Election Day Plans (not completely off topic)

If you're an American citizen, you might have heard that Election Day is on Tuesday.

Research shows that asking about a person's voting plans increases the likelihood that a person will vote. [source]

What are YOUR voting plans? Will you vote on Tuesday or have you already vote by mail or through early voting?

-- I live in Maryland and we've got awesome early voting options. I voted on the 25th.

What state do you live in, and do you get a sticker when you vote? Do you wear your sticker?!

-- I live in Maryland and we get stickers. Woo. Even for early voting. The adhesive isn't the best, though, so I bought myself a pin to wear this year. My mom is in PA and she's never gotten a sticker. So I ordered her two rolls of stickers to give to her precinct when she votes (she's always one of the first, since she goes before work). Her current precinct is at her CCRC, so I think it'll be really neat when she's back there for dinner in the evening to see, hopefully, all the people with their voter stickers that she made possible.

Are you working as an election judge or have you worked as an election judge in the past?

-- I'm working as an election judge for the first time this year and I'm super excited! We're not allowed to leave the precinct, so I have to plan ahead for food for the day. I'm going to take a cooler with lunch meat and cheese, and then insulated bottles with liquid. Apparently a number of precincts have potluck things, but I have zero interest in relying on food that other people bring to meet my needs for the day. I'll also take a bag with my vitamins and a few protein bars, just in case, as it will be a very long day. I'm mainly worried about being cold, so I'll take lots of layers and gloves, just in case. We're also allowed to take "books or crosswords or knitting type stuff" but no devices, so I have a couple of print books set aside to take with me in case there's any downtime. Maybe I'll take a coloring book too :P

If you were going to be working in an unknown place with no access to refrigeration or a microwave for 17 hours, what would you take to sustain yourself? (Edit: By no access to refrigeration, I mean no access to an actual fridge. Coolers are permissible!)

I voted a couple of weeks ago. No way did I want to risk being sick or something on election day! In my city, you can vote early at any public library. It's great!!

we get stickers, but I rarely take them since more often then not, I end up just putting them in the trash. If I was going to wear them, I'd take one, though.

food question: probably meat sticks, nuts, and protein bars

Our big partner event always conflicts with Election Day so I am a permanent absentee ballot! I voted back in October and received my ballot tracking texts confirming by vote has been counted. I have never not voted when since I've been eligible - it is my right and obligation and I'm so thankful for both!

snacks - I take string cheese and meat sticks when I travel, the string cheese gets a little sweaty when not refrigerated but still good. Also if there's an ac vent near you, putting the cheese in the draft keeps it cool (i figure travel is a lot like 18 hours with no refrigeration!)

I'm planning on taking one of my small coolers, actually. So that won't be a problem :D

Oregon is a mail-in-ballot state, so I voted weeks ago from the comfort of my home. We do not get I Voted stickers. Isn?t that what Facebook is for?

For the food question, I would take jerky, string cheese or the yummy Brie cheese bites from Trader Joe?s, salami in packages that do not have to be refrigerated (I get them at Whole Foods) and raw veggies. If I have a cooler, the sky is the limit. I would bring things in individual servings, like hard boiled eggs, yogurt, grilled chicken or shrimp, cottage cheese, deli meat and maybe even a salad with meat and veggies on it.

I like the act of walking in to vote, my precinct is small, so I will see my neighbors there. There is a familiarity I like about it, the smell of the old gym and the voting booths. I could have voted early or absentee, but I just like to walk in.

I live in Montana, and yes I wear my sticker:-)

I have never worked as an election judge, this year I wrote out hundreds of postcards for a local candidate that really impressed me. She put on a good campaign and had a tough fight. We will see how it all turns out soon:-)

I would take protein bars as well, probably a few jerky items too.

My actual precinct is in a Catholic school and I always worried that I'd burst into flames when I crossed the threshold :D

You just made my day Gwen!

Hi Everyone:

I usually vote unless an emergency comes up at work and I get out too late and miss the polling hours. I also live in PA and there are no stickers!!

I vote in a fire station so if there is a long line, it usually winds outside the fire station. It can be quite cold in northeastern PA at this time of year so I dress warmly. Also, if I don't vote fast enough, the fumes from the fire engines give me a headache! So I make sure I plan ahead how I'm going to vote, especially if there is a referendum.

We are supposed to go from electronic voting booths back to paper ballots this year! Sounds like we are going backwards in time. I think there were problems with accountability with the electronic voting -- there was the possibility of votes being entered more than once and no hard copy to prove who voted and who did not.

---Joyce

That's great that PA is changing to paper ballots, I hadn't heard that. MD changed some years ago back to paper.

The primary problems with electronic voting are that there's no paper trail and the machines are relatively easy to hack. Yikes. Here's a great XKCD about it.