For the first time since college, I voted by absentee ballot. This year, my state(Maryland)'s legislature passed a law that allowed voters to vote by absentee ballot w/o providing an excuse to do so. Even though I could have voted in my precinct today, I decided that it might be better to vote by absentee ballot to avoid long lines (if there were any).

Anyway, I filled out my ballot a few weeks ago and mailed it to the local election board last week. It feels strange not to go to an actual place to vote, but at the same time, I'm glad that I'm completed my civic duty with few headaches...

So what was everyone else's voting experience like today? Did you use an electronic system? optical scanners? Did you vote by mail like I did? Did you have to wait in long lines? Was it more crowded than usual during a mid-term election?

Did you have to show an ID? In Maryland, you only have to show an ID the 1st time that you vote. After that, the poll worker just asks for your name and birthdate....

Hey Ademption,

I'm so lazy, I'm just going to copy and paste a post I already made in the "Random Thoughts" thread:

I know in the county where I live, there might be some voting issues after the election. The MicroVote's electronic voting machines failed to operate when the polls open at 6 am and most didn't start operating until 8:30 am. I went out to the polls around 9 am, so I wasn't affected by it. Any way, a judge made the decision to delay the closing of polls from the original closing time of 6 pm to 8:40 pm because some voters were turned away and told to return later to vote. But apparently federal law prohibits regular voting on the machines after the normal 6 pm closing time set by the state. So, they're going to require provisional paper ballots for voters that go to the polls after 6 pm, which will be seperated from the regular votes, and these votes might not be counted for 13 days. And there's the concern that some of the poll workers won't want to work pass 6 pm. There's already some disagreements among local officials.

http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...NEWS01/61107004

http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5647040

There weren't any long lines at my polling site around 9 am. For a city as small as Muncie (about 70,000), we seem to have a lot of polling sites. There are at least two others, besides the one I have to go to, just walking distance from where I live.

This is the first year that Indiana started using the MicroVote electronic system. We first used it during the primary election back in May. This is also the first year a law went into effect requiring photo IDs when you show up at the polls. We have to show it everytime we vote.

And there's already been some partisan bickering in Indianapolis due to voting delays.

http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5643756

I live and go to college in MA, but we have to vote via precinct, so I submitted an absentee ballot (I might change precincts, though, for 2008).

It was pretty predictable that my state would go Dem. But from what I heard, the lines were long. My college was shuttling people throughout the day to go vote. They're also holding a party downstairs right now.

I practically rolled out of bed and went to the voting booth while still in my pajamas (the perks of coming in to work at 9:30). There was a little bit of a problem with my district's voting booth because some stupid woman pulled the lever, probably thought she voted and then bounced without pulling the lever back. Basically her vote doesn't count.

After reading that I'm so glad voting "machines" have been outlawed in Quebec. Paper people! Accountability

It was great. Did some volunteer Exit Polling for a group at my college, and found that people were very receptive and nice. And yes, I did vote. That was fine. Easy as all hell. CA is very predictable, but still. LOL

I voted today. I love voting. I have voted in every single election, both primary and general, since I turned 18; I will be 27 in December.

I had a good experience. And being a candidate for local office myself, I made sure to turn out and vote...I took the family with me. I went to vote with my mom and dad.

I voted and am glad that my candidates won....

I voted early yesterday morning, around 7:15, before I went to work. I waited less than two minutes to get my card, and I waited about 30 seconds for a machine to become open. I took my time voting this time around, and I'm glad to be a part of the big change that is about to take place in our country.

my wife and I voted after work about 5 pm. It went smoothly. Waiting maybe 10 minutes. About half in our precinct voted, which is great for a midterm.

Had my 6 month old daughter with me...she kept grabbing the pen and the ballot LOL

It went very well.

I voted yesterday

We got new machines where you just touch the screen of the people you are voting for and then hit a red button that casts your vote.

I voted in my third election and felt an orgasmic rush! Now I know what sex feels like.

Although I live in Maryland, I am registered in PA where I go to school. The polling place is in a church about a block or two from my school. I went about 11 a.m. and there were no lines. We had the electronic machines. After one of the ladies showed me how to operate the machine, I was on my way. It was actually pretty easy.

There has to be a way to get the electronic voting machines to issue some kind of paper trail, if only for backup in case of malfunction.