I Voted!

my actual "I Voted" sticker, on me!"

I voted! Did you? And I'm going to get something way better than a free coffee at Starbucks: A free cookie from Arizmendi! Woohoo!

I vote in a garage around the corner from my house. It's just a garage, but every election they throw down some oriental rugs and put up tables and it's a polling place. They even have the walls decorated with old prints of paintings and framed travel posters. You know, the kind that look like they've been hanging there for 30-50 years. Everytime I've voted there, there's been the same old guy checking us in. I imagine it's his garage.

Four years ago when everyone was predicting high voter turn-out and saying "Be prepared for lines!" I got up early and went over there, walked right up, voted, and left. So this year when people were predicting high voter turn-out and saying "Be prepared for lines!" I figured, meh, not on my block.

It took me about 45 minutes to vote this morning. First we all waited in line to check in and then we all waited in line to vote. When I left, there was still quite the line to vote, but the line to check in had grown smaller. I figure it'll slow down now that most people are off to work. Several older women were there in line who said they'd been voting there, in that garage, for 20-30 years and never had to wait in line before. They weren't complaining about the line. Oh, no. They said that with a gleam of excitement in their eyes. They thought it was wonderful.

I did to. I generally don't like to wait in lines, but that one I didn't mind one bit.