Arrrrrrggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[shipperx]

This is INSANE! Absolute, total insanity. Look, I've voted at the same place for six years and I've never seen it like this. . . and then they screwed it up worse. First, I tried to drive to my polling place. It's in a housing subdivision near me. The frelling thing was backed up for MILES. All the way from Hwy 280 to the polling place (1 mi down the road) was bumper to bumper (and all the way BACK to Hwy 280 was blocked). So I finally got there, found a parking spot. Went in, and thanked God my last name begins with 'W' because the the U-Z line is always the absolutely shortest line every single time. HOWEVER, I got there and... nope, name not on the list. Huh? I've voted in this spot for 6 years and I haven't moved. Well, they've moved people around. Check with the woman at the next table. Woman at next table has a line of about 14 people standing around while she incessantly dials the phone trying to get through to. . .somewhere else. After 20 minutes of trying she FINALLY got through and rattled off the people in line's social security numbers to find their new polling places. Apparently, she explained, they had around 9,000 people registered to vote at this ONE polling place so they decided to create two new ones to try to decrease the people. The guy behind me said, "Well, that would have been great... if you had TOLD us first. It's not exactly helping now because all 9,000 are still having to come here first." (In her defense she said they'd sent out cards. . .in June. Who the frell pays attention to that in June?!

So I had to make it out, through the bumper to bumper traffic BACK to 280 to drive BACK home to a polling place less than one block from my house (a polling place that was damn near empty... no doubt because everyone was in line trying to get to the OLD polling place!)

Oh, and did I mention that it's FLOODING?!

So finally voted and 1 1/2 hours later, headed to work.

Note to idiot who made the little fire station at Cahaba River Road ON 280 a polling place: what kind of idiot ARE you?! No, seriously, who the hell thought it was a good idea to funnel a few thousand people through a tiny fire station that has no parking on THE BUSIEST COMMUTER HIGHWAY IN THE STATE?! Huh? Does this strike anyone as a good idea? 280 (flood and all) is a parking lot this morning.

Sigh. So finally made it in to work.

(And please no whacked out conspiracy theories about how Republicans are frelling up the voter system to disenfranchise voters. The theory wouldn't wash because I happen to live in one of the most consistently Republican counties in the country. This is nothing more than idiot bureaucrats thinking they were helpful and frelling up the system in the process.)

Comments

[ww1614.livejournal.com]

No, I wasn't thinking Repubs were trying to disenfranchise in Alabama, but you do have to consider the possibility that the Republican leadership in Alabama is incompetent. ;)

Always looking on the Democrat side, that's me. ;)

[spikeylover.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad I voted Friday. My daughter called and told me they were lined up around the courthouse where I live. (and it's a SMALL town) I'm guessing there will be a large turnout?

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

Crichton loves you, even if the fates are being cruel today.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah, but you don't want to know my opinion of the Good Ol' Boy Dems in the state either.

Yeah, Gov. Riley (R) is an idiot and previous gov (D) Seigalman was a crook. And the R gov previous to him was an idiot. Of course the Dem of my complete childhood (that would be the infamous Wallace) happened to be an idiot, a Racist, AND a crook (and he and his son controlled/control the Democratic party in the state... so I wouldn't be thrilled with the Alabama Dems if I happened to be you. Not exactly the most pristine of people.)

Frankly, one thing you learn is that the state (such as it is) runs itself.

[skipthedemon.livejournal.com]

Yeah, more wierdness in Jefferson County - My husband and I didn't fill out change of address forms from our parents' residences, which served as our permenent addresses throughout college. We have an apartment off of Greensprings now. Well, I voted in my hometown - no problem. We go to his hometown, a little farther north, and they turn him away. He's been rezoned to the polling place closest to our apartment. But I don't now how, becuase we didn't fill out the paperwork, or even renew his license with the new address. I have no idea how that happened.

My friend was also initially turned away, but he called up and bitched out the provisional ballot office. They told him he was improperly turned away. I think that the incompetence of one guy, but also weird.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Yeah some guy at the first polling place I went to got pissed as well and voted provisionally.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Hee. And he has such nice arms, too. :)

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Reports seem to have varied according to where you are. I suppose it's how they break down the number of people per polling place.

And that is a particularly lovely picture of Spike you have as an icon. Yum.

[mistraltoes.livejournal.com]

{{hugs}} Absentee ballot is the way to go!

[http://users.livejournal.com/opalescence_/]

I'm glad you hung in there and still voted. Way to go!