tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033598682489350651.post5398385621777395445..comments2023-05-27T01:53:21.676-04:00Comments on Diane L. Major: FlaggedUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033598682489350651.post-73714560043627113062017-11-08T17:51:09.312-05:002017-11-08T17:51:09.312-05:00Now that I think on it, maybe more like half the l...Now that I think on it, maybe more like half the line was outdoors, and maybe longer than 100 yards or so. I had to backtrack from my car, and I didn't get a close spot. But they kept it moving.DLMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08768285199864217885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033598682489350651.post-9076568348525206742017-11-08T17:44:34.391-05:002017-11-08T17:44:34.391-05:00Okay, before I even got to the sentence explaining...Okay, before I even got to the sentence explaining Walesa's movement, I literally said OH MAN out loud reading your comment. That is awesome. As are unions.<br /><br />Virginia came up with choices this year, for districts, and at levels where there haven't been any for a long time. Still mostly two choices, but the number of candidates scrolling along under the returns numbers who were not party-coded blue or red was notable; I might almost say "substantial" though it's a matter of perception, so YMMV as the kids say.<br /><br />Casey, I actually got the chance to talk with people at the PRIMARY this year. Engagement was pretty amazing, really. In 2008 and 2012 (of course less so), the lines moved, but they were such that the line had to be routed circuitously within the building to manage numbers and traffic. In 2008, the line went out the door and, while it was managed very well, my estimate would be we had a good 100-yard wait of it, about 25-30% of that being outdoors in the cold/rain. Our Richmond isn't a big city, but it's the capital, so maybe the population is more likely to come out? It was in 2012 I got to chatting with a neighbor about the dog. :)DLMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08768285199864217885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033598682489350651.post-77017787553127474722017-11-08T16:10:16.957-05:002017-11-08T16:10:16.957-05:00We didn't have a local election yesterday, but...We didn't have a local election yesterday, but after I moved to D.C. twentysomething years ago, I began wearing my grandfather's SOLIDARNOSC lapel pin to the polls. It's the logo of the Polish Solidarity movement, the trade union that helped bring down communism. It's my way of saying I don't have much respect for politicians, but it's also one of the ways I complain about living in places so dominated by one party that there isn't a whole lot of choice to be had.Jeffhttp://www.quidplura.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033598682489350651.post-80901296453515542132017-11-08T15:26:54.307-05:002017-11-08T15:26:54.307-05:00Clearly I'm living in the wrong places. I don...Clearly I'm living in the wrong places. I don't think I've <i>ever</i> been in a line at my polling place long enough to allow me to say more than "Hello" to the person next to me.Casey Karphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10592351859886981726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033598682489350651.post-6947111235183007102017-11-08T07:45:47.099-05:002017-11-08T07:45:47.099-05:00At some point in the aftermath of last November, o...At some point in the aftermath of last November, one of the thinkpieces on Democracy Itself pointed to the massive increase in absentee voting as one of the less positive trends of the past twenty years. The loss of the communal rite of standing in a line with fellow citizens, the sense of excitement at polling places. I of course respect your methods, but the idea did resonate with me.<br /><br />I'm a dedicated voter, and I can't remember a time I didn't get to chatting with someone else waiting to put in their ballot. Some elections have been dark and rainy, and presidential votes do involve long lines, but there is a special excitement. It's a unique civic event, and the moments I've shared talking about my dog or the weather, even with folks I know probably aren't voting the way I will, stay with me.<br /><br />It also puts us face to face with each other in a political and social context which is necessarily civil. When else do we ever do that these days?<br /><br />Today, I am wearing my "I reBUKE you, Devil!" outfit. It's just an outfit. But I'm wearing it, you know, TODAY. :)DLMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08768285199864217885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033598682489350651.post-81468112431301227852017-11-07T19:58:36.934-05:002017-11-07T19:58:36.934-05:00I didn't vote, but only because there wasn'...I didn't vote, but only because there wasn't an election where I live.<br /><br />California has a wonderful policy which allows you to sign up to vote by mail. The ballot comes to me, I fill it out in the comfort of my own chair, at my leisure--and with the ability to set the ballot aside and go do some research on any proposition I'm still on the fence about. And then I usually drop the ballot off at my local polling place, rather than trust it to the tender mercy of the US Postal Service.<br /><br />It's a very civilized way to vote.<br /><br />No mementos, no special clothing. Just an awareness that those folks in Sacramento and D.C. are supposed to represent my interests, and voting is how I tell them what my interests are.Casey Karphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10592351859886981726noreply@blogger.com