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Lick Bush in 2004
Nov. 2nd, 2004 12:08 pmEven though it took an hour and a half, it was worth it.
One might (mistakenly) imagine that a city like Somerville would, among it’s many options for investment, acquired for its citizens voting equipment and technology that isn’t 20 years older than its average resident.
After waiting said hour and a half in thankfully forgiving weather in a line snaking from Chiampa Manor to well past the far side of the Davis T station, I finally reached the polling building and found out what was causing the bottleneck. The voting process was dependant on awkward paper ballots and a single clunky scanning machine straight out of the 1970s. It looked downright populuxe, as a lady fed our ballots into its maw for it to oh so slowly swallow.
My concern is not for any inconvenience of my own – I would have walked on my hands through icy puddles to vote for anyone but Bush. What worried me was that people were seeing the line and giving up and leaving. I realize that Mass is not a swing state, but the votes are important nonetheless, and I hated seeing what were most likely would-be Kerry voters scared away from the poll because of the line. An elderly woman inside remarked that she’d never seen so many young people turning out to vote before, which was encouraging. But if you were one of those people who threw in the towel at seeing the line, go back! An hour or so out of your life won’t matter compared to four more years of Bush.
After figuring out how to use the antique paper ballots, I voted a straight Democratic ticket even though I’m a registered Independent, and went on my way to work.
Rock the vote, people.
One might (mistakenly) imagine that a city like Somerville would, among it’s many options for investment, acquired for its citizens voting equipment and technology that isn’t 20 years older than its average resident.
After waiting said hour and a half in thankfully forgiving weather in a line snaking from Chiampa Manor to well past the far side of the Davis T station, I finally reached the polling building and found out what was causing the bottleneck. The voting process was dependant on awkward paper ballots and a single clunky scanning machine straight out of the 1970s. It looked downright populuxe, as a lady fed our ballots into its maw for it to oh so slowly swallow.
My concern is not for any inconvenience of my own – I would have walked on my hands through icy puddles to vote for anyone but Bush. What worried me was that people were seeing the line and giving up and leaving. I realize that Mass is not a swing state, but the votes are important nonetheless, and I hated seeing what were most likely would-be Kerry voters scared away from the poll because of the line. An elderly woman inside remarked that she’d never seen so many young people turning out to vote before, which was encouraging. But if you were one of those people who threw in the towel at seeing the line, go back! An hour or so out of your life won’t matter compared to four more years of Bush.
After figuring out how to use the antique paper ballots, I voted a straight Democratic ticket even though I’m a registered Independent, and went on my way to work.
Rock the vote, people.