Voting done.....hopefully....
Nov. 7th, 2006 09:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
patgundWent to my polling place at 7am, voted.
Signs were not up to identify the location as a polling station.
Paper ballot rather than San Diego's new nifty Diebold touch screens. The poll worker tried to convince me to use the touch screens, without any luck. She offered me a "I voted touch-screen" sticker, I said I didn't see a sticker as worth our democracy. She then made a snotty comment about "some people believe what the see on HBO", to which I said I didn't see the documentary in question, rather I'm an IT professional who works with computers on a daily basis and knows what they are and aren't good for.
Found out after the fact that the San Diego Registrar of Voters, who has been REALLY pimping the touch screens to the point the state Attorney General had to order him to make sure he had enough paper ballots ready, does not plan to count the paper ballots until Thursday. This fits with the "Pooh-pooh, don't worry your pretty little head about the touch screens" attitude he's shown from his first day in office.
So I voted, but my vote won't be counted until Thursday. Grrrrrrrr.........
Six touch screens up. Only one working. They had paper jams in several others, setup problems, and they had to reset the one that was in use and force the elderly man to begin over because they forgot to calibrate it. He finally said "I want a paper ballot back", and was surprised to find out he could have asked for one. He did, and said he would urge his wife to do the same. Several other people in line asked for paper ballots. They only had one stand for paper ballots, posted far away from the touch screens. There was a line to use it.
The poll worker who made the snotty comment to me acted more concerned that she have a place during the day where she could smoke than if the equipment she was urging people to use was working. I had to kneel on the floor to put my paper ballot in the box, as they didn't have it on the table, which made it difficult for the elderly to use. (It was a normal bankers box with registrar seals on it and a slot cut out for the ballot. Obviously make-shift.)
Not an ideal start to the day. But I have my "I voted" sticker and my tag to show I voted.
Signs were not up to identify the location as a polling station.
Paper ballot rather than San Diego's new nifty Diebold touch screens. The poll worker tried to convince me to use the touch screens, without any luck. She offered me a "I voted touch-screen" sticker, I said I didn't see a sticker as worth our democracy. She then made a snotty comment about "some people believe what the see on HBO", to which I said I didn't see the documentary in question, rather I'm an IT professional who works with computers on a daily basis and knows what they are and aren't good for.
Found out after the fact that the San Diego Registrar of Voters, who has been REALLY pimping the touch screens to the point the state Attorney General had to order him to make sure he had enough paper ballots ready, does not plan to count the paper ballots until Thursday. This fits with the "Pooh-pooh, don't worry your pretty little head about the touch screens" attitude he's shown from his first day in office.
So I voted, but my vote won't be counted until Thursday. Grrrrrrrr.........
Six touch screens up. Only one working. They had paper jams in several others, setup problems, and they had to reset the one that was in use and force the elderly man to begin over because they forgot to calibrate it. He finally said "I want a paper ballot back", and was surprised to find out he could have asked for one. He did, and said he would urge his wife to do the same. Several other people in line asked for paper ballots. They only had one stand for paper ballots, posted far away from the touch screens. There was a line to use it.
The poll worker who made the snotty comment to me acted more concerned that she have a place during the day where she could smoke than if the equipment she was urging people to use was working. I had to kneel on the floor to put my paper ballot in the box, as they didn't have it on the table, which made it difficult for the elderly to use. (It was a normal bankers box with registrar seals on it and a slot cut out for the ballot. Obviously make-shift.)
Not an ideal start to the day. But I have my "I voted" sticker and my tag to show I voted.
