Voting

I voted yesterday. I hadn't really thought about it until I realized that on Tuesdays I'm at work for a minimum of ten hours, and while I could have gone early -- the polls open at 6 am here -- it would most likely have been touch-and-go. So I went up to the local branch library and voted early.

After reading some of the horror stories from around the country, I have to say I'm glad I live in a Democratic stronghold. The line was long, but it only took a bit under an hour from walking in to walking out. We use touch-screen machines that make a paper record of your vote, everything is very clearly explained, the poll workers and judges were very helpful, there were chairs available in line for those who needed them, and everything was very relaxed.

It was interesting to see the crowd. Lots of young people -- students, I think, since the polling place is close to Loyola University, and people using their lunch hours to vote. Needless to say, this is the north side of Chicago, so everyone pretty much was an Obama supporter, although no one really discussed who they were voting for.

On the whole, it was a good experience -- but then, I think that's the way it's supposed to be.