"I Voted in DC, MD, VA" Open Thread #2

Update [2008-2-12 13:13:48 by reahti]: Falling fast on the diary list - please recommend if you want to keep this going!

Just to keep the conversation going from dansac's diary - stop in and let us know if you voted in the Potomac Primary, Chesapeake Challenge, or whatever your favorite name for it is.

What have the lines looked like in your area? Campaign signage? Volunteers?

Please share your voting experience below and vote in the poll too, of course!

I voted early this morning in Montgomery County, MD - for Obama and Donna Edwards. Yay! I had about a 30 minute wait at my precinct and there were at least 50 voters in line when I left. It's a cold day and there have been passing snow showers, but hopefully it won't affect voters - the roads seem fine in the DC metro.

Here are a few early reports on turnout:

From WaPo on Maryland
From WaPo on Virginia
From the Baltimore Sun
From Associated Press

Please feel free to add more news and blog links and personal stories!

•  Low turnout in DC, at least at my polling place.

  So don't presume anything is settled!

  by William S Martin on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 09:50:06 AM PDT

  •  no assumptions made

    I just want to hear about people's experiences!

    by reahti on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 09:52:32 AM PDT

  •  Have you voted in a primary there before?

    How does it compare to previous primaries. Also, how does this compare with previous General elections? Sorry for the 20 questions, but I'm wondering if, since DC doesn't have representation, this dampens the turnout.

    by DJShay on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:08:25 AM PDT

    •  In 2000 when I voted in DC

      In the Adams Morgan neighborhood I waited for over well over 2 hours. The primaries aren't as big of a deal unless there is a City Council race. Then it can be big because the Dem primary is the only one that really matters. The General Election is a given.

      by Democrat on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:28:29 AM PDT

  •  It's fine. There was low turnout in Louisiana,

    and Obama won by 21 points.  He'll win by at least that much in DC.

    by glendaleguy2007 on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:34:50 AM PDT

•  Rec'd

  Way to keep it going reahti!

  by dansac on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 09:52:09 AM PDT

  •  I so should be working! ;-P

    by reahti on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 09:52:50 AM PDT

    •  That should be the subtitle

      of this blog.

      by dansac on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 09:54:32 AM PDT

    •  reahti - Did you vote on Diebold equipment?

      by groggy on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:01:22 AM PDT

      •  yep - it's statewide

        And we've used it since 2004, I think? I remember it from my first time as an election judge in 2004. The electronic poll books (which personally I love b/c you can look up a voter in the entire state and direct them to the correct precinct if they are in the wrong place!) were new in the 2006 primary.

        by reahti on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:04:55 AM PDT

•  tip/vote jar?

  

  by reahti on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 09:55:10 AM PDT

•  My friend voted in Virginia...

  Not sure exactly where, but she said it's a place where there are usually lots of Republican voters. She said turnout was low, there were probably 20 people there and it only took her five minutes to vote.

  She also got her brother and dad to vote for Obama and is working on getting some friends, also.

  by indiemcemopants on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 09:58:13 AM PDT

•  Not Voting, but...

  I am not in the area but, like everyone else, am very interested in how it goes.

  When do the polls close out there?

  by KuanShiYin on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 09:58:31 AM PDT

  •  7pm in VA, 8pm in DC and MD

    by reahti on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 09:59:22 AM PDT

•  I just voted in Howard County, MD on Diebold

  equipment.  Thinking that the Diebold  touch screens had been decertified, I asked the election judges.  They didn't have a clue.

  I was wrong:
  Baltimore Sun article

  Replacing the Diebold machines will be complete in 2010, hopefully.

  by groggy on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 09:59:09 AM PDT

  •  yeah

    Not decertified, but the $$ from the state leg has come to slowly to get new machines in...

    by reahti on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:01:04 AM PDT

  •  If old machines, will W get some delegates?!?

    by Last Best Chance on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:06:01 AM PDT

    •  heh...

      Well he wasn't an option on the Dem primary ballot, but you never know with the technology...

      by reahti on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:06:55 AM PDT

•  Voted in No Va at 8 a.m.

  OutsideMy Polling Place: Obama and Hillary signs, Virginia Democrats table with literature, sign-ups, Mark Warner bumberstickers and one VERY cold volunteer!

  Outside My Polling Place: for Republicans: no signs, no table, no person, NOTHING.

  Inside:  Wait about 10 minutes.

  Total number of voters at that time: 221

  Breakdown: 161 Democrats, 60 Republicans

  My friend's precinct (Fairfax): She arrived and the person at the door was saying, "If you're voting Republican, step on through, no lines."  

  BWA HA HA HA!!!

  by noweasels on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 09:59:38 AM PDT

  •  can you explain Warner and the ballot in VA?

    Is he on the ballot or is there some write-in thing? I read something somewhere that confused me.

    by reahti on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:02:17 AM PDT

    •  My friend said she was given something to sign

      to put him on the ballot -- I don't know what this is about.  He's running for the Senate and he is going to WIN in November.  :)  Then we'll have Jim Webb as our Senior Senator, Mark Warner as our Junior Senator and Tim Kaine as our Governor -- WOW!!

      by noweasels on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:07:14 AM PDT

•  voted at noon

  in Chevy Chase. No line, about 10 people voting at a time.

  A few signs outside but no politikers, probably because of the cold.

  There was one really cute sign that looked like it was painted by an elementary school student (the polling place) that just said CHANGE.

  by nwodtuhs on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:02:12 AM PDT

  •  I saw a kid putting out a sign for Obama

    in her yard last night - Takoma Park area. It was cute too - the hand-painted Obama "O" and some other stuff I couldn't see as I was driving by.

    by reahti on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:03:27 AM PDT

    •  Oh...the MD ballot has a place

      for Undecided. And all the Dem candidates were listed.

      by kredwyn on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:08:44 AM PDT

  •  It was snowing

    when I went into the polling space.

    One of my neighbors was out trying to get signatures for a petition. No idea what it was for, but the last information she left on my doorstep was a very pro-life up Bush pamphlet.

    So...

    by kredwyn on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:07:16 AM PDT

•  standard turn out...

  I waited for like 10 minutes.

  Seems that one of my students is a poll worker :)

  No exit polling people...but then again, I've never seen an election where there was one.

  by kredwyn on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:04:36 AM PDT

•  Nice 8 to 1

  Just like the last thread

  by davidcstanton on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:07:19 AM PDT

•  Here's a good sign

  from the Richmond Times Dispatch

  Dems voting in Manakin outnumber GOP voters
  Staff Reports
  February 12, 2008 11:45 AM

  In Goochland’s heavily Republican eastern precinct of Manakin, Democratic primary voters outnumbered Republican voters 1225 to 849, said county Registrar Frances C. Ragland.

  by DJShay on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:12:47 AM PDT

•  Rock on!

  by davidcstanton on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:14:18 AM PDT

•  Im in DC today,but not a resident

  I'm from the UNCOMMITTED STATE(Michigan).  All I can say is that Union Station is crazy with volunteers.  It's by far the craziest I've seen it.  

  by jeffwtux on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:17:17 AM PDT

  •  I wonder what precincts are nearby

    But Union Station is a great place to be politicking!

    by reahti on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:18:40 AM PDT

    •  And people watching!

      Every single person that passes me by I think is a celebrity.  I get huge whiplash there.  In the end though, I've really only seen 2 celebrities: Pedro(from C-Span Wash Journal) and Tim Russert.

      by jeffwtux on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:20:40 AM PDT

      •  Oh, I didn't see either of those 2 today

        it was a couple of weeks ago.

        by jeffwtux on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:26:14 AM PDT

  •  Are they all O Supporters?

    If so beeeee visible...it is important.

    by davidcstanton on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:19:41 AM PDT

•  I stood in line

  with a whole bunch of elderly people for 45 minutes.  Many were disabled, and the polling place was set up very poorly for them.  While I don't know who they voted for, everyone I saw picked up the blue democrat ballot before going to the machines.  

  Prince William County Virginia, Washington Reid District, Location was Forest Park High School.

  There were about 5 people outside handing out pamphlets and buttons for Obama, no other volunteers to be seen at that time of the day, around 10 AM.

  by Vappid on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:19:22 AM PDT

•  Voted just now in Blacksburg, VA

  No lines, no politickers. Looks like they've written us off.

  by Andrew M on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 10:55:42 AM PDT

•  Where is everyone, LETS GO!

  FIRED UP AND READY TO GO!

  by davidcstanton on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 11:28:19 AM PDT

  •  there are two recc'd diaries about today

    Lots of comments there. No worries - people are energized - there are just too many of us posting diaries!

    by reahti on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 11:32:13 AM PDT

•  I recommended your diary...

  ... for the fact that you mentioned that you voted for Donna Edwards in the primary alone.

  by homoaffectional on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 11:43:01 AM PDT

  •  awwww, thanks

    I'm just glad I had at least one candidate I was truly excited about voting FOR!!

    by reahti on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 11:52:48 AM PDT

•  DC poll workers I asked said turnout was high

  I voted mid-day so I could take my preschooler daughter. Just 10 or so people were voting at my polling place in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood of DC. However, I asked several poll workers who all said turnout was heavy in the morning. Perhaps I was just there in the mid-day lull. [My daughter urged me to "vote for the woman!" I appreciated her strong opinion -- and chose a different path.]

  by RK in DC on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 12:05:02 PM PDT

  •  good to hear

    I'm going to check in with some other poll workers in MD on my way home tonight. I'm hoping for good news. I remember that turnout in 2006 was less than 30% in the precinct I was working...non-presidential election year, but still!! Gotta do a lot better this year!!

    by reahti on Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 12:26:45 PM PDT