Share Your Voting Experiences Today

By Andrew Phelps
Nov 4, 2008, 8:51 AM
84 Comments

We want to hear from you. Did you encounter a problem at your precinct? How long was the line? Leave a comment below or follow WBUR on Twitter and tag voting problems with #wburvote.

Long lines formed early at the Phineas Bates School in Roslindale today. (Andrea Shea/WBUR)

BOSTON — Massachusetts voters turned out in droves this morning, forming lines at polling places across the state for their chance to cast a ballot in a historic election.

Richard Smith, a 76-year-old truck mechanic from Topsfield, said the race race between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama felt more intense than previous elections.

The veteran voted for McCain because he’s a “war hero.”

T.J. Hellmann called this Election Day “extra special” not just because of the presidential election but also because of the ballot questions. The 31-year-old Chelsea resident voted for Obama.

Forty-three-year-old Christine Klaehn says she voted for Obama in her Jamaica Plain district because the past eight years under a Republican administration have been “horrific.”

Secretary of State William Galvin is predicting a record turnout, with about 71 percent of eligible voters expected to vote.

Polls close at 8 p.m E.T.

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Laura

I voted in Jamaica Plain this morning just after 7:00 (although I’d been told on the phone that my polling location didn’t open until 8…). The line was fairly long but it moved quickly. The volunteers at the polls were super-friendly and we were all in good spirits, so the wait was actually fun.
Sasha

I went to my polling station at 8am which serves two precincts in Bourne. The line was long for one precinct because people weren’t sure where to go but it moved quickly. I was at the other table (completely empty) but my name wasn’t on the voting list. I had voted here during the primaries and ended up on the inactive list some how. I was ushered to a back table, filled out an affirmation form and was finally back to receive my ballot. It was only a tedious process because the workers were a little unsure as to what they should do but I was able to cast my ballot and everyone was very, very friendly. I didn’t mind at all.
MarkB

So the People’s Republic is denying “the people” their right to vote. Just like Florida, no?
Lili

Problem in Plymouth: Found out that I was listed as “Inactive” when I arrived at the polls. Huh?!? “You must not have voted recently.” they said. Nope. I voted right here in this same gym in the spring primary (D) and in the last 2 elections. “You must not have returned your census form.” Wrong again. My husband had to go away on business, so he voted early at the town hall on Friday. He didn’t have a problem, and the last time I checked, we lived in the same household.

I was also firmly told to remove my little lapel button that says “Vote 08 Hope”. I didn’t know that something like that was not allowed. I can only imagine that my 18 year old daughter in Minnesota voting for the first time probably wore a VOTE OBAMA T-shirt to the polling station! I guess I had better call to warn her. Am I the only one who didn’t know an individual voter is not allowed to show your support? I don’t work for any campaign – I’m just excited about voting this time around.

After signing a form, showing ID, and answering questions about my residency, I finally got my ballot. But not without putting some effort into it.

Lucky I speak English and was determined NOT to be turned away!

(By the way, no one was handling out “I voted stickers” at our polling station – but I still got my free Starbucks Coffee at the Exit 5 location. Thanks, guys! I feel I earned it.)
Andrea DC

Asking for ID verification at Orchard Gardens School,Roxbury – 02119

I’m a teacher at the Academy of Public Service. One of my students told me just now that when her mother went to vote there in the past, they were requiring that all people show ID (like a license) before they were allowed to vote. Initially, I thought it was today.

Beethoven School – West Roxbury.
Got in line with my son at 6:45. We were done by 7:15.
Jerome

I voted in Watertown at about 10 am this morning. The wait was approximately 10 minutes and I bought a nice loaf of banana bread. Very pleasant experience.
Aditi

I voted in Natick around 11am and there was only one person ahead of me!
Mario

I voted in Cambridge at 7:30AM and waited for one hour before I could vote, then my name was not on the list even though I voted in the Democratic primary, so I was given a provisional ballot. Anyhow, Go Barack!
Murray Frank

I voted in the South End at the Cathedral HS. There were 4 lines: one was around the block. No one looked impatient. Mine was the shortest; took is about 10 minutes
I love voting.
http://election08.wbur.org Alex Dohan

Voted at Precinct 7 in Lexington, MA. No line at all, but lots of folks coming in and going out. Make it easy and people will vote!
Anne

I voted at the Archive Building in Waltham. Registration, voting and the exit process were all jammed into one tiny room creating a significant amount of confusion and anger. Certain people were being pulled to the front of the line if there were on streets between Be and Ch – that also made people who had been standing in line angry. Additionally anyone standing around waiting to cast a ballot or exiting could see into the voting stations. It seems they could have been a lot more organized.
Mike

I have been registered to vote in Cambridge from the same address since 2005 yet was not on today’s list and had to file a provisional ballot after waiting more than one hour. If I were in a state where the Presidential outcome were in dispute, I would be even more outraged than I already am. It seems to me that getting the voter rolls straight is public employee job #1 yet, at least in Cambridge, where parking tickets and other penalties are administered with Swiss-like efficiency, it sadly is not.
Harry Forsdick

No problems in Lexington, Estabrook School: 15 booths for voting, 7 active. In & Out in 5 minute
Mary Dissette

I voted in Ward #5 in Newburyport at about 9:15 this morning. No line, no problem, but not without incident. As I approached the front door of the building, a man looked at me and (apparently in response to my Obama button) stuck his arms straight out in front to imitate a robot walk and droned “Obama — Socialism!” Later, as I stood by the roadside, holding a sign with other Obama supporters, a passing driver gave us the finger, and a few minutes later, another driver shouted out to us, “Obama bin Laden!!” Our group of 5 sign-holders noticed that, in marked contrast to past years, this year there were no Republican signholders on the opposite corner, nor anywhere to be seen, in fact. We were very surprised when, at about 11 am, the custodian of the building (a public school) came out to us and told us to move our signs — that we were not permitted to lean them against the split-rail fence which is school property — that the signs were only permitted there if a person were holding each one. I have lived in this town for 18 years and have never known there to be an election when there were NOT signs leaning agains those fences all day long on election day. Compared with my experience in past years, I would say that this year’s motorists are much more expressive — by a factor of about 20. More than half seem to be expressing their sentiments with thumbs up or thumbs down, honking or waving. Emotions are high.
Sheryl Wrobleski

I went to the Mary Curley school in Jamaica Plain this morning at around 7:30. There was a tremedous line; maybe three city blocks long. However, since in the 2000 election I stood in that line only to be told that I was in a different ward and needed to go to another place in the building, I felt I had beat the wait. I walked to the second location, only to be told that that area was not open this election. I was told they sent a letter to my home to this effect, but I either did not get it or did not notice it.

So back to the original line, 5 minutes and a number of people later. The feeling in line was upbeat despite the line and it seemed to be moving relatively well. As I was about 30 people from the door, a man came around asking for our ward number. I am in 10 / 9 so he wasn’t interested in me. He was pulling out people from 19 / 3 and 19 /1. When I entered the room with another 10-15 minute wait, I saw that there were three table for the three wards. The tables for 19 /3 and 19/1 were clear with one person at a time at the table and no waiting.

A few of asked the staff, who were very friendly, why the discrepancy between wards but they didn’t seem to have an answer. One man said was that the move of ward 10/9 was last minute. One volunteer went up to a man in a suit to register the complaint. She pointed around to us, to the line, to the table, to us. He looked around at us, at the line, at the table, at us. Then he said something to her and sat back down.

So a bizarrely long wait. Maybe they need to reshuffle the wards. In general the mood was very pleasant. Maybe we are all glad its finally over.
Deirdre Benson

Here’s one for you:

I was properly registered in Ward 20/Precinct 9. My name was on the list, I should have been able to vote no problem, right? Wrong.

My wife (same last name, also a first name beginning with D) went to vote earlier this morning, got in and out no problem. The problem? She wasn’t on the voter rolls and when she voted they checked off my name. When I went to vote, I had to vote provisional, even though I was on the rolls because there are no ID requirements in MA and the poll workers couldn’t distinguish between Deirdre and Demetria.
Christina

One of my coworkers was purged in 2006 from the roles in Medford, and her registration form for her new address in Chelmsford was not accepted. They refused her even a provisional ballot.

I’m on my way to vote now, and hopefully it will go well.
Kris

Ward 3 precinct 3 at the Salvation Army in Central Sq, Cambridge–no line, no problems when my husband voted at 9 am & just as easy when I went at 1 pm. Guess we missed the Cambridge problems reported earlier.

Seeing the voter lists with so many names checked off that they’d been in to vote was wonderful! Looked like every single person on my block had already been in.
Mo

I am from Boston and am currently a graduate student in Toronto. After applying for an absentee ballot and not receiving it, I made several calls to the elections department to find out why and finally found out that for some reason I had been dropped from the voter rolls. I eventually did receive my absentee ballot and mailed it back via Canada Post (Canada’s postal service), only to have it returned to me the next day without explanation. I filled in the actual street address for the Boston elections department (absentee envelopes come printed only with the city, state and zip) and mailed it, again, last Monday (Oct. 27). Yesterday morning I thought to myself that my ballot must have gone through since it hadn’t come back to me. Literally moments after this thought crossed my mind, my absentee ballot fell through my mail slot with the rest of the day’s mail. Again, there was no explanation for this, i.e. insufficient postage, wrong address, etc. So, my vote will go uncounted.

It seems as though I’m not the only student in Canada who is having troubles either. I read a story on the Globe’s site this morning about American students in Montreal who never even received their absentee ballots and were trying to find rides down to the Boston area so they could vote at the polls.
Carolina

My name and my husband’s name were left off the list at Ward 8 Precinct 2 in Cambridge today. We saw the same thing happening to our neighbors. We’ve been voting at the same place for years and are hoping for some explanation. Thankfully the volunteers did a great job getting through to the election commission quickly, confirming our residence, and getting us our ballots. But we did see frustrated neighbors leaving and not waiting for the validation process. We went to the polls with so much excitement and this left me feeling disappointed in the process.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tadzppe96s Joe Musser

I arrived at Fenway High School at 650AM, to what appeared to be approximately 250 people in line ahead of me. Thankfully, a very helpful polling worker guided people to the correct lines for the 2 precincts covered.

See pic: http://images42.fotki.com/v1311/photos/5/571666/2597259/vote2-vi.jpg

Alas, though once inside, it looked like I was not going ot be able to vote. I had changed my voter registration with my change of address at the RMV in Chinatown in Jan 2008, however the local precinct did not have me on their list. I was reassured though, that they would indeed allow me to vote via Provisional Ballot. However, my vote would not be confirmed for approximately 2 weeks. Having been a registered voter for 18 years now, this is the most melancholy I have felt after casting my ballot.

Ballot: http://images45.fotki.com/v1361/photos/5/571666/2597259/vote1-vi.jpg

On the otherhand, I dug up a rermixed dance track that i edited in 2004 that has kept my inspiration high today, and hopes alive, and hope that I can share it here with you:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2tadzppe96s
Tony

Broadcasted reports of citizens standing on line to cast their vote for “two, three, four and even five hours…” was almost enough to discourage me from heading to the polls altogether. When I reflected on our state of affairs; and those fellow Americans who have died or endured suffering at home or abroad, I concluded the least I could do is stand on line to have my voice heard no matter how long. Imagine my relief when I found no line at my local polling center. I can only hope others won’t be as discouraged as I nearly was; and that those who write and report the news do not discourage their audiences from voting by emphasizing extreme instances at some polls as the norm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tadzppe96s Joe Musser

I arrived at Fenway High School at 650AM, to what appeared to be approximately 250 people in line ahead of me. Thankfully, a very helpful polling worker guided people to the correct lines for the 2 precincts covered.

See pic: images42.fotki.com/v1311/photos/5/571666/2597259/vote2-vi.jpg

Alas, though once inside, it looked like I was not going ot be able to vote. I had changed my voter registration with my change of address at the RMV in Chinatown in Jan 2008, however the local precinct did not have me on their list. I was reassured though, that they would indeed allow me to vote via Provisional Ballot. However, my vote would not be confirmed for approximately 2 weeks. Having been a registered voter for 18 years now, this is the most melancholy I have felt after casting my ballot.

Ballot: images45.fotki.com/v1361/photos/5/571666/2597259/vote1-vi.jpg

On the otherhand, I dug up a rermixed dance track that i edited in 2004 that has kept my inspiration high today, and hopes alive, and hope that I can share it here with you:
youtube.com/watch?v=2tadzppe96s
Toni

I went to vote at the Harvard Design school on Quincy street in Harvard square. My name was not on the list. I have voted there many times, including during the recent primary, and this has never happened before.
Julie

I voted with my son at the Harvey Wheeler Center in Concord MA at 9:15 this morning. It was busier than usual — a short line of 6 or 7 people in front of me where usually I just walk through at that time of day. Other wise no problems. Voting took about 5 minutes after I got my ballot.
Ann

I waited in line for an hour to vote in the North End. There was only one person there to take your name (and two people to hand you the ballot). The lone volunteer with the ledger book was asking some people for two forms of ID, and the woman in front of me almost left when she overheard that because she didn’t have an ID, but when she got to the front of the line she wasn’t asked for any ID, and neither was I. Neither of us could figure it out, but once we got to the front of the line, the actual voting process went very smoothly.
LN

I voted at the middle school in Woburn 7AM this morning. There was a bit of a line but it moved quickly. I encountered a small amount of trouble with them finding my name in the books but eventually they did fine me. All told, I was in, and out in less than 15 minutes.
elaine schear

I want to my polling place in mid-Cambridge at 2:15. No lines. A poll worker demanded that I take off or reverse my Obama sweatshirt and there was a minorly tense exchange when I asked why and he didn’t seem to have a response. Nevertheless, I removed the sweatshirt, tied it around my waist, but flippantly flipped up the “Obama” side toward some of the other poll workers as we walked into the voting booth. They laughed.
Karen V.

Voted at about 8 am in Dennis Village (on the Cape), only 4 people in front of me, no problem getting ‘signed in’, polling people were great & all voters very excited. Last night I could’nt get to sleep-it was like Christmas Eve when I was a child!!!! Go Obama!!!!
Paul Campos

I voted in Leominster, MA. I expected long lines since I went to the polls right after work but was pleasantly surprised to be in and out in about 5 minutes. Everything was well organized and the workers there were very helpful. I can’t wait to see the results start rollng in.
http://wbur.org rw

I got to the polls yesterday around 7:30 and waited about 20 to 25 minutes. At 8:01 there still was a long line waiting to vote and the polls were sending them home. People did not get to vote and every persons voice needs to be heard. Hopefully this can be resolved for further debates.
http://wbur.org rw

I got to the polls yesterday around 7:30pm and waited about 20 to 25 minutes. At 8:01pm there still was a long line waiting to vote and the polls were sending them home. People did not get to vote and every persons voice needs to be heard. Hopefully this can be resolved for further debates.
Michael

(Written on Tuesday night)

Monday evening I stopped by the election office to volunteer as a poll worker for Tuesday afternoon, and today I was privileged to help over 500 people cast their ballots. The work was mundane, and repetitive, and uplifting, and I couldn’t stop smiling while I was doing it.

I was relieved to learn more about how the elections in my town work, how the votes are counted and how the voter rolls work. I checked people off on the voter rolls and handed out ballots, explained how the ballot scanner works and reassured people that their votes were being counted, and helped voters get replacement ballots to fill out when their first ballot was rejected by the scanner due to overvotes or stray marks. Half a dozen times or more, a voter came back to the scanner with their replacement ballot, and every time the replacement ballot was perfect. I saw parents explaining the voting process to their children, and families and friends coming to the polls together, and neighbors catching up, and people returning to the polls to accompany other family members long after they had voted themselves. I saw people who were voting for the first time as an adult, or for the first time as an American citizen, or for the first time for a presidential candidate who inspired them. I saw a woman with portable oxygen, and some people who could barely walk, and some in wheelchairs, and some who could barely see, or hear, or speak. And I played my small part in helping them all vote, and I truly could not stop smiling.

I was unsure about this choice ahead of time. I had strong feelings about parts of this election, and being a poll worker meant I couldn’t hold a sign or distribute information outside the polling place. I had to put my own opinions aside in favor of helping the voting process run smoothly for all voters. In the end it was easy to do because I believe we need a democracy as much as anything.
http://www.greenguitarguy.com Shawn Smith

I was searching through this site and I came across this, sharing voting experience, It took barely 10 minutes… the volunteers provided much assistance… It was like moving in and out.