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Downtown Goes to the Polls

By Eric Richardson
Published: Tuesday, November 04, 2008, at 01:53PM
I Voted Sticker Eric Richardson []

Downtowners went to the polls this morning, stirring up a flurry of tweets on Twitter and photos on flickr. Lines were long early, but appear to have gotten much more manageable as the day has progressed. For those of you who've made it to the polls already, what was your Downtown election experience?

I voted this afternoon at the Hayward Hotel, a site that was slightly confusing thanks to two precincts being placed into the same building. One group of voters was to cast their ballots in the lobby, with the other in the recreation room. Who went where was less than clear to those just arriving, but voters would eventually get sorted out without too much delay.

Celia of voted on Main street this morning and . She declined:

I was almost inside the building when the poll worker approached me.

"We have a booth inside that's a little lower, a little shorter than the others. Would you like to come inside and vote using the short booth?"

The people in line around me, the ones I had just met and the neighbors that I recognized from walking Wonton - all laughed uproariously. I imagined that it was like a child's table, low to the ground and covered in Hello Kitty stickers, with crayons to mark my ballot.

"Are you kidding me?"

The poll worker was apologetic, "I don't mean to offend you, I just thought--"

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Conversation

Guest 1

Ken H on November 04, 2008, at 05:29PM – #1

My polling place on Bunker Hill was busy, but the lines were moving quickly. This about approx. 1p this afternoon. I was in and out in about 15 minutes.


Guest 2

Jasmin on November 04, 2008, at 09:57PM – #2

I voted at the Job Corps building on Olympic & Hill. The line was down the stairs, out the door, and around the building at 9:45, when we arrived, and still at 11:30, when we left. One of the poll workers mentioned it had been like that since 7:00.

They were very good about ushering seniors, people with disabilities or illnesses, and pregnant women to the front of the long line (using the elevator instead of the staircase). The poll workers were very kind and helpful and thorough, but it would have been easier to move around the room if the booths had been placed along one of the other walls of the otherwise-empty room.

The wait outside also gave us a chance to contemplate the architecture of the Mayan and the Herald Examiner buildings. . .


Guest 3

John G on November 05, 2008, at 07:33AM – #3

I also voted at the Job Corps at 11th and Hill, but I arrived at 2:45pm. I stood in line for 75 minutes. I estimate there were approximately 70 people in line, with the line out the front door. The operation was pretty disorganized, with a major bottleneck between receiving ballots and the voting booths. The "line" there had deteriorated into a "cluster" of about 20 people, and the people at the front of the line seemed oblivious that they could seize any empty booth, so there were some people opportunistically jumping the line. At one point, they ran out of envelopes for provisional ballots, and then a few minutes later they ran out of provisional ballots, which was causing some anxiety. Just as I was about to leave, somebody arrived to address the situation, but I didn't wait around to see if things improved.


Guest 4

Susana on November 05, 2008, at 08:08AM – #4

I voted at the Little Tokyo Towers with a provisional vote. There was a long line but I was ina nd out in about 20 minutes, that was at 7:05 am. When I left, the line was even longer but they were very organized. I can't believe Proposition 8 passed, what a disgrace.


Guest 5

Melanie on November 05, 2008, at 11:40AM – #5

We voted at the Hayward and were treated with respect and friendliness! As always. :) One nutty lady tried to tell us we were voting in the wrong place, but I just said "No, thank you, but this is our voting place."



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