Voting With The Presbyterians: A Conversation About How To Get There

/ Ally Bean

IN THE PAST

ONCE AGAIN OUR VOTING PRECINCT has been assigned to a different polling place. In the 20+ years we’ve lived in this community we’ve voted at:

  • the VFW Hall [smoke-filled with parking in a field used for their monthly turkey shoot];
  • the Country Club [time-consuming with parking at nearby Methodist Church, involved a shuttle bus taking us to the country club’s front door and then back to our cars];
  • the Elementary School [smelled like chicken sandwiches, had limited parking but nice landscaping to look at while waiting for a space];
  • the Non-denominational Christian Church [easy ingress and egress, adequate flat parking, short walk to front doors, only there one year];
  • the Greek Orthodox Church [difficult ingress and egress, limited parking on uneven sloped lot, many shiny gilded-gold objects inside building];  and
  • the Presbyterian Church [no deets yet].

BUT FOR TODAY

HIM: Where am I voting today?

ME: With the Presbyterians.

HIM: Which Presbyterians? The ones near us or the other ones?

ME: The ones near us. The ones who were hidden down the lane.

HIM: They’re not on the lane anymore?

ME: No, they’re in the same place on the lane but they’ve built a big driveway to the road, so that’s how you get to them now. They have a big welcome sign on the road.

HIM: How do I get there?

ME: Go down the road past the street that takes you to the United Methodists, but not so far as to make that sharp right turn into the Roman Catholics. And for goodness sake don’t go around the curve and make a right into the Bible Believers Baptist Church compound. Who knows what weirdness is behind the bunker they’ve built around that building.

HIM: OK. So where do I turn to get to the Presbyterians?

ME: It’s easy. When you see the big welcome sign on the left, turn left, and you’ll be in the right place.

HIM: Are you telling me directions to the polling place or voting advice?

ME: Both, I guess. Get on the road, go left, and you won’t go wrong! 😉

HAPPY ELECTION DAY

May you find your polling place without trouble. May you say *yes* to the school levies and mental health issues and support for the less fortunate. And for the love of all that is good and holy, I beg of you, may you dump the Trumpian chumps.

~ ~  🇺🇸 ~ ~

144 thoughts on “Voting With The Presbyterians: A Conversation About How To Get There”

  3. I’m beginning to think our town is boring, we’ve voted in the same place for 17 years. An old building that used to be a school, a grange, a library, and a town hall. Now? It’s just used for voting and craft fairs. But it’s next to the Methodist church so does that count?

    Liked by 1 person

    • Rivergirl, yes, I’m sure being next to the Methodists counts as excitement, if you want to think of it that way. Around here polling places move around [obvs]. It adds a bit of whimsy [or bother?] to my suburban life.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. I always say *yes* to the school levies and mental health issues and support for the less fortunate. Incidentally, I don’t worry about the polling place, our library, because I vote by mail, easy-peasy. Except I don’t get a cute sticker on the lapel.

    Liked by 1 person

    • marian, I say *yes* to those issues, too. Around here the big issue this election is funding for the schools. Teachers have come to our door asking us to vote for it. Neighbor kids have sent us handwritten postcards asking us to vote for it. We’ll vote for the schools, of course– we always do.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Since retirement I have embraced the loveliness of Early Voting at the Board of Elections. Luckily, it’s only a short drive from my home and quite convenient. So satisfying!

    Liked by 1 person

    • nance, our Board of Elections is about a half hour away from us so going local makes more sense. Plus I’m nosy so I like to see the inside of all these buildings I might not ever go in otherwise. 😉

      Like

    • Jill, that’s an interesting issue. I don’t think that’s been tried around here. This area is so conservative that getting money for necessities, like education and mental health, is difficult. I wonder if your tax increase will happen.

      Like

  7. There aren’t any elections I’m aware of here today, but when we do have elections, I have to walk past two other polling places to get to the designated church for my precinct… which has always made me wonder if there’s some kind of local gerrymandering of districts going on. Or maybe our city officials were just high when they assigned the polling stations….

    Liked by 1 person

    • evilsquirrel13, that’s bizarre. Why wouldn’t you go to the closest polling place? I think you’re right about the gerrymandering, but at least you get a good walk out of it!

      Like

      • There are literally three churches along the street about a quarter mile from my house… and at one point in time, all three of them served as polling places (I think only two of them do now). However, I have to make a right down the walking trail at Church #1 and trek another half a mile to mine. And the funny thing is that the 3/4 mile or so walk isn’t as bad as the mile and a half drive it would take to get there. I should see if I can find a map of precincts and polling places to find out what’s going on…

        Liked by 1 person

        • At least your walk, baffling as it is, is doable, but it does make me wonder what’s up with your polling places. Our polling place may move around, but they make sense as the region grows and larger buildings get better parking lots. Your scenario, however, is weird.

          Like

  8. We always vote in the same place here, in our village hall. Which is just as well because the current lot are trying to bring in the requirement to show ID to vote now, not just bring your polling card and confirm your address, so access will be harder for some. A few years ago polling stations shut at 10pm and turned away all the people who’d been queuing since after work. We’ve got another General Election here on Dec 12, you may have heard, and it’s just a s***show already. Am I allowed to say that? I don’t usually swear but this whole idea that Brexit can be solved by changing government is just beyond me. Boris just wants a Tory majority so he can shove through his half assed plan that no one wants, even The Brexit Party! Stopping Brexit (or indeed voting to keep Brexit) is not aligned with a particular party – further barriers. I could talk about this all day. But what I came here to say is: thank goodness we vote in the same place every time because there are enough barriers to access as it is. OMG. Breathe. 🙂🙂🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Polly, I find it fascinating that some commenters vote in the same place no matter what, while the rest of us move around every few years for who knows what reason. Everyone’s normal is different.

      Yes, when not overwhelmed by all the Trumpian nonsense here I do read articles about your Brexit problems. I think that you’ve summed up the situation perfectly with s***show. All I see in the entire Brexit concept is a way for unscrupulous people to benefit from the turmoil it has and will cause. Where do these jackasses come from– and who supports them? That’s what makes me anxious about our elections.

      Like

      • It’s a very good question Ally, particularly in view of the fact that the poorest, most deprived areas are the ones that have benefitted the most from EU membership, and they are the ones who, on the whole, voted leave. The drip drip from the media which seems to have blamed the EU for what’s wrong in this country seems to have percolated into the national psyche over the last few decades. It can’t end well for anyone. It’s national lunacy, collectively slitting our own throats. And we look over the pond and see your esteemed president publically endorsing our current leader, and we know that when America catches a cold, we’ll get it a short time later. Our NHS is apparently under threat as a bargaining chip in any potential trade deal. Before the referendum, Vote Leave promised extra money for the NHS – you may have seen the adverts on the side of the bus. Now it’s been thrown under that bus. We’ll end up with a private healthcare system. It’s going to be fascinating for historians (and social historians such as myself) in the future 🙂 🙂 Can hardly wait! 🙄

        Liked by 1 person

        • Oh, what a mess it is! I agree that social historians are going to have field day with this era we are in. Around here all was going well, smoothly and fairly for many less affluent/educated people, who for reasons I cannot accept as rational, have decided to become part of chaos and hate, thereby depriving themselves of the gains they’d made when the country was running smoothly under Obama. It’s all very cut off your nose to spite your face. It sounds like you have the same situation going on with your national lunacy. We shall see what comes next, I suppose– but it’s so stressful to live like this when we don’t have to.

          Like

  9. Our polling place has jumped around. Last year it was at a very small volunteer fire station. There were 6 parking spots in front which the worked sucked up. The rest was on street parking. It poured all day. I watched people on walkers trying to navigate down the street while the same 6 days stayed in their spots all day. I wrote a letter. Today we are voting at a nearby church. BTW we are politically aligned but don’t like people gravitate to each other? Not much going on here but there is a vote on Marcy’s law which gives victims rights to know what’s going on with the perp.

    Liked by 1 person

    • dawn, I don’t know what to expect. The school levy has been contentious, but our schools desperately need more money if those kids are to get the educations they deserve. Plus better schools make a city more desirable and with that comes better house prices. 😉

      Like

      • I always vote for the school levies, even though I don’t have kids, because I think kids deserve the best we as their ‘village’ can give them. Also do the same for fire and police, but that’s more so that I am protected!

        Liked by 1 person

  11. So clever Ally Bean! Humor brightens voting day substantially.
    We vote by mail, have for many years here in Washington so I get to vote in my PJ’s, or while eating lunch, or even sitting in my car in a non-designated parking lot if I choose. I know that many feel there is some special about the act of getting up and out and going to a polling place to have your say, but our method allows for deep contemplation of the issues while surrounded by election guides and descriptions of amendments, measures and candidates. Vaguely reminiscent of college research…

    Liked by 1 person

  12. HA! Good one, Ally! Go forth and vote!
    In all my years of voting in various places around the country etc I’ve never heard of churches as being designated polling/voting places…interesting. I guess that just means our places to vote were never inside church buildings. Just a random factoid.

    Liked by 1 person

    • laura, around here churches are often polling places. I think it’s because they’re more easily accessible than other venues and many of them have good parking. I don’t entirely understand how voting in one is a separation of church and state, but I overlook that question and go where I’m told to go.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. 😀 😁😀 😁 Hilarious!
    My polling place is at a church too. It had moved around for several years, but finally settled at the same church where I’ve voted for the last, oh, seven years or so.

    Liked by 1 person

    • L. Marie, our polling places move around. I know not why, but I am looking forward to seeing what the Presbys have going on in their church. Bet it’ll have less gilded gold than the Greek Orthodox church does!

      Like

  14. Crikey! It’s almost like your local government (or whoever makes the decision) feels they need to spread the love (or inconvenience) around. May you get your wish over the voting outcome, especially the Trumpian one. Oddly enough, I typed Trumpain the first time – how apt oh typo!

    I’ve yet to discover where we’ll be voting here, but the knowledge that a General Election was likely meant voter registration took a higher position on the post-move To Do list than it might have usually done. I’m going to have to find out about the options hereabouts & politics is a tricky subjects to get chatting to one’s neighbours about :O

    Liked by 2 people

    • Deb, I have no explanation about why our polling place changes but that’s how it’s always been where I’ve lived. Other commenters have said the exact opposite that their polling places never change.

      Yes, with your recent move and your country’s upcoming big vote, you’ll have to make haste about registering. I agree about the difficulty of chatting with neighbors about politics. Around here most people are very conservative, preferring to be filled with hate, not hope. It makes it difficult to find any common ground– which is how they like it from what I can tell. 🙄

      Liked by 1 person

      • Gosh Ally, that must make it a tough gig. Himself & I were chatting to some new-ish good friends recently, ones who we’d been delighted to establish were generally of the same mind as we were politically. Except for Brexit it seems … To be fair to them, they live in a (different to us) part of the country where there’s been a vast influx of Eastern Europeans which has caused most in the area to become Brexiteers. They were explaining how unhappy they were to be surrounded by people speaking a language they didn’t understand, like aliens in their own home. While I empathised, I explained how I’d been brought up in exactly those circumstances (in India) and how I’d still loved it. I know they’ll remain good friends, for they were visibly open to considering that concept.

        Liked by 1 person

        • Your story demonstrates what I’ve found to be true. It’s not the differences of opinion that separate people, it’s the close-mindedness to new/different ideas that separate people. You do you, I’ll do me. Words I live by, but find that attitude can be offensive to some people. They can’t take the cognitive dissonance of knowing someone who doesn’t live just like them.

          Liked by 1 person

  15. Polling in the same high school since the dawn of time in these parts. Still, I go to the wrong table — two precincts in the school — every time. You think I’d know by now.

    Our ballot includes a question that was wording so funkily that the supreme court of PA determined any votes cast about it won’t be counted. That’s not confusing at all for the people who don’t bother to pay attention really, right?

    DUMP THE TRUMPIAN CHUMPS! True AND poetic. Go, Ally!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Tara, I’m finding many commenters always vote in the same polling place. I’ve never experienced that but it’d be ok by me. I have no strongly held opinions about where I vote, as long as I can find a parking spot within, say, 10 minutes of arriving. Any longer and I do get snarly.

      I’ve never heard of your funky wording ballot problem, but as a wordsmith [as demonstrated in my voting plea] it annoys me to know that it could happen. Glad the supreme court came to your rescue on that one. Weird, though.

      Liked by 1 person

  16. Great post! Very funny conversation. I used to work the polls for my precinct – usually in an elementary school gym, but once at the old grange hall across the street. It was fun to see all the people who lived there – kind of a social occasion. Now all our elections are done by mail. Frankly, it’s the way to go, especially since our government insists on having elections on a weekday. I love the convenience and I think is improves “turnout.”

    Liked by 1 person

  18. It almost seems like they’re making it harder, rather than easier to vote. We have mail in voting, and I miss going to an actual place and seeing people. However, we usually voted in schools or churches and the parking could be atrocious. Go Left is great advice! This year for the first time in my life I voted against my school district bond. It is a long story and one I may blog about eventually.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Margaret, I hear you about the parking issues. We’ve been assigned to some places that had almost no parking. It boggled my mind. I don’t know who picks our polling places, but lots of flat parking would be my first criteria if it were me.

      Like

    • Our issue here is about a school levy, not a bond. They are different things, of course. I’m crossing my fingers that the levy passes. It could only do good for the kids and for the community.

      Like

  20. Our polling places have only changed because we moved from one part of the city to the other. We have been voting in the old armory building for the last 23 years. This year there were only 2 things on our ballot, council people and whether or not to use funds to fix roads. We voted by mail. I would vote for school issues except they ask for bond money which raises our property taxes and then they don’t use the bonds on the schools so I’m kinda done with that. I like the go left!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Janet, you’re another person who always votes in the same place. I’m fascinated by this having lived a life wherein polling places change often. It’s interesting to me how differently polling places are determined, community by community.

      I know what you mean about bonds that don’t seem to fund that which they were intended to fund. I don’t know how that happens, but it does seem to be a pattern. 🤨

      Liked by 1 person

  22. Say it loud, say it proud, Ally! Dump those Trumpian chumps! We’ve only lived here two years, so I have no knowledge about our particular polling place (a Baptist church with semi-easy parking). But good grief, you’ve had a lot of changes for your own. Just to mess with the voting authorities, I would demand that a Muslim temple and a Jewish synagogue be added to your precinct’s future choices. 😉 – Marty

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marty, ha! Made me laugh with that idea and it’s a good one. I fear, however, that the nearest Muslim temple or Jewish synagogue are so far away from here that it’d take all morning to go vote. While I like your ecumenical idea, I’m not going to mention it. You understand.

      Liked by 1 person

  23. Good directions!!!

    We have voted in 4 different spots over 10 years ~ sometimes the location depends on whether it’s a local or national election. But, for us, nothing to vote about today.

    Liked by 1 person

    • nancy, you sound like you have the same situation as we do. The polling places change– sometimes for worse, sometimes for better. Just came back from the Presbys and I am impressed with their parking and venue. Hope we stay there for a few more years.

      Like

    • Nancy, I can’t imagine having nothing to vote for. In WA, we always have several citizens’ initiatives, many of them important. This year there was one about taking money away from transportation and other infrastructure projects. Our mayor’s and city council’s races were also kind of a big deal this year. No governor’s race, though.

      Liked by 1 person

  24. True: this just happened!

    Leaving the building that I voted in the past four years disgruntled, a woman sitting in a car in the parking lot rolls down the window and asks:

    Her: Is this the voting place?
    Me: There is a sign on the window that states the voting has been moved to the Presbyterian Church (me annoyed).
    Her: Where’s that?
    Me: I don’t know. I don’t go to church. I know there’s a church down that way, but I don’t know what kind of church.
    Her: I will look it up on my phone.
    Me: (I see a man coming from the building towards the parking lot, so I shout out to him). What street did that sign state the church is on?
    Him: I don’t go to church. Now the government is forcing me to go to church! (Disgruntled with a chuckle).
    Me: I don’t go to church either. (I chuckled) (I see a couple, man and woman, walking towards us in the parking lot. I shout out to the couple. Do you know if the church down that way is the Presbyterian Church?
    Couple: I don’t know what type of church that one is, but the Presbyterian Church is down Whitecap to Gypsy across the street from the park…we don’t go to church.

    We all got into our cars and went to church to vote!

    (Repeat, repeat, repeat…for the rest of the day. Those Presbyterians must be in need of members?)

    True!!

    Liked by 1 person

    • TD, that’s a great story as timely as this post. I wonder if the national level Presbyterian Church organization has been encouraging their churches to become polling places. I sense a trend here, don’t you?

      Like

      • Ha! “Trending”…, Alley Bean!!

        Today was the first time I have read your blog. I found you via Kate’s blog, ohkatiejoy. So when I read your post, it was so funny to me because I just experienced your dialogue comedy in real life. I didn’t expect that! Your post was very funny and what time could have been better!!

        Liked by 1 person

  25. What an amusing story on voting!

    There were not many cars at our poling place, but there never are out in the country. There were six or seven people inside, all workers. An older man came forward with his arms wide open, saying he hoped we were in the right place to vote. That was an odd thing to say. A woman said we could vote if we lived in the right house. We thought we did live in the right house, but it turned out that we didn’t. Only people who lived in the next town were voting for a mayor today. There was no election for any office in our district. At least we TRIED to vote!

    Liked by 1 person

  27. In over 30 years at our old house I a only had two voting places. A house in the neighborhood whose owners used their garage on voting day and when the retired we were moved to the neighborhood elementary school. I have no idea where my polling place in my new house.

    I guess I will find out when there’s an election in my area.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Deborah, I remember as a child when people voted in their neighborhoods inside someone’s garage. I’d love that! Of course, now things are more formal and we vote where we’re told to go. You’re right– no doubt when there’s an election near you you’ll find out where your polling place is. May it have good parking and enough light to read the ballots!

      Liked by 1 person

  28. That was funny Ally and I have no clue where my polling place would be since I don’t vote (not a citizen). Big doings today in Lincoln Park voting booths as Michigan now allows marijuana SO … people want to have dispensaries … well good luck with that as it’s been voted down before. The City gets some revenue; most goes to the State. I don’t say “yay” or “nay” for my opinion since I can’t vote.

    Liked by 1 person

    • linda, if nothing else as our polling place moves around town we get to see the inside of different buildings we’d never have had a chance to see! So far the whole mary jane issue hasn’t hit the radar around here. Not looking forward to seeing how this uber conservative community takes to that idea. 🙄

      Liked by 1 person

      • Well Ally, I perused the Facebook City crime and local news forum last night and residents were whining there were hardly any voters at the polls, so speculated it would not pass. I believe this was the only issue as mayoral and council races are not until next year. Sadly the MJ dispensaries passed and there will be dispensaries open in the business section 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. daily. Sigh. Nearby Allen Park did not pass – they do not want the hassle and revenue is small. At least they voted on this – when the City decided to take a “vote” on whether to start recycling again, they did it via a survey on the City’s Facebook page. Not all residents are following that site, nor on FB. It passed – people were/are livid, including me – in the 90s it was free and no one did it, so they abandoned the idea. This time we were issued a 30-gallon container along with an annual $57.00 fee.

        Liked by 1 person

        • I don’t know what I think about marijuana dispensaries opening up in business districts. We have lots of DWIs around here, so adding pot into the mix… I dunno.

          You had to be on FB to *vote* on an issue for your city? That doesn’t sound legal to me. Discriminatory, in fact. We each contract with private companies for trash removal around here so paying for it seems natural to me. But if you’ve not done that before, and it’s foisted on you, then *meh* to that idea.

          Like

          • I will tell you that this city has had its share of opioids ODs and deaths in recent years. Our City hit rock bottom a few years ago, but they hired a good City Manager and are now fiscally sound, but crime is still problematic. That City Manager cut first responders and put some on part-time.
            Not smart.

            A few weeks ago I learned of an OD death at the Park. Apparently a couple overdosed at Council Point Park this Summer; they were sitting on a bench. She died, he did not. An early walker found them and called 911. I did not know that – I found that little tidbit out a few weeks ago when I arrived there on a Sunday morning and there was a fire truck blocking the Park entrance. About 25 police officers were there, along with about 20 of their vehicles, a flat bed tow truck, and they put crime scene tape around the parking lot. I could see a sheet covering the front/driver’s side of the van. We could walk on the path, by accessing the Park on foot, parking on a side street. Of the five or so walkers there the same time as me, we initially thought it was a drill, but soon there was screaming and crying over the deceased and we realized it was real. We speculated and assumed it was another OD death. It turned out to be a suicide and someone with a smartphone looked on the FB City crime site and a “town crier” learned it from a police scanner (phone app – I think scanners are forbidden now). A man committed suicide due to his wife’s infidelity and left her a note.

            That was my fear too Ally – we have enough traffic accidents from texting, DWI, let alone this now. I know some will say better marijuana than other drugs, but pot and driving is not a good idea. It was 1,200 to 900 votes and we will have four marijuana dispensaries: two for medicinal and two for recreational. The people who don’t like the outcome are already complaining that people wouldn’t vote for more security in the schools but voted for this.

            That was the first time I’ve ever seen any kind of vote taken on Facebook and they “announced” it was an informal survey to see how many people wanted recycling. Many younger people clamored for it; older residents, like me, remembered the failed attempt before. We were never told it would be instituted based on the results, nor that there was a fee. People were livid when they posted the results and said City Council approved it immediately. They have contracted it to GFL do our garbage and the recycling. There was talk by some of suing the City, but nothing has come of it yet to my knowledge.

            Liked by 1 person

            • linda, you live in a place with way too much excitement of the wrong kind! It’s intriguing to read about but to live with it as a reality would be difficult for me. That being said, hang in there and best of luck with your pot dispensaries and recycling program. It’s only bound to get more interesting where you are. Also, stay safe, ok?

              Liked by 1 person

              • Thank you Ally. My mother predicted a downfall to this City long before it happened – she suggested moving somewhere else but staying in the area for my job. I said “no, I won’t spend every weekend starting landscaping from scratch and home remodeling to get the house into a ‘home’ again, as I had enough and was getting older” … as you know from your redecorating, who want to deal with mess and work that comes with it all the time? My only comfort to wishing we had moved is that following the crime forums for the entire area (Downriver communities) it is happening everywhere, so ultimately I might have been in the same boat. I worry about crime and the value of the house decreasing as well, and I’m dwelling on it too frequently. Thanks for your thoughts – they are appreciated. Now to see what damage Mother Nature did last night – I understand there is some black ice, a little graupel, snow flurries – ugh.

                Liked by 1 person

  29. Washington State is all mail-in ballots. I love it. Our ballot is complicated enough that I love having a few hours at home to figure it all out. Of course, it does seem kind of lazy. It might be fun to explore a variety of polling places–if you have a car, that is, and if you can find your current polling place. Fun, but not the best way to make it possible for all people to vote.

    Liked by 1 person

    • nicki, I enjoy seeing the different buildings in which we vote BUT not all of them have the parking one would hope to find. That’s the catch. I could happily vote by mail but I’ve never even heard word one about doing that in this state. Never say never, though…

      Liked by 1 person

  30. Oh dear, voting sure takes commitment there! It has moved a few times on us, but every time it has been relatively easy to find with plenty of parking. I hope I didn’t just jinx myself.

    No election here, so I was pretty oblivious to it all.

    Liked by 1 person

    • JJ, I hadn’t thought of it this way, but you are right. There’s no auto-pilot when it comes to finding your polling place. I liked voting with the Presbys, btw. I hope we stay there for a few years. They had great parking and lots of light on the actual voting booths. Win-win!

      Like

  33. Just seen a note in our local paper that the local primary school (for 5-11 year olds) has asked to be excused voting duties this UK General Election as it interferes with their Christmas festivities 🙂 From the tone of the piece, I don’t think they’re expecting it to be allowed.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Judy, I’m sure the Methodist put together a nice polling place experience. 😇 I rather liked how the Presbyterians pulled it together for their first foray into polling place-ness. Hoping we go back there often.

      Liked by 1 person

  36. I find American politics and the seemingly constant voting for this and voting for that really confusing. For example, a public vote on increasing school levies implies that there is no trust in the city/district/state elected officials to make the right decisions for the right reasons. So what on earth is their purpose?

    Since I’m late to this party, your voting is already done and I hope your side won. Seriously. Any indication that the horror of the last 4 years will soon come to an end would be greatly appreciated.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Joanne, you ask: So what on earth is their purpose? This is an excellent question for which I have no real answer. My cynical answer is that most small-town elected officials are there for the fame, the status, their own need to feel important. But you’re right in that why not trust them to make the decisions instead of asking us all the time? It baffles me, too.

      I’m sorry to say but around here the horror continues. The school levy was defeated, 80% of these conservative people voting against the kids and their own community. ‘Cause you know, ‘murica! 🙄

      Like

      • Oh heavens Ally, I simply couldn’t append a “like” to that comment of yours – what a complete horror story. With the largely positive news I’m reading, I’d such hopes for you.

        Liked by 1 person

        • Thanks, Deb. I know elsewhere the tide is turning, but around here it’s same as it ever was. Change, when it happens, is slow… resisted… and resented. 🤷‍♀️

          Like

      • Some states require voter approval for bond issues and raising taxes – a hold over from “no tax without representation”? Safeguard if your state or local officials are more political than practical or never managed a budget? Sometime officials don’t spend money wisely, so public doesn’t trust them – and they can’t vote them out yet.
        Baffled by people voting against school/mental health funding/flood mitigation or preventative flood measures. Then again over the past few years here hurricane money from both state and feds have gone missing or ended up in shady peoples’/extended family’s/business partners’ pockets without work being done.
        Sigh.
        In our little community we only had state constitutional issues on the ballot not school board or mayor or city council.
        Finding the current polling place is always hide and seek here..,.a bit suspicious sometimes HaHa

        Liked by 1 person

        • philmouse, good explanation about why we vote on those myriad issues when we supposedly have competent people handling those issues. Thank you.

          Not voting for school improvements is almost beyond me, but I realize that many people disliked going to school back in the day thus they think spending money on public schooling now is a waste. They are wrong, of course– but that’s their selfish logic.

          So you’re another person whose polling places moves around. It’s been interesting to see who knows where they’re going for sure and who learns to go wherever each time!

          Liked by 1 person

  38. Our new address has a church for its polling place and yes, I’m also wondering about that whole church and state thing. Honestly, though, if they told me I had to crawl through broken glass and vote in a hellacious inferno I’d do it.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Laura, I feel the same way about voting. I have my preferences but wherever I’m told to go I’ll get there. Having now experienced the Presbyterian voting venue, I do hope we continue to vote there. ‘Twas easy, safe, and clean.

      Like

  39. Haha! We could, for the first time ever, vote ANYWHERE, at any polls in Marion County on Tuesday. I voted at my same spot, it’s super close. Left, left, left, right, vote! I voted all the way left though 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  40. In 30 years of living where we do, we’ve always had the same voting location. There are no churches on the way either. It depends on which way we go around the block for right or left turns. I’m always happy they accept all voters with encouragement. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  41. The polling place is one thing I don’t have to worry about, since I as a foreigner (Dutch) can’t vote:) But if I would vote, I would vote for the Trump chumps, not because like the man, but it seems like they’re the ones right now who do something about jobs and saying not to the manipulation of other countries.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Junieper2, it must be fascinating to live in a country and watch the political process unfold as you evaluate it based on your earlier life experiences in a different country. I’ve been here in the midwest most of my life, so to me much of politics seems like old news– except the issue of where we are to vote. That’s new every few years!

      Like

  43. Pingback: The Craptastic Week that Was | joeyfullystated

Comments are closed.