Denver Election Commissioner encouraging waiting for Election Day Voting

[hlthe2b]

I just got back from early voting (Thursday, 10/28)and encountered one of our Denver Commissioners, who is also a long term (15 year) member of the Election Commission. Upon finding very long lines snaking out the door of the King Soopers grocery store and down the sidewalks, she was suggesting that most precincts only have about 400 people registered (?) and thus Tuesday would likely be a much shorter wait. She wasn't getting ANY takers!

I was alarmed at first that she was discouraging people from waiting to vote and engaged in some discussion with her. I asked her if those statistics took new registrations into account and she said no, but it was her belief that the media was feeding paranoia unnecessarily, leading to so many people determined to vote early and feeding the crowds unnecessarily. While I think she was being sincere in not wanting people to have to wait so long (and I know her to be a committed Democrat), we had a good long discussion about why people should probably not be discouraged from early voting, despite the wait. She was pretty aghast at the various documented reports of foul play I was able to relate in detail from Ohio, Florida, Georgia and elsewhere and how easy it would be for partison poll challengers to "muck up the works" on Tuesday. So, I think she has come around.....

She asked me to call her when I had finally voted with the time--almost exactly two hours-- and then asked me if I thought that was excessive. I all but reflexively yelled "are you crazy?" but managed to more calmly state that I'd waited four long years--counting every day, every minute-- for this vote, eliciting a knowing chuckle from her. In truth, I have felt helpless nearly every day of that time and for me, two hours was NOTHING. I told her that I would have been willing to camp out, had it been necessary, and that the wait only underscored how much I'd earned my vote this year and reinforced my determination. My guess is she is convinced that there are many many more like me out there, since she ended the call all but shaking her head that "never in 15 years had she seen anything like this!"


I don't know about the rest of you, but I have to admit getting really emotional as I drove to the polls. I had waited four long years to do my own small part to restore sanity to our country. All the efforts of so many of us to actively campaign, financially support, and to educate/convince others to vote for change-- finally culminating in one final act, my vote. Somehow, it only seems right that the moment was prolonged with a considerable wait in line. For one small moment though, I felt I had regained a small bit of control over the future. Now comes the wait. But, I feel optomistic!



GO COLORADO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dixiechiken]

1. What a great story!

I, too, am in Colorado (Adams County) and I, too, voted today - except that I didn't do the "early voting" thing, I only dropped off my absentee ballot. There were absolutely NO lines where I am, so I am glad to hear there were some elsewhere... that can only mean that people ARE paying attention. I'm sorry you had to wait so long, although may I say not only do you have a great way of looking at it, you have an almost poetic way of expressing it!


"Four long years... somehow, it only seems right that the moment was prolonged with a considerable wait in line."


I LOVE THAT!

Thank you from a fellow Coloradoan, hlthe2b, for the inspiring words. I hope you don't mind if I pass your words along in the coming days... I think your POV might inspire others as it has me. :)

[hlthe2b]

2. Pleas do pass it on, Dixiechiken and thanks for your comments...

Today was definitely a "right of passage" for me.

[Kanary]

3. Was this at the Leetsdale & Monaco Soopers?

I waited an hour there the other day.

I'm not only cheered that so many are voting early (great sign, I think!), but also that people are waiting that LONG!! That says a lot, right there. :bounce:

I'm really glad to hear that you were able to relate some pertinent facts to this ....election commissioner???? How can someone be in that job and NOT know all those facts???? What rock is her office under?

OK, I'll be nice now.... :)

Kanary

[hlthe2b]

4. Yupper.... KS at Leetsdale & Monaco....

I just think she suffers from "can't happen in Colorado" syndrome--maybe because Denver has been sort of an isolated island of progressive/liberalism in an otherwise blue state, she hasn't seen the dirty tricks up close and personal. But, I was relating detailed facts on some of the recent incidents in FL, GA, OH--including the specific newspapers reporting, the dates--even some of the reporters names so she realized a wasn't blowing smoke! I have lawyer relatives in other battleground states who were recruited by their state Dem committees and State Bar Association to help with "problems," so I could speak authoritatively to that issue as well.

BTW, my 2 hours to vote ended at 5:00 and there was still a line out the door. There's no way they could have ended voting before 7 or so...

[Kanary]

5. We're going to have to be awakening people with her "syndrome" ^_^

This is why I keep saying we have soooo much work ahead of us!

As for the line.... I think it's the same as at the polls..... if people are in line at 7pm, they can vote, and not be turned away.

Did they have enough of the blue ID forms? They ran out on Monday, and had to use torn pieces of paper. :) Oh yeah, that looked really professional. :)

I think we're going to have to work to catch her up on the actual facts. And, probably the rest of the election commision, also. sigh...... a liberal's work is never done. :hi:

Kanary

[hlthe2b]

6. They seemed well stocked, but only two computers and one wasn't

working well for some reason.... They did bring in an additional machine to set up a total of five voting stations, but they surely could have used twice as many.

The Denver Election Committee woman did mention that there were plans to go with regional voting stations, which is news to me. I guess that would mean that early voting would be at larger "permanent" stations rather than grocery stores and the like.... I suppose if true, that might improve the early voting process.

BTW, she denied that Glenda the wicked witch of a secretary of state had ever suggested that provisional ballots would be counted only for the Presidential election and nothing else--which I clearly understood to be the case from both newspaper and two tv news accounts. She went on to say it would be illegal and I sort of laughed and said "well, yeah..." but that hadn't stopped other SOS from doing similar both in 2000 and currently in Ohio and Florida in 2004....Again, I know her to be a Democrat, but I surely don't know why she is so vested in defending/denying the possibility of nasty Repug tactics in Colorado...
:shrug:

Oh, well... I will surely be very pleased if Kerry does take Colorado (along with the entire country, of course). But, if he doesn't pick up CO, I still feel confident that Salazar will come through....Surely Matsanuka will bump off the wicked witch homophobe in his district... Maybe Tancredo will get bumped too? An early :toast: