The I VOTED!!! Thread

[VRBeauty]

I VOTED!!!

I normally like just voting at my neighborhood polling station on election day - I always run into some friends and neighbors there, and I like the tradition of it all.

This year I'll be out of town on election day, and I also wanted to be sure my votes show up in the early returns. So- I voted today.

As luck would have it, as I left the registrar's office I was approached by an AP reporter conducting an exit poll. I won't be quoted because I didn't give him my name, but he does know how I voted in several key races, and why...


So - let us know when you've voted!

 

[MissGotRocks]

Voted early last week! I too normally enjoy going on election day but just felt that I wanted to vote early this time.

 

[ruby59]

In my home state there is no early voting.

 

[VRBeauty]

In my home state there is no early voting.

None at all? Are absentee ballots allowed?

Once upon a time in my state you had to sign an affidavit indicating basically that you were voting early because unforeseen circumstances prevented you from voting on election day. That is no longer the case - now you're in effect requesting an absentee ballot even though the deadline for a routine absentee ballot request has passed.

 

[ruby59]

None at all? Are absentee ballots allowed?
______________________________
https://ballotpedia.org/Voting_in_Rhode_Island

I believe you can ask for a mail ballot. But you have to have a reason for it.

 

[monarch64]

I voted Monday. I kept meaning to do it the past 2 Mondays and never got the chance. I will never forget voting this election. When I got to Hillary's box, I literally got tears in my eyes. I'm getting misty right now just typing it. History.

ETA: OH AND THEN THE CUBS WON THE WORLD SERIES.

No big deal, just a historical year all-around.

 

[katharath]

I voted early today. My state is really fantastic for early voting.

The polling place I was at was swarming with women - women of all ages and ethnicities, it was amazing. I've voted at the same polling place before, and I've voted in 3 presidential elections in this same city - and I've never seen anything comparable to it. There were almost no men. I saw perhaps one man for every 40 women. I realize that this may be partially due to the time I voted (young mothers were out during the traditional workday) but still...let's just say it was very encouraging.

 

[katharath]

I voted Monday. I kept meaning to do it the past 2 Mondays and never got the chance. I will never forget voting this election. When I got to Hillary's box, I literally got tears in my eyes. I'm getting misty right now just typing it. History.

I hear you!! Regardless of how people feel about her personally, it was historical to be able to even have the chance to vote for her.

 

[Dee*Jay]

I voted last Friday. When I exited the library (my early polling place) there was someone with a clipboard, pen poised, asking if I had voted for Trump. I said, "Do you have a box to check beside Not One Chance In Hell? Because that's the likelihood of me voting for Trump. And let us be clear: I am a Republican, but in this election I'm With Her." The person with the clipboard didn't want to talk with me any more...

 

[Dee*Jay]

.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Oh damn, I forget that right side up photos post sideways... but you get the gist.

 

[monarch64]

I voted last Friday. When I exited the library (my early polling place) there was someone with a clipboard, pen poised, asking if I had voted for Trump. I said, "Do you have a box to check beside Not One Chance In Hell? Because that's the likelihood of me voting for Trump. And let us be clear: I am a Republican, but in this election I'm With Her." The person with the clipboard didn't want to talk with me any more...

Have I told you lately that I love you, D? Because I love you.

 

[iLander]

I voted!

Way early, by mail, a couple of weeks ago.

For Hillary. Suck it Donny.

So did DH, DD and DS.

 

[ruby59]

According to several online sources, these states allow voters to change their mind after casting early or absentee votes:
Wisconsin
Minnesota
New York
Connecticut
Hawaii
Pennsylvania


I was surprised by the above that in some states you can change it.

 

[redwood66]

I voted by mail a week ago. First time I have not gone to polling station.

 

[arkieb1]

I voted last Friday. When I exited the library (my early polling place) there was someone with a clipboard, pen poised, asking if I had voted for Trump. I said, "Do you have a box to check beside Not One Chance In Hell? Because that's the likelihood of me voting for Trump. And let us be clear: I am a Republican, but in this election I'm With Her." The person with the clipboard didn't want to talk with me any more...

Have I told you lately that I love you, D? Because I love you.

+1

 

[Dancing Fire]

I voted!

Way early, by mail, a couple of weeks ago.

For Hillary. Suck it Donny.

So did DH, DD and DS.

You don't wanna "make america great again"?...

 

[LadyMCh]

Voted absentee about 2 weeks ago. My ballot was received Oct. 29.
We are legal residents in a different state than where we currently live (military). I can't even remember the last time I went to a polling station to vote. I'm always slightly jealous of people's "I voted!" stickers. They don't give them for absentee voters! Plus, going to a poll station seems more exciting than sitting down with my husband to fill out our paper ballots at home in our living room in our pajamas as we try to keep our lap dogs from laying on the papers...

 

[monarch64]

According to several online sources, these states allow voters to change their mind after casting early or absentee votes:
Wisconsin
Minnesota
New York
Connecticut
Hawaii
Pennsylvania


I was surprised by the above that in some states you can change it.

Whaaaa? That is very surprising. Thanks for that info,Ruby. I had no idea that changing one's mind re voting was a thing.

 

[rainwood]

My state has gone to mail-in ballots only so we don't even have polling places anymore. I sent my ballot in last week, and everyone I've talked to has already sent theirs in too.

 

[Gypsy]

I sent my mail in ballot in. I don't know why I haven't done mail in before. So much easier. Especially since there were a TON of propositions this year and they were TRICKY and MISLEADING.

There were TWO death penalty propositions. And one bad, and the other worse.

Two grocery bag propositions. One that was TOTALLY misleading.

Every time I read these damned things I want to volunteer to write these things. So many of them are just BADLY written/thought out.

 

[AGBF]

I voted by absentee ballot a few weeks ago in Virginia. I helped my housebound father to vote by absentee ballot here in Connecticut a couple of weeks ago. Until this year he always managed to go to a polling place himself. I also helped our live-in African-American CNA register to vote in his own town in Connecticut city and get an absentee ballot in time to vote. He had not known if he was registered to vote or not, and together we looked up his name in the city's voting records.I did not ask him if he had ever voted before because I did not want to embarrass him, but I would not be shocked if he had not. He is over 45. In this household, only my 24 year-old daughter has yet to vote, and she will do so on Election Day. Connecticut has no early voting except by absentee ballot for cause (which my father meets by being housebound and our aide meets by being away from home on work).

I was a little shocked by some of the questions our aide asked me, but was very careful to answer them in a tactful way. He is a very intelligent man who knows a great deal about health and medicine, and I depend upon to make difficult decisions about my father's care. That he has gaps in his political knowledge is not his fault. But it pointed out to me that many people "out there " are probably similarly handicapped. He asked me, for instance, if each state had a president (to which I answered that each state had a governor). And he asked if the United States had sovereignty (he didn't use that word) over other countries like Russia (to which I answered no). This was a bit worrisome to me as a former history teacher, because our aide is a high school graduate and very bright. Something is wrong in our schools.

Deb/AGBF

 

[lknvrb4]

I voted last week, early voting was a breeze compared to election day.

 

[missy]

We voted many weeks ago. Glad to have gotten that over with and will be happy when this darn election is over. Though I have a bad feeling we might not be happy for years to come but hoping for the very best and to that end we made the best choice we each felt we had to make.

We have voted by absentee ballot for a very long (decades) time now. Easy peasy and I am glad to see others do it too. This way there is never a reason NOT to vote because it couldn't be more simple.

DeeJay, LOVED your response.

And yes history is going to be made here.

PS WOOHOO CUBS!!!!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Awe thank you Monnie, Arkieb1 and Missy. But I really don't understand why Mr. Clipboard didn't want to talk to me anymore. I mean, I'm a lovely person (always kind to children, old people and animals), I buy good thoughtful gifts, and I throw a really great party.

And Monnie, you know the feeling is mutual!

I was a little take aback by the pen-and-clipboard wielder frankly. There are orange cones a little ways on either side of the library door with signs that say something about not being able to pass out materials beyond that point (i.e., closer to the door) -- I guess the candidates or their minions distribute things sometimes? -- and that is exactly where that person was standing when I came out (but he wasn't there when I went in) and he was a big guy and rather loomed over me (I'm only 5' tall and I really don't appreciate that AT ALL). Plus it was just after 9 o'clock in the morning since I went right when they opened, and no human, big or small, should approach me before 10, preferably 11, even if I have had coffee (which I had).

As for the propositions, I know what you mean Gypsy! There was one that the CB and I had talk about ahead of time, which is a good thing because it was confusing (perhaps on purpose), a few that I was like, MEH, and one that I kind of struggled with... it had to do with establishing a mental health program for people who can't otherwise afford the care, but the money was to come from an increase in our property taxes. My property taxes (and everyone in this building) were initially set to go up 87% this year (EIGHTY SEVEN PERCENT. UP. WTF.) but we appealed it as an association and got the increase lowered so they *ONLY* went up 51%. (Have I said WTF already? WTF.) So I feel kind of bad that I voted "no" on that one, but it was a knee-jerk reaction to the idea of increasing my property taxes even more.

Oh -- and there was also something about (I think) global warming. I can't for the life of me remember what it was, but I keep getting TEXT messages from the Sierra Club saying to vote "yes" for this thing, but they don't really say in the text message what it is, and I also don't remember whether I voted yes or no. Probably "yes"... assuming it didn't involve raising my property taxes, ha ha.

Whew! Sorry for the second installment of War and Peace here!

And YES -- YEAH CUBS!!! I'm from Pittsburgh so my baseball heart will always belong to the Pirates, but I'm very very very happy for all these long suffering and ever-hopeful fans!!!

 

[Dee*Jay]

According to several online sources, these states allow voters to change their mind after casting early or absentee votes:
Wisconsin
Minnesota
New York
Connecticut
Hawaii
Pennsylvania


I was surprised by the above that in some states you can change it.

Whaaaa? That is very surprising. Thanks for that info,Ruby. I had no idea that changing one's mind re voting was a thing.

Monnie, here's an article (just one of many) where Trump is urging voters in those states to change their votes if they've already cast a ballot for Clinton.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/11/01/trump-reminds-early-voters-in-some-states-they-can-legally-change-their-votes-from-clinton-to-him/

 

[Tekate]

2 weeks ago, early voting, Maine.

 

[momhappy]

I voted yesterday in the elections that I felt comfortable with and left the rest blank.
There were several people standing outside the entrance (supporting particular parties and/or candidates) and I engaged in a conversation with 2 women who were affiliated with a particular party. I was shocked that we were rudely interrupted by a supporter of the other party, who proclaimed that I should be voting for so-and-so and that they had the ability to change my vote
I will never understand why people think it's okay to tell someone how to vote. It's not. It's rude Little did they know, I wasn't even there to vote in that particular election, but I decided not to even justify their rant with a response.

 

[Dee*Jay]

I voted yesterday in the elections that I felt comfortable with and left the rest blank.
There were several people standing outside the entrance (supporting particular parties and/or candidates) and I engaged in a conversation with 2 women who were affiliated with a particular party. I was shocked that we were rudely interrupted by a supporter of the other party, who proclaimed that I should be voting for so-and-so and that they had the ability to change my vote
I will never understand why people think it's okay to tell someone how to vote. It's not. It's rude Little did they know, I wasn't even there to vote in that particular election, but I decided not to even justify their rant with a response.

Did they mean that they had the ability to change your mind for whom you were casting/had cast your vote (although not the case in this instance, even though they didn't know it), or that they had the actual ability to change your vote (in which case I'm thinking I should start downloading the Canadian citizenship application now because it's just to scary to live in this country any more).

 

[momhappy]

^They said that they had the ability to change my mind about who I was voting for (which meant that they assumed who I was voting for based on the conversation I was having with women who were there representing the Republican party).