Saturday, May 14, 2011

I Did Not Wait In A Long Line Today To Vote For Fort Worth's Mayor & My City Council Person

As you might guess, from all the signs, you are looking at my voting place, the East Regional Library.

Yes. I voted.

On my way to the Tandy Hills, which have already dried out from the rains of Wednesday and Thursday.

There were a lot of cars in the parking, which had me fearing a long line that would have me regretting not early voting.

I parked next to a pickup plastered with Cathy Hirt for Mayor signs with a guy campaigning for Cathy Hirt sitting on the tailgate. The vehicle on the other side of my vehicle was a Lupe Arriola for City Council campaigner. I told both the Cathy guy and the Lupe guy I was heading inside to get in line to vote for their girls.

They thanked me.

I was soon to have my fear of a long line disappear. There was no line. There was no one voting til I walked in.

Every time I vote, the method is different. I always end up being a little confused. We had trouble finding my name on the list of registered voters. I guess way too many Joneses made it confusing. As we were looking for my name, another voter arrived. An old lady.

Finally we found my name. I signed in. I was directed to go to the ballot man, where I picked a ballot from a table. Then I was directed to a voting booth. I was looking at the blank sheet of paper, likely looking perplexed, so the ballot man told me to turn to ballot over.

I don't ever remember voting for something in Washington where there are only two things on the ballot. This may be why today's election will have such a low turnout. And be one of the methods Fort Worth's Ruling Oligarchy retains control.

So, it did not take long to vote. My fellow voter, the old lady, was talking to me from her voting booth, telling me she did not know who to vote for for City Council. I told her I did not think I was suppose to make a suggestion.

Then as I walked past her, to stick my ballot in the machine that reads it, I said to her, "vote Lupe."

Oh no, she said, I voted for the wrong one. Then she actually asked ballot man if she could do it over. He said yes. She then walked over to ballot man and as she got another ballot actually asked him who she should vote for. He told her he can not make suggestions.

It was bizarre. Why was this lady bothering to vote, I could not help but wonder?

And then later I was thinking to myself that voters should have to pass some sort of Voter's Test in order to get your Voter's License. I think we'd have much better outcomes in elections. And change the voting age. Instead make the age when you can first apply for your Voter's License to be something like 12 years old.

I suspect I probably would have been able to pass the Voter's Test at 12 years old. That would have given me 6 more years of voting.

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