Only An Hour
It only took me an hour to vote, which is a record. My precinct had seven voting machines in operation when I was there, fewer than SC state law requires but more than they had in 2000 and 2002. It took me four hours to vote in 2000 and about two hours in 2002 (the SC Governor's race and the race to fill Strom Thurmond's Senate seat kept turnout high in 2002).
People who have less flexible work schedules have not been (and will not likely be) so lucky today. Friends reported a very long line at 7 am, and the poll workers expect long lines during the lunch hour and after 5 pm. In 2000 they shut the line down at 7 pm, despite the fact that many people who had arrived before 7 pm were still waiting, in violation of state law. I will be standing there with a camera and copy of the SC Code to try to prevent that this time.
Saw two of my neighbors who served in Iraq in line, and two who have sons there now. All support Kerry, unlike the typical SC chickenhawk.
Fritz Hollings' Senate seat is being heatedly contested, since Fritz retired. If the Democratic candidate, Inez Tenenbaum, can pull off an upset, she'll be the only woman in SC holding statewide office. The Republican candidate is really awful, so she has a better chance than she might otherwise, but is still a long shot in this heavily Republican state.
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)