Voting Day 2017 And Last Year’s Election Day Sadness Lingers

/ Ally Bean

An old downtown building in the process of being improved: out with what no longer serves, in with what will make it safe.

•  Later this morning I’ll make my way to our current voting precinct in its current polling place. 

It’s in an old Greek Church now.  The decor in this church is gold and overstated, think My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but the church members who welcome you to their church/polling place are as sweet as can be.

They stand in sharp contrast to the election board people who, it seems, would prefer to not be doing what they’re doing, as shown by the snarls on their faces.

Same grouches, every year.

•  When we first moved here over 20 years ago we voted at the VFW Hall. 

Situated back a long creepy lane, to get to this polling place you followed the signs for the “Sunday Turkey Shoot” that lead to a grass parking lot.  Then you stood outside in the weather until the election board people allowed 2 voters at a time inside the building.

We’d moved here to this big city suburb from an upscale small town and were shocked that the polling place, reeking of cigarette smoke, still used paper ballots– and consistently ran short on pencils.

We learned to take a Benadryl before we went to vote and to take a pencil with us.

•  Our next polling place was at a fancy golf course. 

It was easy to get to this place that had a real parking lot, lighted even.  At first it seemed ideal, however this is the polling place where Zen-Den, Esq., got mad and made a point.

He was not pleased about how the partisan people who lurk around the outside entrance into the polling place were positioning themselves;  they were too close to the building, thus breaking the law.

Inside the building he told the election board people this was wrong–and they shrugged. So Z-D called the sheriff’s office and filed a complaint. The pushy lurker people got in trouble, and the election board people have never forgotten about it.

Or Zen-Den. Or his wife. Who they consider to be has much of a troublemaker as he was.

Guilt by association, you know?

•  All of which brings me to today’s foray into the American voting process.

I’ve paid no attention to any of the people who are running for office this election cycle.  In what will a first for me, an Independent voter, I’ll be voting a straight Democratic ticket.

If the GOP won’t do the right thing and depose our so-called president, a sexual predator, business fraud, Russian-backed, draft-dodging old man, then I’ll start the ball rolling by getting rid of the GOP.

Are you with me here, kids?  If last year’s presidential election confirmed one thing for me, it’s that you can do everything right and still fail;  BUT it’s important that you do that right thing anyhow.

Words to live by.

66 thoughts on “Voting Day 2017 And Last Year’s Election Day Sadness Lingers”

  1. Good for Your Husband, Esq. for making them follow the Law about the perimeter of electioneering. Our voting places have actual signs to mark that perimeter, measured and set up by poll workers.

    Thanks to the glories of retirement, I early vote at the county Board of Elections. And I accompanied Rick there on Sunday so that he could early vote, too. We live in NEO, and in a county which is still largely Democratic. But yes, ever since The First Election Of The Dark Times (GWB in 2000), I pretty much vote the straight Dem ticket. In Politics, I hold grudges. I hold them So Hard.

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    • nance, the golf course polling place had flags marking where the lurkers could stand, BUT the lurker people were ignoring them, getting in the way of voters who were trying to walk inside. This [shall we say?] peeved Mr. Man who knew the law and what to do about those who were breaking it.

      This is a totally Republican county. In fact, last year 3/4 of the woman who lived here voted for The Donald. I still cannot wrap my head around how any woman could vote for a sexual predator. But that’s what they did, and I live among them, watching my back wherever I go…

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  2. The sadness lingers indeed. This year has been nutsy-bobo, yo.
    I’ve had pleasant election experiences, although I must say I’m partial to levers. Good on Z-D for reporting those naughty lurkers.

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  3. I’ll be voting straight Demo too. We are voting mostly for judges. Unfortunately unless you are in law enforcement or the legal profession, you have no information on these people so all you can go on is the platform of their party. We have one doing a TV commercial which starts out that she was born in a poor family. Somehow that doesn’t sway me either way. My biggest beef is that the our polls are staffed by people over 80 (at least). They can never find the names in the ledger yet they don’t like you looking at it. Today won’t be an issue because there aren’t any big elections but the worst was the democratic primary last year. We waited a half hour outside the building to vote. It’s slower than molasses in January.

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    • Kate, I usually research/pay attention to each candidate, but after 2016 I’m just going the straight ticket route. Because we live in a three-state region, I hear lots of commercials on TV. One woman running for something is all about that being born poor thing, too; I agree, that doesn’t sway me either way.

      Our polls are staffed by the most unhappy people around, some old, some young. I don’t know why smiling is so tricky for them, but it is– I mean, we wait forever to see them, then vote, so at least they could look happy to be seen.

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    • Kate, there are a couple of judicial review websites that provide help. If you are an Ohioan, there is the Ohio Bar and one called Judicial Votes Count, provided by the University of Akron, among others. I would assume most states have similar resources. I know in NEO, it can be tough because some party-line judges aren’t really that great.

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  4. We vote by mail around here and having moved to a different city in July I was at a loss, even after reading through my voters pamphlet, to really know much about who I was voting for. I went straight Dem, as I usually do. It is very infrequently that I find a Rep. candidate to have views that align with my own.
    As to the whole ‘1 year anniversary’ of that god-awful day…I can only hope that we don’t have to endure a 2nd next year. Yes, I am still holding out that HE will be removed from office… one can only hope right 😉

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    • Deb, no polling places? Interesting. I’ve always had to haul bottom and go somewhere to vote, which around here means going to a different polling place every few years.

      I saw a photo of Tom Hanks wearing a t-shirt that said something like… the two worst days of this century are 9/11 & 11/9. So true, eh?

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  5. I’m ‘attending’ an online conference today, but I should be done by four so I can go vote. It’s critical we all do so, no matter how small the ballot is in these off years. But yes, I could do without the partisan lurkers. Grr.

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    • Carrie, I don’t know if it’s the times we live in or the area I live in but the partisan lurkers are aggressive here. I ignore them, but I doubt that stops them as effectively as Z-D did. I agree you gotta try… and voting is one way to do it.

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  6. I am so frustrated with the whole election thing. We have nothing going on in our little town except mayor and council members. I will try to get to the polls today. We never have any lurkers. We vote at the old armory surrounded by army trucks.

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    • Janet, I know how you feel. This country has so many solvable problems, but nary a leader in sight. Last year’s election results set us on a downward spiral. I’m impressed that you don’t have lurkers where you vote. They are part of the scenery here, but then we don’t have any army trucks around to distract them.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. We vote by mail – is Deb in Oregon too? I like it – I have lots of time from the time I get the ballot to read, to investigate, to make my choices. And I feel secure. Then I have the choice of mailing the ballot, or dropping it in the box (for major elections) at the community center. Until the 2004 election, I had always voted for the individual candidates, but after four years of the Cheney/Rumsfield rule, I found I could no longer do that. This past year has pretty much engraved that in stone, but we have no election this year, so I will wait until the next year to mark my ballot again. How different things would be now if the Electoral College had been disbanded before last year.

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  9. We don’t have any elections today in my area, but if we did, it would be straight Dem. for me too. It’s hard to believe that we’ve had to exist for a whole year with that idiot in office. The fact that his enablers are looking the other way while most of us are waving our hands and yelling in an attempt to get their attention is despicable. Thank you for taking the time to vote… too many people ignore this very important DUTY (yes, duty) as citizens.

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    • Janis, I like your summation of how 45 has stayed in office for so long! Well said. I agree that voting is a duty, but one that many citizens seem to take lightly– either having given up on the system or content with Trumpian chaos. Either way, not good.

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  10. Here, we vote at the Town Rec Center and the people are nice. Today was just Town stuff, the Mayor and two Town Board members all incumbents and unopposed – shortest ballot I ever saw since Homecoming King and Queen in High School – reelection was assured, but I voted anyway because it voting day.

    Liked by 1 person

    • bobcabking, I like your short ballot description. It’s perfect. The first time I voted using a machine was for a Homecoming King and Queen. Our school system was getting us ready to know how to vote the modern way. Pity I ended up living where there are no voting machines!

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Our local election took place last night which seemed dodgy to me. It was almost as if the people organizing it didn’t want people to turn out. I earned my sticker anyway.

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  12. We don’t have anything to vote on this time, so obviously I’m not voting. I’ve been straight Dem for quite awhile now, because I am like Nance, and hold a grudge. Not that there has been a single politician EVER who hasn’t broken my heart. They all do. It’s part of their job, I guess.

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    • J, I don’t want to believe that all politicians are incapable of being truthful and following through, but it sure seems that way. Maybe you’re right in that they consider betrayal as part of the job description. I dunno. All I know is that today sent me back to last year at this time, when there was still hope in the air.

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      • I should clarify that I mean Presidents, not all politicians, though perhaps that is just because the Presidents get the most press. I won’t count Reagan or Bush or Bush, because I didn’t expect anything good from them. They can’t break my heart if I just don’t trust them. Trump will not break my heart.

        Clinton broke my heart with Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and then many other times, with welfare to work, etc., though considering the politics at the time, I guess that was what he had to do.

        Obama broke my heart so many times I cannot count, mostly based on continuing policies that Bush had implemented, and making them worse, regaring immigration and surveillance of citizens. Also not trying harder (at all) for single payer healthcare. Again, I doubt the politics of the day would have allowed single payer, but he could have done a better job on some of the other things, even with an obstructionist Congress.

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        • I believe that you have to be a little bit crazy to want to be President of the USA. I mean that literally because it takes a big ego to think that you could do the job, let alone the ability to convince people to vote for you. It’s one big narcissistic package.

          And because presidential candidates try to be all things to all people they say, or imply, lots of things that don’t happen, which breaks voters hearts. As you mentioned above. So well.

          Although I might not have agreed with everything that Reagan thru Obama did, I sort of respected them as human beings. They were flawed, but at least I felt there was an ounce of possibility there. Some morality.

          However with 45 I see an amoral chaotic person, devoid of humanity, filled with greed and stupidity. And it’s not like he hid this from us when he was campaigning. The majority of Americans saw through him, yet the system failed us and here he is. He doesn’t even have an obstructionist Congress and he’s inept. It’s been a long year.

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    • Maggie, thanks. I didn’t used to be so anti-GOP, but considering how they’re not reining in 45’s egregious behavior I have to vote against them. Seems like all I can do at this point. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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  15. I’m completely at a loss for words. I just don’t understand your politics and it seems I don’t understand your voting process either 😕
    Ugh – I hope the polls today send the Republicans the message that they have to correct this train-wreck.

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    • camparigirl, not too many elections here, but on principle I’m going to vote against anyone who might be for 45. Every little bit of resistance counts, I figure.

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  17. Republicans have left the majority little choice. Meaning the only thing patriots can do in order to restore a sense of reason back to America is to go vote straight Democratic, and do so with all outcomes being landslides. STATEMENT MADE! We need to save face and stop the greed. As for us, we like doing the mail in thing. Back you go to mother Russia comrade Trump—let the movement begin!

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    • In My Cluttered Attic, I agree. I’ve always weighed my voting options based on character, not political affiliation. However, since last year I’ve changed my approach. If members of the GOP won’t take responsibility for stopping 45, then I’ll be happy to vote in a way that gets them out of office. Odd words coming from me, an Independent voter… who’s had enough.

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    • nancy, there are signs here, too. However, the partisan lurkers didn’t care. They knew that the election board people didn’t care, so why should they? But then along came Zen-Den, who, despite his mellow nickname, can be assertive when provoked. It’s a lawyer thing, you know? 😉

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  20. This is the first I’ve ever heard of a polling place at a golf course. That seems kind of odd. Paper ballots are all I know about… it’s all that’s ever been use here. We can use pens, though, rather than #2 pencils…

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    • evil, I agree about the golf course. It struck me as odd, too– but the parking was better so who was I to complain? We were only there for maybe 3-4 years before we went onto a church, then an elementary school, then this current Greek Church. Polling places aren’t static around here, but now they seem to have enough pens for everyone. So progress.

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  21. I still try to vote for the best person for the job. It’s easy in the local elections, because after 35 years, I know most of the people. Our election folks are generally happy, and the candidates stand beyond those signs. Good for hubs in calling them out on that.

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  23. Hi, Ally – I just finished reading Coffee Kat’s recent post where she (wisely) stated that we will not be able to make much-needed changes without outrage. I LOVE the outrage that you and Z-D are demonstrating. I hope that others follow.

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    • Donna, yes, you gotta be at least a little bit ticked off if you want to accomplish any change for the better. In any area of life, I’d suggest. We do what we’re comfortable doing, and then trust that other people will wise up, too.

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  24. We used to have some reasonable and moderate Republicans in Washington State, so I didn’t always vote a straight ticket. Now I mostly do. Even the so-called moderate GOP is getting too extreme for me. Way to go, Mr. Ally Bean! Injustices will continue unless we work to put a stop to them. That often requires discomfort and action!

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    • Margaret, not all our GOP candidates are bad, either. In fact there’s one, retired military + MD, who has it going on, but he wasn’t up for re-election. This election, a small one, I went Democrat all the way if for no other reason than to assure myself that I’m #resisting as best I can.

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