ELECTION 2004: Virginia

Vanity ^ | 11/2/2004 | USNDad

[UsnDadof8]

This seems to be the format everyone else is using as far as title.

[beezdotcom]

Grrr. I'm really, REALLY starting to get worried about the mounting problem with the ability of old people to function in our society.

Before you get your hackles up, remember, I'm not talking about you. I'm not talking about people who are lucid, know where they are, what day it is, and how to find their way back home. I'm not talking about octogenarians who drive all over to visit their 42 grandkids, and generally have a swell life. I hope to be one of those someday - in fact, I hope to become exceedingly old.

So I guess I'm really not even talking about old people - but I am talking about people who are often old. I'm talking about people like the lady I saw when I voted today in York County.

It's not that somebody had to bring her, and walk her to the booth; physical infirmities are a fact of life. It's not even that somebody had to read the ballot to her.

It's that she didn't vote. Oh, yes, she colored in the circle with the pen that her assistant told her to. But she was completely in the dark about what she was coloring in, what it meant, and even who she was voting for. ("What's this paper?" "YOU NEED TO COLOR THESE CIRCLES." "What's that name?" "JUST FILL IN THAT CIRCLE." "What's that writing on the back?" "THAT'S NOT IMPORTANT.")

I don't know who was assisting her, or even who she voted for. But it was pretty clear to me that she didn't vote; she was a proxy for her assistant. And I'm not even sure who to blame. I see this same scene repeated in department stores and restaurants, from caregivers who understand that a diminished capacity for choice often requires a decision to be forced.

Except that in cases like this, a diminished capacity for choice should simply register no choice - and it rarely does. I fear it's a problem that will never be fixed, because society has largely taken the responsibility for demanding ones rights out of the hands of the individual and placed it in the hands of advocates. This means that even when you are no longer capable of even understanding your right to vote, someone will still insist upon your right to do it anyway.

Sorry for the rant - but I just found this very frustrating.

[SoftballMominVA]

Voted in Warrenton this A.M. at 8:30. Warrenton is in Fauquier County and is pretty Republican.

However, I saw something interesting I'd love some comment on.

I'm standing in line with about 40 other people. There is a mom and her 2 teenage daughters passing out sample ballots and pointing out to people that there are two lines -- 1 for A-K and 1 around the corner sorta for L-Z. They are kind and polite. No sign of anyone for the democratic side, but there was a table set up with sample ballots. Up walks this man in a dark blue suit with Kerry buttons on each lapel, a briefcase in one hand and a cell phone in the other. He announced, LOUDLY "I'm here to make sure there is no voter intimidation or disenfranchisement!" Everyone turned to look at him. There was NOTHING going on! The mother looked at him and said, "we are handing out sample ballots." One of the teenage girls said, "And pointing out there are 2 lines so that people don't stand in the wrong one and then have to go to the back when they get to the door." The suit GLARED at this girl of about 15 and said, "WHY ARE YOU DIRECTING VOTERS TO OTHER DOORS!!!" About that time, a man stepped forward and said, "Sir, if you will look up ahead, there are 2 doors marked A-K and L-Z. These ladies are just offering a courtesy to people." "Well then!! I will have to look into this because we simply CANNOT have voter disenfranchisement!"

He stalked inside and was still on his cell when I came in about 10 minutes later. I heard him say to whomever he was speaking, "Well, yeah, there was a slight problem with some Bush supporters, but I put them in their place....... Well you know how it is in these little towns....... I'll call you as soon as I see something wrong."

Those of us in line were just stunned and shocked beyond belief. The utter arrogance and outright lying! What is wrong with these people?!?!?

[HenryLeeII]

James City County/Williamsburg is seeing very heavy turnout. Very polite crowds, normal campaign folks outside but nothing untoward going on other than the Bush/Cheney signs at at least two polling places (Clara Byrd Baker E.S. and Jamestown H.S.) being stolen before sunrise.

[ngc6656]

I voted at 8 a.m. at a rural school in western Virginia. This year there were four voting machines available instead of the usual two, so a long wait in line was not a problem. Looks like a record turnout is shaping up here. My precinct usually goes Republican in a 3 to 2 proportion.

Go Bush/Cheney, Triplett (for Congress)!

Has anyone seen polls on the Virginia Congressional races?

[HenryLeeII]

Hey Mud, the Virginny thread's over here...has Mrs. Edwards started a riot near The Fan yet?

[brothers4thID]

My husband was juggling our toddler on Saturday and during the confusion wrote down the wrong SS number. The poll worker asked to see his ID and then asked for a SS card since it didn't match her lists. I'm GLAD they were that thorough! He was so embarrassed!

[FoxInSocks]

It was still kind of dark as I walked down the street to the Fairfax County Government Center and arrived at 6:30. I missed the sunrise while I waited in a long, orderly line for 90 minutes to vote on one of seven touch-screens.

The I.D. check table to receive a "voting pass" was divided into three lines, according to last initial. "A" through "G" (me!) moved briskly. "H" through "O" had a backlog of patient citizens.

Three people sporting "Democratic Poll Watcher" nametags with the ass -- I mean donkey -- symbol hovered over each I.D. checker, scrutinizing every action, checking and scrawling on pieces of paper in their hands.

There was another guy there with a nametag, and I guess he was a Republican poll watcher. He just seemed to be keeping an eye on the proceedings.

One of the election officers monitoring a voting machine was a former Marine.

Beautiful weather here; Election Day is never this warm. I love it. Maybe I'll wash my car today.

[OpusatFR]

Chesapeake, large turnout and I vote in every election right down to the Council ones so I'm surprised.

Still say this election will be a landslide to Bush.

[Perdogg]

I am kind of nervous about VA. Bush will win it, right?

[LittleSpotBlog]

They're totally desperate. Luckily in Arlington we didn't have that, but we did have a bizarre foreign film shoot going on:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1266283/posts?page=17#17

[Mudboy Slim]

Old Dominion FReepers...check in and tell us how voting was in yer area...MUD

[Mudboy Slim]

Old Dominion FReepers...check in and tell us how voting was in yer area...MUD

[Mudboy Slim]

Old Dominion FReepers...check in and tell us how voting was in yer area...MUD

[petitfour]

Hubby and I voted around noon. I had been to our precinct twice already this morning because it happens to be our elementary school, and we had parent/teacher conferences today. The lines were rather long every time I was there. When we put our punch cards into the machine on our way out the door, a person in line by us noticed the number of ballots cast was at 1200+. That was at noon. Hubby would remember the exact number. The woman remarked that it was the highest voter turnout at that precinct ever. (this was our first presidential election here.) A friend who has lived here all his life told us that he had never waited in line before today. A teacher at the school told me that the only other election she remembered with this sort of turnout was the 1976 presidential election. I don't know what any of this means because I didn't poll the folks waiting in line with us. Folks were very quiet and respectful.

Also, a retired school official who was visiting the school said that his precinct was hopping at 6:15 this morning with a long line out the door. The machine that takes the ballots broke, and the poll workers began putting ballots in a black bag. He was REALLY uncomfortable with this because "how do we know it is secure?" Hopefully, that precinct has honest poll workers.

[Mudboy Slim]

Sorry about the triple-post...FR's acting up a bit today...MUD

[Nova Reservist]

I posted this earlier on another thread. Only thing to add was the Dem lawyer was very reasonable, we were all just discussing things very civilly, hopefully the whole country will go this way!

I worked the 06-09 AM shift in Arlington VA handing out Republican sample ballots, my first ever working, the Dems there said polling was heavy, lines were somewhat long. Most people were Dem but probably 30-40% were happy to get the Republican ballot, nearly all very quiet as this is heavy Democratic area.

Most everyone supportive of each other, nearly everyone cheerful and happy to vote, we initially had about 12 foreign observers from Europe, one asked if the local Republican candidate for Jim Moran's seat, Lisa Marie Cheney was VP's daughter! Got a chuckle out of that.

One woman said she lost her job under President Bush and would never vote for "you bastards" There was a Dem Lawyer and 2 Dem workers watching, she left and I said "well, isn't that special" and the two daughters of one of the Dems kind of giggled,

overall, very positive experience

[COBOL2Java]

We had six poll watchers in my district (Fairfax County section of Alexandria): three Dems, three Republicans. Everything was orderly. Mrs. COBOL2Java and I arrived right at 6:00am and there were already about 200 people there. sKerry volunteer tried shoving a Democrat voting sheet in my face; I made a rasberry sound and said "Yeah, like I'd ever vote for HIM!"

Proud of the Mrs. She is coming down with the flu, not feeling good at all. However, she pulled herself out of bed at 5:30, and announced "No flu's going to keep me from voting for Bush!" Luckily there were chairs all along the line towards the voting machines, and she was able to sit most of the way.

[Nick The Freeper]

Went to Manakin fire station to vote around 8:25, but there was a 45 minute wait and I had to be at a different polling place to help out at 9. I'm getting ready to head back now to finally vote. The line was long at lunch time according to my wife. Hopefully it's not as long now.

[Corin Stormhands]

Some of us got here on time.

[Displaced_Mass_GOPer]

Voted for the Prez about 730 AM in Dem-Heavy Alexandria (old town). the Fellow at the door said there was a long line right at 6 am. took me about 45 to get through and vote.