Election reflections

Posted: November 4, 2008

Have you voted yet? If so, did you vote early or did you brave the the dreary conditions today? How long are the lines today? How long did you have to wait to cast your ballot? Please discuss. I would love to get a lot of fresh information throughout the day.

I plan to vote this afternoon at a neighborhood school in Cary after work. That should be about 1:30 p.m. I've never had to wait more than 10 or 15 minutes in the past. That may change today. I am not really sure, but I am encouraged by the unprecedented turnout of early voters.

I would also like to hear about your favorite election of all time. I can’t help but think of the Kennedy-Nixon battle in 1960 when I was barely 10 years old. A neighborhood friend had a stake in the race. His dad was a Kennedy delegate to the Democratic Convention in California. It was a close and exciting race, and I remember debating the issues with my young classmates in elementary school. We all learned a lot about democracy that year. My parents let me stay up late election night to follow the returns with Walter Cronkite on CBS. That was a lot of fun. I think that was my first taste of the journalistic bug. I've still got it today.

Chime in with your own election reflections.

29 Comments

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I took my 4-year-old to the polls & she cast her ballot for the first time through Kids Voting. She was so proud & thrilled, so this will definitely be a memorable election for us. I suppose my most memorable election before this was the Bush-Gore shoot out 8 years ago. I got tired & went to bed, left my husband up watching returns about midnight. I went to bed thinking one had one, my husband woke me at 3am to tell me another had one, and got up the next morning to hear nobody really knew. Crazy!

ladybugs-mom
November 5, 2008 11:48 a.m.

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I voted on Saturday at Lake Lynn..the weather was beautiful, bright sunshine, not too chilly..and that was a good thing because it took me almost 2 hours! But, no worries, I met some nice folks and got to shake some politicians' hands. My only regret is that I bought the medium Diet Coke at McD's instead of the large before standing in that LONG line.

mom24
November 4, 2008 6:38 p.m.

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Socialism, "spreading the wealth" as Obama says, is not a "fresh, idea or a new way." This nation was founded on the principles of individual freedom and rugged individualism. That spirit lives today in those of us who strive to do the best we can for our families. The people who think more government is the solution to their woes may well outnumber those of us who rely on self.

drnc
November 4, 2008 5:33 p.m.

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I had the pleasure of voting with my college age daughter when she was home from UNC on fall break..we went out to lunch and then to Cary Towne Center on October 16th. We waited about 45 minutes, but we chatted much of the time so it didn't seem so bad. She was very very excited to be voting for the first time in a Presidential election...and since she was born on election day 20 years ago, it was a poignant experience voting together!

schpenguin
November 4, 2008 4:25 p.m.

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I voted at South Hills Baptist on Jones Franklin Road at about 8 this morning. There was no line and I walked right up to the table to sign in. The ballot's a long one so it took some time to fill out, but everything went smoothly.

I have the same 1970's New York State memory as the previous poster...going into the curtained booth with my mother as she pulled the magical levers.

jfaircloth
November 4, 2008 4:07 p.m.

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I voted early on Friday 10/17 about 5pm at Cary Town Center Mall and it took me about 15 minutes to get into the room you vote... then another 15 minutes or so to actually vote.

I remember in the 1970s going to vote with my parents in NY State where they went into an actual booth one at a time, drew a curain, and flicked mechanical levers to cast their vote.

tvhartrick
November 4, 2008 2:27 p.m.

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Just got back from voting at Oak Grove Elementary in Cary. No wait at all. However, I was told the first three hours of voting today at this precinct were very heavy. The key is to vote after the lunch crowd.

bleslie
November 4, 2008 2:20 p.m.

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I was just wandering how all the votes are calculated? Is it sent to a database from the prevenct?

bluebr13
November 4, 2008 1:35 p.m.

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I want to thank all of you who stood in line for hours to early vote. I got there about 11:40, I was third in line for verification, no wait for a booth. I breezed in and out pretty easily and got to show my grandson the process. Not sure he will remember it but you know, when I was his age I remember going with my dad to vote in the 1956 election.

thefensk
November 4, 2008 1:16 p.m.

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I voted at Optimist Park this morning at about 7:30, and I was number 200. The line wasn't long, but traffic was steady. I wonder if the reports of how many had already voted early included those who registered and voted the same day (one-stop voting)in the percentage of registered voters? It will be an interesting evening watching the returns, for sure.

gingerrush
November 4, 2008 1:08 p.m.

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