class. I had to wait in line after the traditional Chicago line of zombies resurrected for election day. *rimshot*; 11/7/06, 1:52 PM
Mortimer Brezny said...: Sooooo, you gotta tell us, Ann! Doyle or Green? Green or Doyle? Green or Doyle? Doyle or Green? Doyle or Green? Green or Doyle? Green or Doyle? Doyle or Green?Doyle or Green? Green or Doyle? Green or Doyle? Doyle or Green?Doyle or Green? Green or Doyle? Green or Doyle? Doyle or Green?Doyle or Green? Green or Doyle? Green or Doyle? Doyle or Green?Doyle or Green? Green or Doyle? Green or Doyle? Doyle or Green?Doyle or Green? Green or Doyle? Green or Doyle? Doyle or Green?Doyle or Green? Green or Doyle? Green or Doyle? Doyle or Green?Doyle or Green? Green or Doyle? Green or Doyle? Doyle or Green?Doyle or Green? Green or Doyle? Green or Doyle? Doyle or Green?Doyle or Green? Green or Doyle? Green or Doyle? Doyle or Green?Doyle or Green? Green or Doyle? Green or Doyle? Doyle or Green?; 11/7/06, 1:53 PM
KCFleming said...: Hey!
Today's an election day?
Who knew?

VW: omdgvo = Latin acronym of "All for the honor and glory of voting".; 11/7/06, 2:15 PM
X said...: I too voted in a church. There were donuts there, but they seemed to be reserved for the poll workers. I voted for all of the no-chance Republicans running against machine Dems, and of couse for whatsisname that was running against Santorum. You know Mumbly Joe, or something....

I was up in NYC this weekend and there is apparently a "Rent is Too Damn High" party, who I'm willing to bet consist entirely of the middle-aged black man who was driving their speaker car up and down St. Mark's. I'd vote for him if I lived there. Better than wasting it on some nut.; 11/7/06, 2:44 PM
Anonymous said...: I haven't voted at the polls since the last century.

I mailed my ballot in a few weeks ago, also voting for a mixture of Democrats and Republicans and voting no on scores of ballot initiatives and bond issues...except for the highway construction bond, which I felt very ambivalent about.

California needs to pay for infrastructure out of general revenues, but I really feel like we can't wait.

I voted against Nancy Pelosi, not necessarily because I don't like her, but because I don't like it when politicians "feel safe". However, that does not explain my vote for Arnold. Maybe it was sexism.

Query: am I the only frequent Althouse reader in Nancy Pelosi's district?

vw; clabvyx. a new drug for the clab.; 11/7/06, 2:48 PM
jaed said...: There was a voter leaving just as I was going in and he looked exactly like Dennis Kucinich.

That kind of shock might put me off voting for life!

We have vote-by-mail-only in my state of Oregon, so I voted this weekend after sitting down for a few hours with the collection of campaign literature, the voters' pamphlet, and the candidate websites. Voted to keep the Speakership out of "the hands of America's children", but other than that a mix.; 11/7/06, 3:14 PM
MnMark said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 11/7/06, 3:16 PM
MnMark said...: Mark said...
Speaking of voting in a church, a listener on the Minnesota Public Radio program I listened to this morning called in to complain about having to vote in a church. The guest was a former election official of some sort who knew all the regulations. This caller was indignant, saying that he felt very uncomfortable having to go into a church and wanting to know whatever happened to separation of church and state. The official calmly explained that there are many more voting districts than there are available public buildings of sufficient size and facilities to accomodate voting, so they needed to use churches.

All I could think was (a) that the idiot caller should get over himself, and (b) he ought to be grateful that there are such things as Christian churches - voluntary associations of peaceful, spiritually-minded people who spend their own money to build and maintain the facilities - for bigots like him to vote in.; 11/7/06, 3:17 PM
howzerdo said...: I noticed the "Rent is too high" party on the ballot when I voted this morning! I also noticed that Malachy McCourt is running for governor? U.S. Senator? for some party way down on the list.; 11/7/06, 3:20 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: I voted during my lunch break- I work close to my home. My polling place is in the police station/ city hall - really nice looking, well-kept and older building in a small town just outside of Philly- but have not seen the cells thankfully [yet] so can't say what they look like.

I was the only voter in the place at 1PM - three lines and no waiting. I asked how many were registered to vote and they told me about 800 and I peeked at the log that they keep and saw about 150 had voted so far. That's six hours into a 13 hour voting day for those who are counting. So does not sound like big turnout. When I drove by this morning, there did not appear to be a big crowd.

I voted for Santorum and Lynn Swann but expect both to lose handily.

FYI- I also voted in a church many years ago when I was first married and still lived in Philly. And it was (horrors) Lutheran! LOL; 11/7/06, 3:45 PM
Sloanasaurus said...: "...Ed Garvey's opponent Bob Kasten was no charmer..."

Yeah, Kasten got skewered by the press down there for his various traffic violations.

I heard that the attorney general in Wisc was picked up for drunk driving and then actually had the gall to run for re-election (only to lose the primary).

I think Dems assume that the media will give them a pass and so then will the voters (which is sometimes true, i.e., Cong Jefferson in Lousiana, Ted Kennedy in any election; any Dem running in New Jersey.); 11/7/06, 4:09 PM
Who I Am said...: Why are you not covering the unfolding NRCC robocall story? People in my state of Nebraska are being repeatedly called by recordings that sound like they are coming from Democratic candidates but which are actually paid for by the National Republican Congressional Committee. Federal regulations stipulates that robocalls need to identify the source of the call at the beginning of the message. These calls do not. And because they identify the subject of the call as a Democrat at the beginning of the call, people assume the calls are coming from Democratic campaigns. If the first call is not heard in its entirety the calls then repeat themselves in effect harassing the voter.; 11/7/06, 4:11 PM
LoafingOaf said...: Mark: All I could think was (a) that the idiot caller should get over himself, and (b) he ought to be grateful that there are such things as Christian churches - voluntary associations of peaceful, spiritually-minded people who spend their own money to build and maintain the facilities - for bigots like him to vote in.

A local suburb here - Cleveland Heights, OH - attempted to move a voting location to a church. The suburb has a large Orthodox Jewish community and it set off a storm of protests. Many Orthodox Jews felt uncomfortable going into a church. They wound up moving the voting location.

LINK: http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2006/10/16/news/local/election1013.txt

I found it odd that people would freak out over entering a place of worship for a different religion, but apparently they were being sincere.; 11/7/06, 4:12 PM
Sloanasaurus said...: Predictions for MN

Pawlenty by 4
Klobachur by 4
Bachmann by 13
Gutnick by 6
Stealth tax referendum passes

U.S. Congress +20 Dems
U.S. Senate +3 Dems (Steele wins, Allen loses, Burns wins, Dewine loses, Santorum loses, Menendez holds, Talent wins, Chafee loses)

I think Pelosi has a difficult time getting elected Speaker unless dems get at least a 10+ vote margin. What new conservative democrat in a conservative district wants their first vote to be for Pelosi?; 11/7/06, 4:15 PM
Simon said...: If anyone wants a scorecard for tonight's house races, you can find one I threw together here.; 11/7/06, 4:17 PM
LoafingOaf said...: click here to know why Ann voted against it.

One of Ann's arguments is that it's immoral to execute someone who's not a "present threat." But they are a present threat to others inside the prison.....

I have trouble understanding why it's immoral to kill someone who does something extremely heinous, such as raping and murdering a child. In an extreme example, I'm looking forward to Saddam Hussein hanging from a noose. *shrug* Am I immoral?

The argument against the death penalty that's most persuasive to me is that it's hard to be absolutely sure no mistakes were made. But in the handful of cases where there's absolutely no doubt about guilt, I just don't feel the immorality of it.

What gets me more upset about our justice system is the incredibly high number of people we lock up as if we're trying to set a world record on putting the most people into cages, and the poor conditions inside prisons where inmates get raped and so forth. No one protests these things much, but they make me question America far more than our death penalties.; 11/7/06, 4:29 PM
Anonymous said...: I don't get why voting in a church is such a big deal or even why Ann would make note of it. Churches are as much a part of the community as any other institution so why not? It's not like anyone's forcing you to worship before you vote. I've voted in a church for years - I cast my first vote by paper ballot in the 1980 presidential election in a church.

But I am interested in hearing if anyone has voted in a mosque.; 11/7/06, 4:30 PM
Maxine Weiss said...: It's a big thing for her.

It may be the only time that Ann sees the inside of a Church.

Peace, Maxine; 11/7/06, 4:37 PM
Paul said...: It's a rainy day here in Oregon and I was happy to have voted several days ago by mail in ballot. Have you seen Uncle Sam's video on YouTube? It says it all and you can see it at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddMXehrtxYQ

Happy Voting Day!; 11/7/06, 4:40 PM
Jeremy said...: Slate had an Explainer (http://www.slate.com/id/2153111/) the other day about how to host a polling station in your own home. It seems that in many places, polling stations are just anywhere that volunteers and meets basic ADA requirements.; 11/7/06, 4:46 PM
Anonymous said...: Maxine,

LOL!

Pete; 11/7/06, 4:53 PM
Maxine Weiss said...: Oh, I see,

---so does that mean the local Strip Club can volunteer to be a polling place?

Wow!

Peace, Maxine; 11/7/06, 5:06 PM
Revenant said...: It seems that in many places, polling stations are just anywhere that volunteers and meets basic ADA requirements.

Yeah, the last time I voted here in San Diego it was in some elderly couple's garage.; 11/7/06, 5:11 PM
Ruth Anne Adams said...: Maxine:
Technically, many strip clubs are already pole-ing places.; 11/7/06, 7:49 PM
Harry Eagar said...: Mark sez, and Mike approves, that the churches build their halls with their own money. Not true.

Their contribution of polling places does not begin to make up for their not paying taxes.

One of the precincts here in Maui is cut off by an earthquake (bridge out on one side, landslides on the other), so a helicopter went out Saturday to open an emergency polling place. 39 of 80 registered voters voted.

Take that, Dixville Notch.; 11/7/06, 8:22 PM