On Wednesday I did my civic duty and voted. And believe me, after just a few minutes in the Alvin early voting room, I'm convinced that democracy is not only messy but that we're in serious trouble. The place looked like the wrap party for the combined casts of Dumb and Dumber and Deliverance.
One woman with a nearly shaved head tried to vote in the college board election and came out of the booth saying that she'd done it all wrong and that her tranquilizers were to blame. The election officials voided her ballot and asked if she wanted to vote again, but she was zoned out and just wandered over to the national election side and got in line there.
And that side of the room was an interesting zoo all by itself. One guy in front of me was about 90 years old and using a walker. He had a voter registration certificate that was at least five years out of date. I don't know how they ever settled that one. The discussion was still going on when I left. The zoned-out woman was in the booth next to me, and one of the election officials was with her. I didn't try to listen in, but the official was talking the whole time. I wonder just who was voting. All in all, it was a depressing experience.
2 comments:
I have a mail in ballot, which I plan to fill out and send in tomorrow. When I went to the local poll, at a grade school about a five minute walk from the house, I never had any trouble. The ladies who worked there were friendly and they sold some decent homemade cookies. Then again, I'm not in Texas.
Yes, Texas is a strange place in general. And Alvin is strange even for Texas.
Post a Comment