Exercising our Franchise

[Guinevere]

Sign in when you vote -- tell us about the polls, lines, signs, voters, anything that caught your eye or attention.

My polling place opens in 15 minutes (7AM) and is open until 8PM. I prefer voting early, so I'm heading out shortly. Will check back after I've done my duty and gotten to my office. GO VOTE!!

[Jarlaxle]

Voted last week by absentee ballot, the reports on the radio say there are long lines.

[Guinevere]

Longest lines I've ever seen at my polling place. There was a traffic jam to turn on to the road to get to the polling place, a line outside in the cold, and then when I finally got to my precinct desk and got my ballot, every booth was full. Still, once I parked and got in line, it only took me 30 minutes.

At 730AM , I cast the 104th ballot in my precinct. We have 7700 registered voters, and had a 74% turnout in the last Presidential election. I expect turnout will be as good this time around, if not better because besides the close Presidential race (which isn't close in Massachusetts), you may have heard we have a very tight Senate race going on.

[Sue U]

Run, Liz, run! I wish I were voting in MA today.

I'm not going to the polls until late. I want the candidates to beg for my vote.

[Guinevere]

15 months of begging isn't enough? Sheesh.

I think Liz has a shot today -- far more Warren signs in town than Brown (in a town that voted for Brown last time around, much to my great chagrin). His untruthful adds in the last month, and his close ties to some of the teapartyists will sink him (if anything does).

I do think though, that MA may have a Republican Congressman at the end of the day. Richard Tisei (who would be the first openly gay Republican in Congress, and he is also pro-choice) might beat incumbent John Tierney in the 6th, where Tierney cannot get away from the illegal off-shore gambling operation run by his wife/brother-in-law (with or without his knowledge).

ETA: Corrected spelling of Tisei

[Lord Jim]

I usually go to do my voting either late morning or early afternoon, ( I've got a full plate this morning, so I'll probably go around 2...one of the nice things about working for yourself is that you can do your voting and your shopping when there isn't likely to be a crowd... )

As usual, in addition to the races, we have a pant-load of local and state initiatives to vote on....

I went through them over the weekend, and made out my list for voting, so I won't be standing there holding up the parade trying to read through them at the vote station...

[Guinevere]

Oh yeah - we also have four ballot questions -- three which are binding and complicated: 1. Right to repair; 2. Assisted suicide; 3. Medical marijuana. #1 and #3 should pass by wide margins, #2 will be a very close call. I had read and decided on all of them in advance, so I could get through the ballot more quickly, but anyone who didn't will need a bit more time than is typical.

[Lord Jim]

Oh yeah - we also have four ballot questions --

"Four"?

Amateurs...

We have seven local initiatives and eleven state propositions....

somewhat fewer than usual....

[Sue U]

We've only got two ballot questions in NJ: 1) is a $750 million bond issue for capital improvements to NJ colleges and universities, and 2) is a constitutional amendment to allow the legislature to start deducting healthcare and pension costs out of the salaries of judges and justices.

Yes on 1, No on 2.

[Lord Jim]

Well, you may be voting no on that second one, but I suspect it will pass overwhelmingly....

[Guinevere]

Oh yeah - we also have four ballot questions --

"Four"?

Amateurs...

We have seven local initiatives and eleven state propositions....

somewhat fewer than usual....

That's not how we typically do business in the Commonwealth, but considering California has 6 times the population of Massachusetts, four is not a bad effort and relatively a lot!

[Sue U]

Well, you may be voting no on that second one, but I suspect it will pass overwhelmingly....

The problem is, it opens the door to manipulation of judges' salaries by the legislature, and the potential for punishing jurists (particularly on the Supreme Court) who might rule against the legislature's wishes. (And BTW, our Supreme Court split 3-2 on the constitutional challenge to the new benefits law that sparked this ballot question.) Our constitution currently says that judges' salaries cannot be reduced during their tenure. I'm sure you can see the potential for mischief in the amendment. More than a few judges will simply retire if the amendment passes, thus aggravating the curent shortage of judges.

Judges make substantially less in salary than they would in private practice. Salaries range from $165,000 for a trial court judge to $192,000 for the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The change in the law would take an additional $14,000 out of their pay. It's not that judges don't make contributions to their benefits package, it's that they would now be subject to increases in those contributions -- and any others that might be added -- at the whim of the legislature. It simply erodes the independence of the judiciary.

[Lord Jim]

I see your points Sue, but I suspect the average voter isn't going to see it that way. My guess is the average Joe or Jane Six Packs is going to be motivated by two things on that ballot initiative:

1. A sourness and frustration about public officials in general that will make them happy to be able to kick at least some of them in the wallet, given the opportunity.

2. A view that says, "Hey, I have to pay a portion of my health care and retirement costs, why the hell should these high and mighty types get a pass?"

I'll be very surprised if that ballot initiative doesn't pass by a wide margin....

[Big RR]

Just back from the polls--a pretty brisk turnout according to the worker--I was voter 385 in my precinct. No real line, but it is late morning.

I also voted no on the second initiative as well; it's dangerous and ill-conceived. A much better amendment could have been drafted which would ensure continued judiciary independence, but those opposed to the initiative did a piss poor job of educating the public as to why it should be defeated. I think it will pass, and we'll all be worse off for it.

[TPFKA@W]

It is a 2 hour wait locally. Hopefully they are all voting against Moredick.

[dgs49]

I live in a strongly republican district in western PA (Bedroom suburb of Pittsburgh). At 0700, the lines reached out the door, which is about average. It took me ten minutes or so to get through.

The only question in my district is how one-sided the result will be. I'm guessing about 1/3 for Barry and the rest for sanity.

[Long Run]

Vote by mail. I voted a couple of weeks ago. We don't even have polling stations anymore; just drop boxes at libraries and a some other places.

[Gob]

So not only are you lot voting for your figurehead in chief, but you're also doing the politicians work for them by casting the votes which democracies elect politicians to vote on?

Wow, what an insane system!!

[Sue U]

In case anyone hasn't decided yet, or just wants confirmation, you can take the following pretty good quiz:

http://www.isidewith.com/quiz


Here are my results... http://www.isidewith.com/results/224066448

[Gob]

Voting is slow cos so much to vote for. Here in Richmond Virginia there's the pres election,senate race, town cncl, school board, mayor etc@BBCJonSopel 1 min ago