Semi-OT: Got my official "poll watcher" certificate; would not have done this before

How cool! Enjoy. And I agree: no matter who you vote for, just vote.

Awesome! And Ohio is where it counts, for sure. Here in MD we already did our early voting and I felt fortunate to get in & out in less than an hour.... makes me so glad I moved from FL!

I saw the huge lines in Florida for early voting, but didn't hear WHY the lines were so long.  I will be so glad to see an end to the television ads and all the political phone calls I have been ignoring and deleting from my answering machine!

Lora

I'll do my best to explain FL without sounding biased.... Like another poster said, in 2000 Jeb Bush extended early voting hours because of the turnout. Charlie Crist did the same thing in 2008. For SOME REASON, Rick Scott has curtailed early voting - prompting litigation to ensure that those that want to vote, get their voices heard. Yeah, Rick Scott.... anyone ever hear of him? Headed HCA/Columbia hospitals when they were the subject of the biggest Medicare fraud investigation. Ever. Then became governor of a state that has a HUGE population of Medicare beneficiaries. Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.

Here is what happened in Florida..in 2000 the lines were so long and the people were so mad about having to stand for so long and some did not get to vote that the guy in charge ,extended the polling hours to allow more time for people to get to vote. In 2008 everyone got a chance to vote and people turned out in droves. This year a republican named Rick something cut the polling hours down and (and this might only happen for early voting) if a person was in line for 8 or more hours and the office was closing, well too bad for the voter you gotta go home. People were so intent on voting that they endured the long lines in the Florida sun to get to vote in early voting. I don't know if they can do that on election day but if they can close it down with people still in line then I call foul.

Thought about you today, as I went to vote!  Hope things are going well for you.  Our polling place had no line...I went straight in, signed, voted and was on my way in minutes.  I've heard of LONG lines in some places.  I feel blessed to be able to have a voice AND to do it so quickly!

The lines in my precinct are very long 1.5- 2 hour wait all morning.  Most people are enduring it fairly well, though.  (I was able to "jump the line" at lunch since I had been there since 6am, so I didn't wait in line at all.)  I saw two first time voters, both of whom were very excited to be voting and didn't seem to mind the line at all!

Lora