[Cabaki]

I'm a little worried about the long lines and potential mayhem on Tuesday at the polling places. This is my first time voting in park slope (8th street) so I have no idea what to expect.

Is is better to get there when the polls open before work, or after work? How many hours do you think we'll have to wait on line to vote?

[pitu]

I've never had to wait very long, and I usually go in the am. Deeply curious if that will be any different this time...

[tybur6]

Yep... this time is a whole new ballgame... maybe. Vote early, vote often!

[1st_Streeter]

Last couple of elections I noticed more activity in the morning at PS 321, where I vote. In the evening, the lines have been short and fast.

[henrycurtis]

Don't wear political clothing, or excess button/pins. It may be considered "electioneering" in the polling place and you may not be allowed to vote. Just a word to the wise...

[ZeeBee]

I've never had long lines at that polling place, though best to avoid the 7:30-8:45AM slot and the 5:30-6:30PM slot. If you can break away in the middle of the day, or go after 7PM, there's never a line.

[veets]

How late are the polls open?

[Underhill_MT]

[Anastasia Beaverhausen]

Okay, here's a question - what if you get to the polls at 6 PM and there's a 4 hour wait? Do they just close up at 9 PM and damn it all or do they have to allow you to vote?
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Babies aren't meat! They're not even people!

[homeowner]

I've never seen anyplace in NYC that has had a four hour wait, not even during the hotly contested Guilianni/Dinkins races. However, the rule is if you are on line waiting to vote at 9pm you must be allowed to vote. Considering that the poll workers have to start tallying votes at 9pm, they aren't anxious to keep people hanging out for hours, so they'll probably try to move folks along. At 9pm they're supposed to close the line down and close the doors to the facilities, and the police are at every polling place to assure that happens without anyone's rights being infringed upon.

[BrooklynGigCenter]

Is there an election coming up? Nobody told me...

[eggcream]

no there isn't. stay home.

[Carnivore]

[sweet tea]

oh, come on. that was funny.
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Bumping ancient threads with bot-like bullshit

[Carnivore]

[Em26]

[tapdame]

G'morning! Just wanted to let you know how things went at my polling site. I voted at PS 282 on 6th ave. The line was about 3/4 of the way down Berkeley street towards 5th ave. I got in line at 6:11am and was out the door by 7:05am. I strongly suggest that you know your election district prior to getting in line, as waiting in that line probably tacks on about 45 minutes. You can find that info here: http://gis.nyc.gov/vote/ps/index.htm. When I left the end of the line was in about the same place when I got in it.

Ok. Now with that said... GO VOTE!!!!!!

[ljnd]

Likewise, I was at MS 51 at 6:10, and got out at 7. We were told some people had camped out overnight.

[willregistersoon]

[ljnd]

No but over at PS 39, there were 300 people in line just as the polls opened. I don't think the lines are going to go DOWN at all. I'm glad I got mine overwith.

[nkotsonis]

Food for thought.
I also voted this morning for Obama, but there's something that bothers me.
New York has a winner take all for the electoral college votes.
Since we are mostly democrats, not counting upstate, I feel that the democratic party is taking us for granted and assuming that they have a win here. Obama did not really campaign here neither did McCain.
This election is being decided by only 5 or 6 states. Do we really have a say? There was an interesting op-ed in the Daily News the other day about how we should switch to proportional delegates for the candidates. This way, all the candidates would have to fight for our vote. This would be far more democratic. 13 states already had referendums to switch to proportional delegates, but every state has to have this rule in order for it to go into effect.
All of Europe has this system, although they are more along the lines of parlimentary government.
We, New Yorkers, vote but do we count?

[BrooklynGigCenter]

[nkotsonis]

you are kidding right?
you want to be taken for granted?

[BrooklynGigCenter]

[BrooklynGigCenter]

[8thandPrez]

[henrycurtis]

Amen.

[8thandPrez]

ANyone been to PS10 to vote? Just curious as to the wait at 10am.

[lanciano]

I was at PS 10 at 720 and the line moved fast. I was in ED 24 which always seems to have a shorter line that ED 6 for some reason.

The people running the show were actually extremely polite and helpful (that makes such difference)

Im sure that 10am and before lunch, the line will be shorter. before and after work are always the longest wait.

And of course, the PS 10 PTA is out there with a GREAT bake sale with coffee from the Red Horse coffee house on 6th ave!

Voting is fuN!

[Anastasia Beaverhausen]

[lanciano]

PS: I couldnt give 2 shits if Obama didn't campaign "enough" here. He's budgeting his time the way it has to be budgeted.

Why should he waste his time on a bluer than blue state here when there are purple and red states at stake? I don't like the electoral system, but that's just the way this system is run at the moment.

[LongTimeSloper]

Anyone been to 51 yet to vote? How bad is it?

[hollyhock]

[Aenigma]

I too voted at PS 282 on 6th Ave and Lincoln. When I arrived at 8:15, the line had snaked down 6th Ave, turned the corner onto Berkeley, hit 5th Ave, turned around the block again, and was close to half-way back up Lincoln in the direction of 6th Ave. Daunting, to be sure, but most everyone seemed to be in relatively good spirits, and it helps that it's a beautiful day.

I stood in line about 40 minutes only to discover that knowing my election district enabled me to cut the rest of the line and head directly into the school to vote. Not sure why it works that way, or why some people cheered for me when I walked past them -- but I'm not complaining!

[lanciano]

Yes, if you don't know your ED, you have to wait on the "information line" to find your address in the list which determines your ED. After you have that, you have to wait on your ED line. For some reason, I never remember that my ED is 24.

But even with the extra wait, I didn't spend more than 45 mins at the polling place. It was a good voting experience.

[veets]

I looked up ed for people voting at is 51
district 17
on my way out now to vote

[LongTimeSloper]

Yeah, my child who is a first time voter says that the line was a lot shorter because they knew their electoral district and their assembly district. And we vote at 51.

[Jamzer]

[joehill]

i voted at the church on 8th st at 6th ave and it was a complete mess. there were a dozen lines inside the gym for each different voting machine, but they were all jumbled together in a giant crowd.

the poll worker at the door looks up your address and tells you what district you vote for, they told me number 12 which was right in the front. except there's a separate number 12 in the back on the other side which you totally can't see and they don't direct you to, and that's where i had to vote.

when i found the right place to be, the lever machine was broken and everyone has to do their voting on paper. except i didn't bring a pen, and the volunteers at the table have two pens between them that they are using to sign people in, so i had to borrow a pen from someone after they voted and they had to wait around for me to vote.

[joehill]

oh - there were also some people that brought their dogs with them to the polling place (not just little dogs in a purse either, medium/large dogs on a leash) that were having a conversation about whether they'd be able to bring their dogs inside. the couple in front of me held up the line so they could tie up their dog right at the fence where everyone was going in.

the lady in this same couple decided (after waiting in line for 30 minutes) that she wanted to have her picture taken in line so had her husband take a dozen photos of her in the entranceway, holding up the line again.

[nkotsonis]

Hi Jamzer,
That's my whole point.
The whole country should have proportional delegate voting.
Let the candidates fight for our votes.
Why should people be taken advantage of, just because we live in one of the "safe" blue or red states?
Let them sweat it out.
that's , in my opinion, true democracy.
By the way, 2000 would never have happened if proportional delegate voting had been in effect.
Barack is right, the system is broken.

[veets]

Here was the story at 51...long line at 11;30 and it took an hour and a half.. district 17 was a short line 44 was a longer wait... friend said she was there 2 hrs and still waiting on the line to actually vote. Of course when we walked out at 1pm the line outside was 1/4 as long as it had been when we arrived. No way to predict length of lines as day goes in to evening after work hours.
As far as bringing dogs.. not a good idea. My hand held dog has come with me to vote in the past but I saw no reason for him to come and wait on the long line. I told him he could share half of my vote and since we had no disagreement about who to vote for it worked out.
Hey they are just some rude people out there whether or not they have pets .

[bkgypsy]

voted at IS 88 at 544 7 Avenue in Brooklyn. Please be aware that the 16th district machine is "broken" and people had to do paper ballot (stuffing in a cardboard box with a slit) and they didn't have pencils or pens readily available (AT AN F'IN SCHOOL!!!!!!). the woman manning that desk was of no help when asked how to fill out the ballot to a person infront of me. they didn't even tell people waiting in that line "hey, by the way the machine is broken so get ready to fill out paperwork." i really wanted to punch her.
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That which does not kill us, makes us stranger.

[Whatchuwant]

[vidro3]

voted at ps 154 on 11th ave and windsor place this morning. was in line from about 8:50 to 9:40 am.

lots of people.