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Live from Texas: one person's early voting experience!

By Michael Alvarez

This came in this evening from a friend of Election Updates who wanted to share their early voting experience:

I am typing to you live from a totally gigantic line to vote on the last day of Early Voting in the Texas primary in Austin, Texas - 10 minutes before polls close. I figured you would appreciate this story, and there is not much else to do while in line!

I have been in line so far for 95 minutes! There are approx. 60 people in front of me still and maybe 120 behind me. People have been waiting for 90 minutes to an 2 hours today I have been hearing.

There is a local NBC truck here filming, more political signage than I have ever seen near a polling place, and people are in good moods overall. This polling location is a Randalls grocery store (which has a Starbucks attached and they are coming out and taking drink orders and serving us. Very smart!!! I got a Latte.) and the actual shoppers are miffed as there is nowhere to park.

They have run out of Democratic sample ballots and two of the 10 eSates are down. I hope there is another string of 10 eSlates on the other side, but I cannot tell from this point in the line.

Also, a huge bus full of people in wheelchairs who are mobility impaired and/or blind pulled up about 30 minutes ago and are all in line - behind me. There are about 35 of these folks, many with service dogs.

The election judge just went to the end of the line at 7 pm (polls closing time here in Texas) and cut off the line. People were coming over running - some visiblly upset - to get in line. You would think Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were in here posing for photos or something!

Just got up to where I can see the machines. There are only 10 eSlates here and two are closed up, possibly not workng. Only ten sent out to an Early Voting location during this record breaking election????

I wish I brought my camera as the lines of people snaking around the outside of this store with all of the political signage in the background would make for a good election photo.

Hopefully I will get to vote soon. I think I am going to order another Starbucks....

Back again. I just voted - 2 hours and 10 minutes after getting in line. Wow!

Full post as published by Election Updates on February 29, 2008 (boomark / email).