Discuss the US Presidential Election

We made it. It's election day. Tomorrow we'll know. So for today's election discussion story, I'm throwing it wide open: let's discuss the election itself. Who are your picks and why. And also what about your actual experience voting today? Did Diebold eat your vote or did everything go off without flaw?

I'm only going to say

[cptnapalm (120276)]

... that I'm happy that it will be over at goddamn last.

Re:I'm only going to say

[neoform (551705)]

Psh. You know as well as I do that Palin's gonna start her 2012 bid tomorrow.

Shhhh...

[davidwr (791652)]

She kicked it off last Saturday [google.com].

FiveThirtyEight

[neoform (551705)]

FiveThirtyEight.com jacked up Obama's odds of winning to 98.1%

I like those odds.

Re:FiveThirtyEight

[jgtg32a (1173373)]

While I don't want Obama to be president.

The internet would be so annoying if he lost. All the people whining about it.

Obama

[FredFredrickson (1177871)]

Obama- He's my pick. He might seem socialist- but I don't think anybody can top ol' G.W. these days. I personally want what's good for society. After the past 8 years of crapping on society, killing the economy, and ruining our constitution- it's time for a change. I don't see that change in McCain.

Re:Obama

[CRCulver (715279)]

I personally hope he is a socialist. It would be nice to see my friends and family back in the US brought up to the quality of life I've found after moving to the Nordic countries.

Re:Obama

[scubamage (727538)]

Obama only seems socialist if you ignore the 700 billion dollar bailout we handed to businesses - easily the largest act of socialism ever in US history. Oh, it was penned by republicans, too.

Obama - A template for future US politics?

[Marx_Mrvelous (532372)]

I'm voting for Obama and proud of it. How often do you get a chance to support a candidate that not only uses technology to its fullest potential, but also runs a positive campaign based not on mudslinging and personal attacks, but on a REAL platform?

No problem

[Verteiron (224042)]

Voted in western IL about 20 minutes ago. No lines (but lots of people), 8 polling booths, paper ballots filled out with a marker. A rather menacing-looking Diebold machine increased its displayed tally when I fed it my ballot.

All in all I hope everyone's voting experience was as painless as mine.

Voted!!

[Sporkinum (655143)]

Small town in Iowa. Polls opened at 7am and I was there at 7:15. Polls were only 3 blocks away at local library, so walked. Seemed like everyone in line was excited to vote. Wait in line took about 15 minutes, voting took about 5. Used paper optically scanned ballot, though there was one electronic voting machine for people who felt like gambling.

Cthulhu!

[CSMatt (1175471)]

Why pick the lesser evil?

Obama's sense of responsability

[Drakkenmensch (1255800)]

One thing the democratic party has brought is a sense that the solutions to ou rproblems is something we have to bring forward as we accept responsability for our mistakes. You can't fix your problems until you accept they exist. All the while, a constant line from republican speeches has been to blame others for the problems. Blame the democrats, blame big foreign oil, blame Osama, blame Obama. Blame other republicans, too.

We're getting sick of the buck getting passed.

1 hour lines @ 7am

[Timothy Brownawell (627747)]

Who are your picks and why.

Third party, since I don't like either main candidate. This happened to be Barr, since I figured he probably has the best (but unfortunately still very small) chance of getting enough votes to scare some sense into the duopoly.

And also what about your actual experience voting today?

I got there at almost exactly 7am (when the polls opened), and the line was almost exactly 1 hour (I finished voting and left at 8:05). There were 10 Diebold voting machines lined up along one wall with no privacy screens, just little flaps on the sides.

Did Diebold eat your vote or did everything go off without flaw?

Well, that's kinda hard to know, isn't it? (Some might say that's kinda the point of buying from Diebold.)

In Illinois...

[AKAImBatman (238306)]

...I had the option of either voting by electronic machine or paper ballot. As you might imagine, I chose paper ballot for the simple reason that it leaves unchangeable records. Electronic voting machines are far too easy to manipulate or are far too likely to have glitches. (Especially the Diebold machines based on Microsoft Access.)

The downside is that the Illinois ballots are *bleep*ing insane! First, there's no simple checkbox. Instead, you have these bizarre arrows you have to fill in. i.e.:

Bob < D
Larry < D

You are supposed to draw a line for the vote you want to cast. e.g.:

Bob <----D
Larry < D

Which is then complicated by a list of about a bazillion judges to vote in or out of office. No judge runs against another judge, so you simply fill out the arrow or you don't. Incumbent judges have a "Yes/No" option to possibly vote them out of office.

I got up pretty early this morning, so it ended up taking more time to fill out these super-ballots than it did to wait in line. I then went home and listened to WGN ponder why it was taking Obama so long to vote for himself. Perhaps someone should show them one of these ballots! :-P

Florida voting smooth so far

[HangingChad (677530)]

Called my dad this morning and he said they were in and out in an hour. About 35 people in line but it went fast. He said the poll workers were really helpful and seemed well organized. I'm sure it's not going that well everywhere but the news isn't all bad.

If the Republicans get crushed and lose Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, I wonder if they're going to clean house or keep on with same failed people and platform that put them in the tank? Or if they'll blame Palin and minority turn out?

Election?

[Subm (79417)]

Election? What election?

I pride myself on keeping apprised of current events, but I wasn't aware of an election today.

Who is running and for what position?

Srsly, whoever this CmdrTaco is who posted the story should at least give us this basic information in the summary.

Bias Language on Ballots

[armada (553343)]

I was amazed by the wording of some of the proposed amendments to the Florida constitution. One example was the marriage "keep the gays from marrying" proposal. First off, I happen to believe that marriage is a personal issue and has no need for government intervention but that is not my point here. The language was worded very biased, in that it started by stating that passing this amendment would "Protect marriage". As if I voted not my wife would someone stop loving me tomorrow or something. Second, it was the only amendment that ended with an entire paragraph dedicated to informing us voters that if we pass this the economic effect on the budget is "unknown at this time but likely minimal". This was on no other initiative. Holy bias Batman!

dixville notch

[circletimessquare (444983)]

most of us know it as the tiny hamlet clser to montreal than anything else in far northern new hampshire that releases its election results shortly after midnight on election day (since there is only 21 people voting there)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixville_Notch,_New_Hampshire#Midnight_voting_tradition [wikipedia.org]

quaint and pointless mostly. this year, they landslided for obama (15 for obama to 6 for mccain)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7707667.stm [bbc.co.uk]

why is that notable?

in all previous elections, back to 1968, they landslided republican

so that's an interesting changeup, north country new hampshire, solidly republican, giving us a glimpse of a new trend?

portent of things to come later this evening for the rest of us perhaps?

Re:John Galt

[Cornwallis (1188489)]

Yeah. no matter who wins I'm afraid we are on the verge of: "Did you really think that we want those laws to be observed?" said Dr. Ferris. "We WANT them to be broken. You had better get it straight that it is not a bunch of boy scouts that you are up against - then you'll know that this is not the age for beautiful gestures. We are after power and we mean it. You fellows are pikers, but we know the real trick, and you had better get wise to it. There is no way to rule innocent men. The only power that any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals one MAKES them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. ...just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted - and you create a nation of lawbreakers - and then you cash in on guilt. Now that is the system Mr. Reardon, that is the game, and once you understand it, you will be much easier to deal with."

Re:McCain FTW

[qengho (54305)]

McCain FTW

"Fails To Win"?

Re:McCain FTW

[SatanicPuppy (611928)]

I find your intolerance intolerable.

It's outstanding how in an election where I didn't start off hating either candidate, McCain's choice of talking points (and running mate) brought me to the point of incoherent spitting fury...I had to read the transcripts of the last few debates because I couldn't stand to actually listen.

I just refuse to vote for someone who ran a filthy campaign whose only issue was "the other guy sucks." That's my favorite logical fallacy, the "argument from ignorance": the other guy is bad, so we must be better.

McCain was a guy I'd have voted for in 2000...Hell, I did vote for him in the primary. And I think this country wouldn't be worse off if he'd been president for the last 8 years. But he sold his soul for the brass ring this time around, and that level of intellectual whoredom I cannot abide.

Re:No secret ballot?

[felix9x (562120)]

The fact that you voted is not secret. Only who you picked is.

Re:Lines

[neoform (551705)]

My question is this: Why are the lines so long? I voted in the Canadian federal election a few weeks ago, I stood in line for no more than 10 minutes and I'm in a very large riding in downtown Montreal..

If I was told I had to wait several hours to vote, I'd be very mad.

Re:switfboat

[demachina (71715)]

"I am actually surprised McCain didn't try to switfboat this election."

Are you kidding? They've been running Jeremiah Wright saying "Goddamn America" steadily on DirectTV the last couple days.

Did you get the Republican party robocall about Ayers, that basically said Obama was a bomb throwing terrorist who would bomb the Pentagon.

Did you see Sarah Palin saying Obama "pal'ed around with terrorists".

As soon as McCain fired his old advisors and replaced them with people who ran Bush's campaign they adopted all the same Swift Boat tactics and it completely turned Independents, like me, against McCain, that and picking a right wing nut like Palin.

So they did try to Swift boat Obama it just didn't gain any traction because people are sick of the tactics and recognize them for what they are, fear mongering for power. The country and the media are also sick of Republicans. Bush has one great accomplishment in eight years, something I predicted when he won in 2004, that by the end of this second term we would completely turn the country against the New Republican party, an intolerant, far right party, dominated by evangelicals. A party pandering to the rich and manipulating a bunch of not so bright middle class supporters in to voting for them using abortion, homophobia and fear, manipulating not to bright middle class people in to voting for a party that is completely screwing them economically. Let's hope its finally over. Now we just have to worry about all the stupidity the Democrats will perpetrate when they are in control.