Today, I tried to vote in the local Democratic primary.
Operative word: tried.
I got to my polling place at 4:37 p.m.
The doors were locked.
What the Fuck is up with that???
This is the second time I’ve had trouble trying to vote around here.
The first time, my polling place was changed.
We never received the mailer.
I found the polling place last time.
This time? I gave up.
Disenfranchised Disenchanted.
May 8, 2007 by disenchanted
Obviously that was early for the doors to be locked, but what time was the polling station supposed to close?
People gripe about California but they have their elections together. I *never* missed an election due to doors locked or not knowing the election was going on.
In conservative hell I never know when we’re having an election, and I’m civic minded. The first hint I have an election is going on is the sign at the end of my street at the church telling me the polling place is open. I guess the good news is that I can walk to my polling place, assuming I know there is an election being held.
I was reading the local news rag this morning, and the City of Sorta’ Cosmopolitan only had a 6 percent turnout for the primary. They mentioned one polling place (not mine) that opened 50 minutes late because someone forgot to notify the church so no one came to unlock the doors. Even better: my old polling place on the east side of town only had 21 voters all day.
The polls were supposed to be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. That’s what really annoyed me about the doors being locked at my polling place. Last night, I was talking to my neighbors and they said that Sorta’ Cosmo has a nasty habit of “consolidating” polling places in the 4th Ward (my ward) during the primaries to save money … and they don’t bother to notify anyone. Of course, (in addition to the wealthy historic district and its middle class fringes)my ward includes the Central City and (gasp) the poor, the white trash and the blacks, so you have to wonder about the motivation behind that decision.
Ooops. Here I am, spinning a conspiracy theory. LOL.
It just annoys me because I had a problem with the *last* primary. I went to the polling place listed on my voter registration card — the polling place that’s right down the street from me — only to be told that my house was moved into a new precinct. And no, I never received a notification for that either. And the fuckers gave me bad directions so it took me 1/2 an hour to find my new polling place. GRRRRRR.
I’m though with the whole precinct thing. From now on, I’m voting early at the courthouse.
Maybe that’s what I need to do (vote early at the courthouse). Then again, I’d have to know there was an election going on to do so. I think the problem here isn’t lack of or open polling places, it’s notifying the public of elections. *shrugs*
[...] had a problem earlier this year when I went to vote in the primary. My polling place was closed well before 6 p.m. Later, one of my grad students who has lived [...]