Presidential Election

Re: Share your voting experience today

Zachary Weiss — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 02:48:05 GMT

Although I am only sixteen years old, I did go and vote at the polling place with my mother. We got there a little after nine and I was surprised to find that the lines did not go outside the door of the polling place. A lot of polling places did get hit hard (just check out KDKA, WTAE and WPXI if you need any evidence) and if I remember correctly, there was one polling place in Squirrel Hill that had malfunctioning machines right off the bat. Our polling place had very short lines and it was only a 5-10 minute wait.

The machines were working very well, and it wasn't hard to use them as I actually practiced voting on a website before the election. However, before my mother and I voted, the elections judge came over and told us how to work the machines. The fact that the election is over, gives me mixed emotions. On one hand, I won't be seeing an overload of political ads and I won't be getting any calls from Rudy Giuliani or any McCain/Obama volunteers. On the other hand, I volunteered for one of the campaigns, and the experience was great as I canvassed and phone banked. I think from a Pennsylvania standpoint if Obama is elected, Republicans should have a huge fear incumbent or not. This election will show America how it reacts to eight miserable years.

Re: Share your voting experience today

pittsburghhoagie — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 02:42:22 GMT

Chico:

Nice to see the folks with I.Qs less than 80 are out to vote today. Keep on keepin on!

I guess alot of people fit intot hat category. PA is blue baby!

Re: Share your voting experience today

dennishoulihan — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 02:25:50 GMT

I voted in Penn Hills and had no problems. In fact every thing went quite well. Our turn out was about 70 percent.

Re: Share your voting experience today

pittsburghhoagie — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 02:18:02 GMT

lk15233:

Was very disturbed by the amount of Obama signs right outside the place. And on the door to enter was a sign remember to vote for Obama today. I thought polling places were supposed to be impartial??? Very disgusted by the overdose of Obama propoganda there.

The sign probably wasn't supposed to be on the door but the outside can be litetred wiht as many signs for Obama as they want.

Re: Share your voting experience today

aPghCatholic — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 02:04:01 GMT

Voted in O'Hara at Pleasant Valley Fire Company, about 7 PM. Last election, I was #260ish at about the same time. Tonight I was #475. No line. Poll workers reported no glitches, today. Super-helpful young person made sure touch screen use was clear. (I'm still floored there's no paper trail in PA.) Pressing the "vote" button the second time, lots of thoughts: (1) I was grateful that Fr. Breier preached the Solemnity of All Souls, at Sunday Mass, instead of "Faithful Citizenship." I am so tired of being told how to think and what to do, and was glad that Sunday Mass pointed us towards God instead of man. (2) I'm mortified that 90 bishops nationally all but told Catholics to vote Democrat only in peril of their souls. (3) The bishop of Scranton says he owns the buildings and he's the only one allowed to teach. Good luck, bishop, you can teach all those Faith Formation and RCIA and sacramental prep classes, yourself--and run the parish festivals, train all your liturgical ministers, and do all the grunt work us peasants do, in your spare time. (4) My conscience is well-formed and firm. Doug Kmiec for Attorney General! Let's aim at changing hearts with kindness and support, not bullying people the way my Church has been, recently. (5) A friend works for the Diocese, and took down her Obama yard sign for fear of being fired for creating scandal (and PA law would probably support the Diocese). (6) Obama is going to cost me money but he'll spread it around. (7) Just no electronic medical record mandate, please--personal privacy MUST trump transferability, and medical records SHOULD be hard to share.

Re: Share your voting experience today

mathteacher — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:06:05 GMT

Jiucer:

My goodness, to think someone may actually want to poistively identify you as the person you say you are prior to voting????? This is appauling especially considering ACORN tries to register the same the person over 50 times. It is definitely a violation of your rights if you are forced to produce a drivers license to identify yourself, my heavens. I don't know how widespread this is but I hope someone is investigating this grave injustice.

Dear juicer, Try not to worry so much. Only first time voters need to produce identification. I think the poll workers would notice if someone tried to vote more than once as they check you off the list when you vote.

Re: Share your voting experience today

TM327 — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:42:50 GMT

NOBAMA! Voted in Lawrenceville today at 7 A.M. Everything ran smoothly and I was out within 10 minutes. Vote McCain Palin. Don't let America become a socialist society!

Re: Share your voting experience today

Kathy Rooney — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:31:49 GMT

Welcome to the future! So unlike other elections, our polling place at Howe School in Mt. Lebanon today was festively active with lots of excitement. We saled in to vote and then danced down the hallway and out the door, laughing all the way.

Kathy Rooney and Ray Sokolowski

Re: Share your voting experience today

mathteacher — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:49:21 GMT

Don't worry kas. There's no fraud involved with what you heard. It is legal for you, after you've moved, to return to your old polling place one last time. Also the son is not showing up to vote in Pa so your concerns are overblown. Be more concerned about the thousands of Americans whose names have been incorrectly removed from the voting rolls.

Re: Share your voting experience today

lsk1250 — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:46:35 GMT

I live in Wilkinsburg, for the 1st time in a long time there was a line at my polling place, but people were chatting and smiling at one another.

I grew up in the 50s and 60s and for a rampant, cynical pessimist I can be very sentimental and ridiculously optimistic.

I saw something today that epitomizes the determination (in both candidates) and the absolute feeling of inclusion generated by Sen Barack Obama. While I was standing in line, a gentleman very slowly and carefully walked by on his way out after voting. He leaned on a cane on one side and a young woman on the other. It was obvious how hard and tedious it was for him to make his way; but there was a smile on his face along w/a very determined and proud look.

Re: Share your voting experience today

PghGirl — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:40:03 GMT

Penn Hills guy in NC:

The world is much more complex than the way you describe it, PghGirl. There are people who are easily manipulated by those in power but that doesn't make those individuals any less "worthy" than you or I. If I follow your logic a bit further down the road, we'd return to the Jim Crow era and have people prove literacy before allowing them to vote. That isn't the direction I'd prefer our country to go in.

It is more complex & can't be summed up in a forum post. But your logic is far from perfect. I never said we should "test" people before allowing them to vote & my statement certainly doesn't harken back to Jim Crow laws.

Being able to find your way to the poll on the correct day is a test in & of itself. If you have to be led there by hand, what are the chances that you're making this decision for yourself? Probably pretty slim.

If a person is developmentally or mentally disabled but has the capcity to form an independent choice to vote for a particular candidate, then he or she will also have the basic wherewithal to question such an edict as these flyers. They have gotten their campaign information somewhere & will have the capacity to verify critical details, like where & when to vote.

Working in healthcare, the single biggest issue of this election in my world has been concern about fraud -- friends & family members of elderly & very ill patients are EXTREMELY concerned that their loved ones may be influenced into voting when clearly these people are in no state to make any type of informed choice.

This kind of fraud happens in institutions like rehab facilities & nursing homes every day, to a lesser extent in our hospitals.

If someone is so naive & gullible to think that --- after 2 years of endless hype! -- such a huge change would be made at the last minute, then these people are likely not capable of making independent decisions. In such cases, these "voters" are often pawns used by unscrupulous organizers & political afiliates. It's a pretty common & wodespread practice, mainly because it's completely foolproof.

We can't deny anyone the right to vote, even if they are legally unable to make autonomous decisions (dementia, severe mental illness, brain injuries, developmental delays). Some of these people have the intelligence of a 6 year old & can't even be left alone for a few minutes, but you can take them by the hand to the polls & tell them which button to push.

Not my idea of freedom or democracy.

Re: Share your voting experience today

browneyes — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:47:35 GMT

Today I went to vote with my family, the lines were extrememly short. I had no trouble at all with the new voting machines. The machines were working just fine. I was in no hurry to vote. There was only one person handing out ballots to people, so that they were able to choose who they were going to vote for.

Re: Share your voting experience today

Jimmy_Grimaldi — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:43:59 GMT

That is really disturbing. I hope they keep his butt in jail and fine him.

Re: Share your voting experience today

Penn Hills guy in NC — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:41:29 GMT

PghGirl:

Penn Hills guy in NC:

I see nothing funny about this at all, PghGirl and can't understand your logic at all. I support Obama and I also support fair election protocol. There is nothing funny about voter intimidation. I don't think your dog would even find it funny if he could talk. Your comments seem overly judgemental about a population that has been targeted by dishonest people.

I don't see this as voter intimidation at all. If you're so cloistered as to not know which day to go to the polls, how do you know who is running, what they stand for, or anything about any of the issues at the center of the campaign?

You can't know all of those things (even if only in the most superficial sense) yet still believe that election day has been changed (and only for YOUR party!). It's seems like a real stretch of the imagination that folks could be that gullible yet somehow still be informed voters exercising their constitutional rights to the best of their abilities.

If you're that clueless, you are mocking the process by casting a ballot, thereby ruining it for the rest of us. True voter intimidation & fraud are serious issues but the most detrimental force in our society is the clueless voter who goes to the polls anyway. Ignorance is everything that is wrong with our country because if voters were informed, we'd have a much higher calibur of elected officials & far less problems.

The world is much more complex than the way you describe it, PghGirl. There are people who are easily manipulated by those in power but that doesn't make those individuals any less "worthy" than you or I. If I follow your logic a bit further down the road, we'd return to the Jim Crow era and have people prove literacy before allowing them to vote. That isn't the direction I'd prefer our country to go in.

Re: Share your voting experience today

mthomashoover — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:29:06 GMT

Yes, I have, and I know that they didn't have to check my ID, but I think it should be standard protocol. It's unbelievable that you must show ID to buy tobacco, alcohol, to enter a bar, hell, even to get into an R-rated movie, but anyone off the street can go into a polling station on one of the most important days in our lives and not have to prove their identification. The poll workers don't know me and I don't know them. I could've told them I was any one of my neighbors, left, came back 2 hours later with a clean shave, different clothes, and a ball cap and voted as myself or someone else. What's preventing anyone else from doing the same?

I know what the law is, but that doesn't make it right. This needed to be changed a long time ago.