Average Jane Votes

I got up early so I could get to my polling location when it opened, but I spent 30 minutes searching for my keys before I could leave. D’oh!

When I got there, I stood in line for a minute or so looking at the giant "Diebold" logos on all the equipment and then requested a paper ballot. I already knew my county had paper ballots available and I could see them on a nearby table, but it threw the elderly poll workers for a loop. Obviously I was the first person to ask for one today, but I hope I’m not the last.

The paper ballot was designed like a standardized academic test with ovals that you filled in with a black pen to make your selections. It was two-sided, and by the time I made all my choices, my hand was cramping a bit. I put it in the envelope they provided, sealed the envelope, printed and signed my name on the front, and gave it to the same election worker who’d fumbled around getting the forms for me in the first place.

As I left, I was keeping my fingers crossed that they would be able to figure out where to put it so my votes would actually be counted.

In summary: it’s WAY less convenient to use a paper ballot than an electronic voting machine, but I feel a lot better knowing that my votes are printed somewhere in black and white.

When I first began voting, it was with the now-infamous "butterfly ballots" where you poked a stylus through a card to make your choices. Even before the 2000 and 2004 elections, I was uneasy about electronic voting with its suspicious card exchange protocols. Until something better comes along, I’m going to keep requesting paper ballots. I think it’s the least I can do to make sure my voice is heard.