I cannot wait to wait in line. I vote two blocks from my house. My polling place is a community center in a city park, which seems just about the perfect place to vote.
In 2004, painful as it is to think about, I waited in a line of my neighbors for about hour to vote. I arrived around 8 AM when the poll opened. The line was way out the door and down the sidewalk to the end of the parking lot. We were excited and we ended up disappointed. I doubt Bush got 10% of my neighborhood's votes.
In 2006, the line was maybe not quite as long as it was in 2004. That is pretty normal for a midterm election. I arrived at about 8 AM again, so I could vote and get to work. Despite the generally lighter turnout for a midterm, the line was still out the door and maybe half way down the sidewalk. I waited in line for maybe 30 minutes. It was quite pleasant as my then girlfriend and now wife, a Canadian, waited in line with me. After all, we had to make sure that we returned a DFLer to Congress to replace Martin Sabo. As many of you know, we sent Keith Ellison to Washington by a margin of 3-to-1 against opponents from the GOP and the Independence Party.
In this historic election, we are already reading stories about the long lines at the polls in states with early voting. People waiting in line for hours to cast their ballots. People energized to vote. We are also reading about the expectations for heavy turnout on Tuesday.
Minnesota does not have early voting and generally is one of the states with the highest voter turnout in the country every election. My neighbors clearly vote and many of them vote first thing in the morning. I fully expect a long line at my polling place on Tuesday.
I cannot wait to wait in line on Tuesday! I will get up early and walk to the park by 7 or 7:30 AM to get in line. I hope the line is unbelievably long even that early. I will wait and wait and wait.
I will wait as long as I have too. Then I will cast my votes for Obama, Franken, Ellison, and YES for Minnesota.
And then the real wait will begin.