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Tuesday, November 02, 2004 · posted at 10:37 PM

Free Pizza and Town Hall Meeting Fridays

Cumulus nimbus hovering over my head. The black cloud. Was that a drop?
- Lorelai, Gilmore Girls, "You Jump, I Jump, Jack"

Today is Election Day and marks my voting debut.

Various disillusionments sprung from this year's election, but in an effort to maintain the tone of this blog, I'm going to focus on a cosmetic one. I echo anachronic's question of this manner - Is it common knowledge that polling places are often synonymous with "location to store your cars, bikes, and other modes of transportation"? By that, I mean the garage of Mr. and Mrs. Neighbors-Next-Door.

Rather than the large recreation rooms and centers I always see during election coverage on tv, I voted in the two-car garage of a family with a minivan, two point five kids and a golden retriever (minus the white picket fence - that's against community development regulations). I picked San Diego's next mayor in an IKEA-lit 342 sq-foot room next to a bicycle pump and underneath a foam swimming noodle.

I guess considering the nation's proclivity toward mixing church and state, I should just be glad that I got to vote in a location free from religious paraphernalia.

Rewind. I had heard the rumors of voting in a garage once the voter registration cards started hitting mailboxes... but even then I read "garage" and thought "warehouse, deserted storage facility," not four-bedroom single family house at the end of the cul-de-sac.

It was as though they had just taken their Costco folding table and turned it into voter check-in central. I swear I could see the remnants of the Labor Day potato salad on that thing. Prom queen elections have been more elaborate than this.

The "polls" consisted of cardboard folding displays illuminated by book lights. When you're walking up the driveway, the polling place looked like an overgrown science fair with 3-sided poster boards. Where were the baking soda volcanoes and the potato-powered clocks?

The idea of protecting the privacy of one's vote is good… the execution not so much. I'm not going to liken the polls to sardines, but the spacing of the polls afforded as much privacy as the "stand behind here" sign at the pharmacy between the instructions for your Levitra medication and the hearing-abled patrons behind you.

And because I couldn't get the ballot box to eat my ballot, I all but pulled it out of the secrecy folder. The paper ballot falls neatly into the cardboard box beneath the electronic scanner… but where does the actual vote go? Electronic signals are sent to satellites that report back to the precinct? Electronic counters are taken in armored transport to city hall?

I think I need to volunteer in the next election, if only to crack the mysteries of who gets to house and man these little subsets of decision making. Seriously, what are the regulations for these little polling places? I showed up with registration card in hand and three forms of ID… only the former was necessary to get a coveted ballot. I think I heard the guy behind me say he had his roommate's registration card. And the junk in someone's garage might be subconsciously influencing voting a certain way. I wonder if I could get a grant to study the effects of surfboards on partisan choice.

Talk about disconcerting - the idea that the nation's leaders are being picked at overgrown bake sales (3 cookies for 25 cents). I can only imagine what the polling places in middle America (the blood clot of the nation) are like. I'm going absentee ballot next time.

Choose or lose. Or choose and still lose. At least Puff Daddy won't kill me (I'll wait for government policies to do that).



	Tuesday, November 02, 2004 · posted at 10:37 PM Free Pizza and Town Hall Meeting Fridays Cumulus nimbus hovering over my head. The black cloud. Was that a drop? - Lorelai, Gilmore Girls, "You Jump, I Jump, Jack" Today is Election Day and marks my voting debut. Various disillusionments sprung from this year's election, but in an effort to maintain the tone of this blog, I'm going to focus on a cosmetic one. I echo anachronic's question of this manner - Is it common knowledge that polling places are often synonymous with "location to store your cars, bikes, and other modes of transportation"? By that, I mean the garage of Mr. and Mrs. Neighbors-Next-Door. Rather than the large recreation rooms and centers I always see during election coverage on tv, I voted in the two-car garage of a family with a minivan, two point five kids and a golden retriever (minus the white picket fence - that's against community development regulations). I picked San Diego's next mayor in an IKEA-lit 342 sq-foot room next to a bicycle pump and underneath a foam swimming noodle. I guess considering the nation's proclivity toward mixing church and state, I should just be glad that I got to vote in a location free from religious paraphernalia. Rewind. I had heard the rumors of voting in a garage once the voter registration cards started hitting mailboxes... but even then I read "garage" and thought "warehouse, deserted storage facility," not four-bedroom single family house at the end of the cul-de-sac. It was as though they had just taken their Costco folding table and turned it into voter check-in central. I swear I could see the remnants of the Labor Day potato salad on that thing. Prom queen elections have been more elaborate than this. The "polls" consisted of cardboard folding displays illuminated by book lights. When you're walking up the driveway, the polling place looked like an overgrown science fair with 3-sided poster boards. Where were the baking soda volcanoes and the potato-powered clocks? The idea of protecting the privacy of one's vote is good… the execution not so much. I'm not going to liken the polls to sardines, but the spacing of the polls afforded as much privacy as the "stand behind here" sign at the pharmacy between the instructions for your Levitra medication and the hearing-abled patrons behind you. And because I couldn't get the ballot box to eat my ballot, I all but pulled it out of the secrecy folder. The paper ballot falls neatly into the cardboard box beneath the electronic scanner… but where does the actual vote go? Electronic signals are sent to satellites that report back to the precinct? Electronic counters are taken in armored transport to city hall? I think I need to volunteer in the next election, if only to crack the mysteries of who gets to house and man these little subsets of decision making. Seriously, what are the regulations for these little polling places? I showed up with registration card in hand and three forms of ID… only the former was necessary to get a coveted ballot. I think I heard the guy behind me say he had his roommate's registration card. And the junk in someone's garage might be subconsciously influencing voting a certain way. I wonder if I could get a grant to study the effects of surfboards on partisan choice. Talk about disconcerting - the idea that the nation's leaders are being picked at overgrown bake sales (3 cookies for 25 cents). I can only imagine what the polling places in middle America (the blood clot of the nation) are like. I'm going absentee ballot next time. Choose or lose. Or choose and still lose. At least Puff Daddy won't kill me (I'll wait for government policies to do that).	Recent Posts See Lisa, instead of one big-shot controlling all ... Exothermic A chemical reaction between two substa... My Felicity season 3 dvds came today. I'm burstin... All neurons that will ever be present are present ... Old school My freshman year of high school I had ... Expiration date Today I told my boss wished to te... I'm convinced the ETS is out to get me. I never t... You probably think this song is about you. This w... True North You know that point in your life when ... Flummoxed I just can't get enough of the little b... Morning news babie goose ryan bluemouse daves son dawntaught desiree diorama emily escadawg galveric high entropy invisible cube jepgato kyellow lilly mhuang mogbert nudream starfish + coffee verbivore Archives March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 January 2007 March 2007 April 2007 November 2008

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