Happy Election Day!

wifeofadam · November 2014

God bless democracy

We had a fun time voting today. With our recent move we changed polling locations and the new workers were SO friendly with my kids. They recognized that we are a homeschooling family and encouraged me to have my boys help me fill out my ballot and then went out of their way to explain how the machine works and why voting is important. Then the pastor of the church where we were voting came out, saw my kids, and gave them candy. It was so much fun! A welcome change from previous years when I'm wrangling out of control kids while trying to vote. It's always appreciated when helpful adults recognize that what you're doing is tough and decide to help!

This is the first election that my boys are really invested in. We spent a long time researching candidates together and discussing the political process. They can't wait to see who wins.

Anyone else have a fun day voting with their babies?

kleigh926 · November 2014

Our polling location is only about 2 blocks away from our house, so I put DS in the K'tan and DD in the umbrella stroller and we walked there. It was a beautiful day too, sunny and very warm for November. There was no line and the workers were friendly with us too. I think I heard "you have your hands full" about 5 times

And mine aren't nearly as full as yours @wifeofadam!

Both my kids are too young to understand or care about voting, but maybe next year DD will be able to understand more. I have memories of going into the curtained booth with my parents when there were levers to pull down to vote and I thought it was so cool. They even let me pull the levers sometimes (obviously showing me which ones they wanted).

tamarar5 · November 2014

So glad you had a great experience!

I, on the other hand, did not.

My voting building moved. It's in a sketchy neighborhood at a church now. When I pulled in and flipped out the double stroller, this guy outside said it wouldn't fit. I asked if wheelchairs could get in (because if wheelchairs can, so can my double) and he just shrugged. So I got the babies out and put them in the stroller and went in. Dude held the for open and said, "it's stairs going up."

:-w Again I asked how handicapped people get in and he just shrugged. And proceeded to watch without helping, as I dragged the double with children, up the stairs.

And THEN it didn't for in the inside door. So I had to take both kids out, fold the damn thing up, drag it inside, flip it open, put kids back in... only to realize I had left my wallet and id in my car.

Having the stroller ended up not being super necessary. Last time, I spent almost two and a half hours standing in line just waiting to get a ballot and a booth. I was expecting that same wait and needed to contain kids. I ended up just walking in and out in minutes. Luckily I did my research and wrote all my selections down, so it was really quick to actually do.

kelly321 · November 2014

Fun fact? I have never been to a polling station, ever. My parents never took us when we were little (they always voted), and since I turned 18 I've always done absentee ballots because I was either away at college or abroad.

I'm ashamed to admit that this year I did not vote, though. I got the stuff via e-mail right when DH was in the hospital the first time, and things have been so crazy here that I didn't even think about it again. My home state is pretty cut and dry, though, so I don't feel like I actually make a difference either way.

wifeofadam · November 2014

@tamarar5 That sounds awful! I'm mad that it wasn't more accessible for people in wheelchairs. How are they supposed to vote? And boo to unchivalrous men (or unhelpful women) who aren't willing to help out a stressed mama.

ETA: I think you should do what @kelly321 does and vote absentee from now on!!

tamarar5 · November 2014

wifeofadam said:
@tamarar5 That sounds awful! I'm mad that it wasn't more accessible for people in wheelchairs. How are they supposed to vote? And boo to unchivalrous men (or unhelpful women) who aren't willing to help out a stressed mama.

I forgot to add, they **did** have a ramp. I went out that way. But the guy was telling anyone who came by, it wasn't handicap accessible. I wonder how many were turned away because he was dumb.

ericalee27 · November 2014

tamarar5 said:

@tamarar5 That sounds awful! I'm mad that it wasn't more accessible for people in wheelchairs. How are they supposed to vote? And boo to unchivalrous men (or unhelpful women) who aren't willing to help out a stressed mama.
I forgot to add, they **did** have a ramp. I went out that way. But the guy was telling anyone who came by, it wasn't handicap accessible. I wonder how many were turned away because he was dumb.

That is really crazy. Report to your board of elections!!!!!

holly321 · November 2014

I went before worwork, after dropping the kids off with my dad. I arrived as the polls opened so there was no line!

A good family friend is running for commissioner as a write in ballot, and I think he has a really good chance of winning.

wells2010 · November 2014

It was a beautiful day- we walked to the middle school where we vote. I brought the stroller since it's a little too far for her to walk there and back. I also wasn't sure if I'd need to wait in line. I went around 1030AM- no line at all. In and out and on with our day in less than 30 minutes!

MalRiggs · November 2014

I went for what's its worth. Not in love with any candidate running. Its seriously one of thoes

wifeofadam · November 2014

byebyebooze said:
That's not dumb, that's voter intimidation and tampering. One of my fb friends lives in a district where the average income for a family is 30K. Her new voting station is a huge, beautiful, expensive retirement home that's located down a long and windy wooded drive. She had to walk a good distance through beautiful atriums and hallways to get to where the voting took place. Talk about intimidation.

The median income in the town in which I live in less than 25K. So I'm in a similar area. But I'm having a hard time understanding why voting in that location would be intimidating. It's a retirement home.

I guess when like 70% of the people that vote in these types of elections are the olds, it makes sense to hold them where they are. lol

Most of the polling locations in my area are churches. Curious for the non-Christians in the group - is that intimidating?

tamarar5 · November 2014

I never really thought of it being like voter tampering, @byebyebooze, but you are completely right. They kind of did the same thing at the previous location. We used to vote at an elementary school that is now closed for construction. It was hard to get in and out of, there was no parking, it wasn't on a bus route, and it wasn't well marked so if anyone DID get in, it was really hard to find where you were going.

Now I'm all suspicious! I can't stop thinking the city is trying to rig the elections (we have a lot of city stuff this time) by making the polling booths so hard to get to!

Amstreagle · November 2014

@tamarar5‌ I'm sorry you had to deal with all that. It makes my blood boil to see people act like such dicks!

SummerLove21 · November 2014

We had a new polling location...well, new for me. I must not have voted last year, or they changed our location. I don't remember. Anyhoozle, ours was at a Catholic church (near the brand-new park they just finished construction on), easy to get to, nice olds running the thing. DS took his toy phone and kept himself occupied; he got a lot of coos and attention from the poll workers. The funny thing was, they were talking about me (having a toddler and being very pregnant and fairly young), but they were talking loudly and I could totally hear them. It was cracking me up (they didn't say anything mean or rude). There weren't many people so we didn't have to wait.

We went to the new park right after; it is crazy-nice and cool but holy crap, it was swarming with kids! We were both a little overwhelmed and only stayed for half an hour because it was so late when we went.

Puck1182 · November 2014

I used my lunch break at work. In and out and back in my office with fifteen minutes to spare!

Only one candidate I voted for actually won, and DH and I once again failed to get FIL elected to local office via write-in votes. (That's our default for any race where we don't like the choice of actual candidates... It's only a matter of time before FIL actually gets elected to something without even running!)

And I can't for the life of me find out whether the ballot question on implementing full-day kindergarten passed, although apparently early results didn't look promising. So boooo to that. Guess we'll be ponying up money full a full-day program for DD in a few years. :P

wifeofadam · November 2014

DC2London said:

When I took the kids to vote they were very concerned that the kids not touch the ballot. It was actually kind of odd. I mean I'm sure it has to do with election laws and I understand it but Jack asked, "Can I take the ballot to the machine?" and the volunteers all said, "NO!!"

DS1 filled in the dots for me. I put a mark on the ones I wanted him to fill in and then he did the rest. A guy walked up next to me and said, "Isn't he a little young to vote?" and I *think* he was being funny, but I was worried he was mad that I was letting a child do it so I was like "Don't worry! I told him what to bubble in."

It's strange that different precincts are so different. These ladies were encouraging my kids to participate as much as possible, which I'm sure is against the law.

singingsea · November 2014

Yeah I didn't vote. I'm beyond disillusioned right now. I'll probably vote next time.

ericalee27 · November 2014

My post election day was not so happy....not happy with the results, boo.

wifeofadam · November 2014

I'm never happy with the results. They're all the same. It's just the illusion of a choice, really. Different year, same game.

But the idea of the process and having a say in changing the world is fun

Rynleigh · November 2014

I'm not very happy with a lot of results. But we legalized marijuana with taxation going to schools/drug treatment/law enforcement, and we finally put a law in place requiring equal pay for equal work. So at least there's that.

lc&jw · November 2014

wifeofadam said:

Most of the polling locations in my area are churches. Curious for the non-Christians in the group - is that intimidating?

It used to be awkward and uncomfortable when I was younger (college age and early 20's). Now I have more confidence as I've matured, so I don't care as much anymore about what people think. I still feel a little out of place though. I've never understood why voting would be held in a church, when clearly all of the voting public is not of the same religion. I much prefer when voting is held in schools and other neutral places.

kleigh926 · November 2014

lc&jw said:

wifeofadam said:

Most of the polling locations in my area are churches. Curious for the non-Christians in the group - is that intimidating?

It used to be awkward and uncomfortable when I was younger (college age and early 20's). Now I have more confidence as I've matured, so I don't care as much anymore about what people think. I still feel a little out of place though. I've never understood why voting would be held in a church, when clearly all of the voting public is not of the same religion. I much prefer when voting is held in schools and other neutral places.

I don't think it has anything to do with religion, but more that churches are convenient places to hold elections... they usually have large rooms that can be used, and there are lots of them (at least around here) so many people probably live near one and wouldn't have to drive a long distance. Just my thoughts.

Rynleigh · November 2014

In Oregon, all ballots come by mail - you either slap a stamp on it and mail it back when you are done, or you drop it off at a ballot box if you don't have postage. Ballot boxes are at pretty much every City Hall, Court House, and Library, lots of banks, some shopping centers, some movie theaters, etc. Pretty much all secular, I suppose. We always get our ballots in mid October and just mail them right back in. Ain't no body got time for ballot boxes.

kleigh926 · November 2014

Sagen said:

The main reason I voted was to vote against this amendment that would tie teachers' evaluations to student test scores. I am happy to say it did not pass.

Ugh, I hate that it's even a question. My mom is a teacher's assistant in an elementary school, and a lot of the students there come from bad home situations where the parents are not very involved/don't care about their children's education. There's only so much a teacher can do if the parents aren't going to do their part. It's so frustrating when she talks about the teachers she works with being evaluated based on their students' progress. And I'm pretty sure it's happening to DH too, now that he teaches at the high school level. He also works with very disadvantaged kids. It doesn't make sense to me at all.

SummerLove21 · November 2014

kleigh926 said:

Sagen said:

The main reason I voted was to vote against this amendment that would tie teachers' evaluations to student test scores. I am happy to say it did not pass.

Ugh, I hate that it's even a question. My mom is a teacher's assistant in an elementary school, and a lot of the students there come from bad home situations where the parents are not very involved/don't care about their children's education. There's only so much a teacher can do if the parents aren't going to do their part. It's so frustrating when she talks about the teachers she works with being evaluated based on their students' progress. And I'm pretty sure it's happening to DH too, now that he teaches at the high school level. He also works with very disadvantaged kids. It doesn't make sense to me at all.

It's difficult to evaluate teachers (this coming from a former teacher), so I think the default has become the standardized test - everyone takes the same one, so it seems like it should be an accurate, non-biased measuring stick. Also cheap and easy. The problem is, it's not that simple, nor should it be, but it would take a lot more time and money to do it properly and everything is about fast, easy, and cheap these days.

But I am glad that did not pass, @Sagen. That would have been grossly unfair.

SummerLove21 · November 2014

wifeofadam said:

byebyebooze said:
That's not dumb, that's voter intimidation and tampering. One of my fb friends lives in a district where the average income for a family is 30K. Her new voting station is a huge, beautiful, expensive retirement home that's located down a long and windy wooded drive. She had to walk a good distance through beautiful atriums and hallways to get to where the voting took place. Talk about intimidation.

The median income in the town in which I live in less than 25K. So I'm in a similar area. But I'm having a hard time understanding why voting in that location would be intimidating. It's a retirement home.

I guess when like 70% of the people that vote in these types of elections are the olds, it makes sense to hold them where they are. lol

Most of the polling locations in my area are churches. Curious for the non-Christians in the group - is that intimidating?

I've never voted at a church of my own denomination, but I've never felt weird about it either. I have no idea how polling stations work, but I am guessing the facilities are donated. Also, they tend to not be in heavy use during the week - I wonder if that is factor.

It is an interesting question when you consider the seperation of church and state...but I really don't have a problem with it.

Gftf7 · November 2014

My voting experience was good. My mom has been an election judge during the past several elections, so I usually spend election day with my dad, while my mom is working. This year, Dad and I ended up on a road trip, to pick up some parts. I voted on the way to get the part. My dad stayed in the truck with LO while I went in our town hall building. I'd already marked my choices on the sample ballot that was in the newspaper, so it didn't take long. Then I had to chit chat with the neighbors that were there voting and working. I think that took longer than voting!

After we delivered the part, my dad got rock-star treatment when he went to vote. As I was getting the walker set up for my Dad to use once he got out of the truck, a lady walking out of the building said that they could probably bring the ballot out to my Dad (she had to wait to vote as the registration book was outside for someone else to vote). So I went in to check. It would be no problem to bring the ballot out! So two workers came out. One had the book that you sign to get your ballot and the other person had the ballot in a manila folder. Dad signed, then I helped him fill out the ballot. He had already told me who he wanted to vote for in the major races, and we figured out the rest on the fly. I filled in the dots for him as I didn't want to hold up the registration book too long. Granted my parents vote in a small town and my dad has lived there his whole life, but it was very nice that the workers made it super easy.

Very sorry to hear of your experience @tamarar5. As mentioned above, I'd definitely report that.

My H and I differ a lot in who we vote for. In a joking way, he was trying to discourage me from voting so that I didn't cancel his vote out. Ha!

The night before the election I found two websites that help you select a candidate by asking your thoughts on major issues (the environment, abortion, immigration, budget, education, etc). It ended up telling me to vote for the people that I would've voted for anyway, but it was interesting to think of things that way (taking the party labels out of the equation). I've known since shortly after meeting my H, that we had different views, but I think I might have some discussions with him about his views, using the questions, when we have some time. I like to understand how and why people think the way they do.

tamarar5 · November 2014

I've been following the results here all day and I'm sad to say only one person I voted for won. What is even worse, the race for congress here was "declared" a win with only 12% of total ballots in (and the percentages were very close)! They even stopped advertising the actual numbers. That *really* bothers me. I mean, if they aren't going to appoint the person voted into office by majority vote, what is the point of voting?

I also refuse to bout for any candidate who runs unopposed or doesn't fill out the campaign questionnaires. I'm not going to vote for someone just because they are the only person running! That's the way every school board race was here.

*I realize I could write someone in, I just don't know anyone qualified to write in.

Want a personalized experience?

Happy Election Day!

Re: Happy Election Day!

Choose Another Board

Search Boards