Polling Adventure
Adventures in voting? I voted early, as is my style. I voted day-of in one local bond election, but in my precinct there were only two items on the list. Still, one of a nearly thousand who voted that time.
“Can’t complain if you don’t vote!”
First day, record numbers. Second day, even more voters. Third day? I had Gemini breakfast, and passed by the local polling point, libraries are great, support your local public library, seeing the line wrapped around the building.
Polling Adventure
“I heard there was another spot, walk right in, no wait,” so we headed off to that library, only to find the parking lots around its center choked.
“Pass.”
“Let’s try the other one.”
Back again, and while parking was equally stacked up, the line was only halfway by midafternoon. Stood in line, maybe a little more than fifteen minutes.
Got inside. Handed over my state-issued, picture ID and my voter’s registration card.
“Has your address changed?”
“No.”
“OK, wait,” pointing to something on the screen, then whispering to an adjacent poll worker.
“Mr. Wetzel, you requested a mail-in ballot, correct?”
“Yeah, but,” I said, “I had to bring her because her mail-in ballot never appeared, so I figured I could just vote, too.”
I was shunted off to a Group W bench. I assume Group W is something to do with my last name.
A senior election individual had to call in, cancel my mail-in, then get me reinstated as a voter. Took a few minutes. With bleary, tired eyes, “I got yelled at the last time I did this.” I tried to gently smile, looking up from that Group W bench.
“Kramer, are you in trouble, again?”
I shrugged — she snickered.
“Kramer’s in trouble — again.”
The judge finallly got someone on a phone, cancelled my mail-in, then I was sent back to vote.
“You’re going to tear up that mail-in ballot when you get home?”
“No ma’am, I will shred it.”
Polling place. Voting place. Sacred rights, do not lie, fate worse than death. To me, it’s the karmic consequences, more than anything else.
Polling Adventure
I voted. I got home and fed the mail-in ballot into the shredder. Ask me in person, and I have an unsupported but totally logical conspiracy theory as to why I got a mail-in ballot and she didn’t. But I can’t commit that to a permanent record.
I did study the mail-in ballot before heading to vote, and it did help to review some of the choices. If I had known, I would’ve brought it with me, so it could be either destroyed there or turned in. Next time I’ll read all the fine print.
Dallas, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio were all showing record numbers at the polls, for the early voting. How it’s going? I’m going fishing until this madness is over.
Polling Adventure
Wherefore the two-backed beast?
- Aperture: ƒ/1.5
- Camera: iPhone 14 Plus
- Flash fired: no
- Focal length: 5.7mm
- ISO: 80
- Shutter speed: 1/60s
