Get Out The Vote

The Potomac Primaries. The Chesapeake Challenge. Whatever you want to call it, it's a busy day here in the D.C. area. Voter turnout is expected to be a record high, so accordingly, I made sure I was at my voting location at 7am. (Ok, I also had a 7:30 yoga class to attend, so I was up anyway.) My thought was: 7am, in, vote, and out. No more than 10 minutes tops. Joke on me.

My voting place is just a few steps away from my house. Really couldn't be easier. I peeked out the window this morning to see if the canvassers were in place, giving me a good indication that voting was about to begin. I bundle up, walk 10 steps down the sidewalk and there I am. Confronted with a line! At 6:59am, I was already 15th in a line of eager voters. Doors didn't open until 7:05am and when we all filed in, the realization hit quickly. There was only ONE person at the check-in table. A-G, H-P etc. Irrelavent. One person = one line. After check-in, you were funneled to another line - with one poll attendant - handing out the ballots. This was going to be a while.

Very quickly the line started increasing - two fold, four fold, until there were about 70 people in line by the time I left at 7:30am. Still, one person at the check-in table. At this rate, I can't imagine what it will be like at 6pm. Just remember, if you are in line by 8pm - the designated close of polls - they have to let you vote!

So, my advice to voters - bring a paper, bring a cup of joe, be friendly to your neighbors in line and just be patient. This is a huge day for us and worth savoring the impact we can have on this election.