Sound Politics: Last Time At The Polls?

November 06, 2007

Last Time At The Polls?

King County, where I live, will be switching to all mail voting next year, so today may have been the last time I voted at the polls. To commemorate the occasion, I took a few pictures.

The polling place is at a local school, just a couple of blocks away. There are, judging by the signs, enough voters in this area who read Chinese to require dual-language signs.

Some of the election workers were nice enough to let me take pictures.

I will miss seeing some of them at the polls, especially the lady on the right, who, as I recall, has
been handling my precinct ever since I moved here.

I won't miss these flimsy voting "booths".

It was, I believe, a serious error to move to all mail voting. Mostly because of the danger of
vote fraud, but also because it takes away one more community rite, and an important one.

Cross posted at Jim Miller on Politics.

Posted by Jim Miller at November 06, 2007 05:31 PM | Email This

Comments

1. I'm going to miss going to the polling place too, Jim. I've never voted by mail and I'm not looking forward to it. The fraud issue doesn't concern me that much - that could happen in just as many places as voting in person (especially when no photo ID is required), but I did enjoy seeing all the other people that thought the right to vote was important enough to show up in person to participate.

I've always handed the polling workers my voter registration card AND my drivers license. Even though they aren't allowed to ask for photo ID, they always looked at it and compared the addresses and then thanked me for showing it to them.

BTW, I can see making people who choose to vote by mail pay for the postage for returning the ballot, but when everyone is required to vote by mail, won't the postage amount to a 41 cent poll tax?

How long before King County decides to make jury duty served by mail? I'd imagine that you'd get a DVD with video of the courtroom testimony and after watching it at home, you'd check a box on the mail-in verdict and simply drop it in the mailbox. You'd probably have to pay for the stamp on that one too.

Such are the times...

Posted by: Smoley on November 6, 2007 06:03 PM

2. How true about community activities. Lefties constantly bray about being part of a commuuuuunity, but give 'em charge of a county and they abolish the public ritual of voting - one of the most important community functions since the founding of the United States of America.

This is not an improvement. Ron Sims, you done wrong.

Posted by: Insufficiently Sensitive on November 6, 2007 06:21 PM

3. "Just ask, just ask!"
says the dew,
and rolls away.

-Issa

Posted by: Duffman on November 6, 2007 06:50 PM

4. I agree. I think mail only voting is a huge mistake.

Posted by: Agent99 on November 6, 2007 07:40 PM

5. I'll miss all the lovely ladies who work at our polls.

Posted by: deadwood on November 6, 2007 08:03 PM

6. Good point Jim. The left kills another key community tradition. Just like the trashy TV and 24/7 hedonism, the left is determined to destroy the morality that is essential for individual freedom. When no one is educated enough or moral enough to handle their own responsibility, the power vacuum is filled by the Nanny State. He who counts the votes ...

Posted by: Jeff B. on November 6, 2007 08:34 PM

7. My husband and I were delighted to go to the polls today and filled out paper ballots. Awwww, those were the days.

Posted by: Marge on November 6, 2007 11:25 PM

8. Looks like Pierce County may be the only county in our state with polls open in 2008. Though there is a rumor that the state legislators might close the polls because the Pierce County Council has a 6 to 1 or maybe a 5 to 2 majority who have publicly voiced their opposition against closing the polls.

Posted by: Dick Muri on November 7, 2007 12:20 AM

9. Exercise your right to vote in person, on the voting machine. I always do!

Posted by: pudge on November 7, 2007 10:17 AM

10. I, too, will miss poll voting. I was forced to vote by mail for my entire 21-year military career, but since retiring from the Army and settling down back here in Seattle, I have relished being able to actually walk down to my polling place and talk with my fellow citizens.
As Jim notes, many of the poll workers have been doing this for many years, and it's inspiring to see their dedication to getting this one thing right.
Social rites are few and far between, and removing voting as one of these is bad civic policy.

Posted by: mark on November 8, 2007 12:23 AM

11. mark: so exercise your right to vote in person! Just go down to the elections office, find the disabled voting booth they are required to have by law, and use it. There's no legal grounds for them to refuse access to you.

Posted by: pudge on November 8, 2007 09:09 AM