I Voted Electronically (I Hope)

Yes, I did. I arrived at the precinct at about 7:30 am and there was already a long line! It didn't help that they only had 3 of the 10 new electronic voting machines in the room up and running.

They've only had months to plan and prepare for 7 am, the first Tuesday in November. You would think that they would have at least been up late the night before making sure they were all ready for use - but noooooooooo.
Instead, there was some maintenance guy busily checking the paper and signing the integrity log as the line grew longer!

It wasn't like this was the first time they've used these Diebold touch-screen machines, designed to prevent the hanging & dimpled-chad election 2000 fiasco. The widely heralded, somewhat controversial machines were easy enough to use, so the line moved fairly fast, and I was out of there by 7:45 and even made it to work on time.

Even though my vote was recorded by printout on the sealed roll of paper, it was still a bit unnerving. I don't doubt that my vote actually counted, but there are many conspiracy theorists who have spent hours documenting how these new voting machines are rigged by Big Brother to eliminate democratic government as we know it.

EitherWhichWay, voting electronically was quick, easy, and painless - but I still miss physically dropping my ballot into a box - like the good ol' days! I'm just glad that the obnoxious, incessant political advertisements will finally end - at least for a few months!