Waiting to Vote

I was right behind the lady with the black purse. It was the first time that I've voted since I was registered when I was 17. I had to go to my old precint (Gus Garcia) since I hadn't had the chance to update my address. I waited about an hour and a half and it really wasn't a problem for me, but my sister and my niece waited for me in the parking lot for that long. Luckily I had my laptop in the car so my sister could amuse herself, at least until the batter went out.

I had many questions about the process but I armed myself before I got here. I made sure I called the Voters registration people and got my voter ID since I didn't have the paper thing they give you. That was a little problematic--their automatic telephone system couldn't find me, but the online system did. When I spoke to a human they found me no problem. 

Once I got here it was pretty smooth. The only problems were a few people complaining about a man cutting line and some restless kids that had to wait with their parents until they were able to vote. 

The woman sitting in the chair was a nice little thing that happened. She and her husband (wearing a military uniform) were one ahead of me. The female of a couple that was waiting ahead of them with their son was concerned about the lady having to stand the whole time. She got her husband to get a chair for the woman. She was also nice enough to save the space for the lady and her husband until they got closer to the front of the line and so she had her husband place the chair where you see it. 

As we got closer to the front of the line she told the woman that when it was their turn to go up she and her husband could go ahead of them. The elderly couple were slow to accept until they ascertained that it was really okay, and they thanked them effusively for their consideration.

When the woman was finished voting she came up to me and asked if I was a former classmate. She had looked very familiar to me and I found out we graduated from the same high school.

I was a bit afraid there would be a problem with my voting when I got up there since a few people had already been turned away as they were in the wrong voting place, and especially after a lady ahead of us had trouble being located in the database, they were confusing her with someone else with her same last name, but when I got up there really wasn't a problem beyond me having to explain that my id address did not match my records because I had just recently moved.

I got up to the machine and got through everything pretty easily. I really was only concerned for voting for the national election since I really didn't know much about the local ones, especially since I haven't lived in the precint since high school. I did vote for the names that were familiar to me and didn't vote for the ones that I didn't recognize. (My sister told me later that when she didn't know who to vote for she voted for females.)

As I was leaving I heard someone calling me back. I was afraid that I was in trouble for taking the three photos that I was able to take. Instead it turned out to be another old acquaintance. She asked me if I was of my grandfathers family and I said that's my grandfather. She asked about my little brother whom her boys went to school with. We got caught up and that was the end of my voting experience.

I got my sticker to say that I voted and promptly misplaced it so no free stuff for me, although that was a big topic of conversation in the line. People were talking about free stuff Sonic's, Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. I have no idea if anything was true since I didn't partake.

Sorry for the long post but this was a milestone for me...I might even do it again someday.