A quick reminder: vote!
If you've already voted, I'd love to hear how long the lines were in your area. I passed five polling stations while taking my son to school this morning; some had very long lines, some didn't.
As always, no partisan or issue-based comments, please.
No lines in Pewaukee, Cheesehead Country.
My husband and I were tenth & eleventh in line at 7am this morning (we're in San Diego). I wore Joy in anticipation of a “Blue” day!
I waited for 45 minutes starting at 6:30 AM in a college town in central Illinois. Usually, I'm in and out in less than 5 minutes. My co-workers are coming in and saying the lines at their polling places are all 45 minutes to an hour. Wow!
Folks were already queued up at my polling place at 6:45am, but it wasn't as bad as it looked…my husband and I were out by 7:35. We live in a really small town in southeastern PA though, so I wasn't anticipating the hours-long wait that some people are facing. And to be honest, I wouldn't have minded waiting…I love seeing democracy in action!
I walked right in at 10:45. No wait. I'm in South Portland, Maine.
Really long at 7am, we left and returned at 9:30, breezed right in and out. Picking back up at 10am which is when our voter guide suggested non-workers show up to miss the morning rush.
Excellent cinnamon buns from local brownie troop.
— March in DC burbs
I voted early (last Friday) and the I still had to wait over 45 minutes!!! I'm in Riverside CA and the young woman who helped me at the County Voters Registers Office (who was wearing an unhealthy amount of Tommy Girl) said they were expecting an outrageous number of voters to turn up today.
No huge lines so far on Upper east Side, NYC
I voted early (on Saturday) and waited four-plus hours. Someone in my office voted this morning and it was seventy-five minutes.
Everyone go vote!
Hi all,
I'm in the SF/Bay area, and was about 45th in line at the polls. The lines @ 7 a.m. were about a 1/2 hour wait.
Boston MA area- there were over 300 people ahead of me in line at 7:30 AM this morning – going back later today to try again.
I voted last month in Florida's early voting period. Got there at 8:15 and was out by 9:00. They were SWAMPED with voters but the staff was very well organized.
Co-workers who voted this morning reported long lines.
No waiting at all at 9:00 a.m. on the northwest side of Chicago.
Thankfully my polling station didn't have a line more than 10 deep – it took me about 5 min to vote. Other polling stations in my district have long lines, but otherwise no controversy. I'm in NE Pennsylvania. I've been seeing a lot of enthusiastic voters this time around which is great! (It was a little harder “voting” for which of my favorite fall frags to wear this morning!)
I've been voting absentee for a couple years now and love it (and with all the items on our ballots out here, it's nice to just do it at your leisure at home). I don't think long lines are a problem in my city, though. I feel for those who need to wait — seems like many places have one- to two-hour waits or longer. Mon Dieu!
My election day fragrance is Timbuktu. Best wishes to everyone for an equally well-scented Election Day.
Seattle, Washington (North College Park area)
No lines and no wait at all at 7:30 am. I took my son too, who was SO EXCITED to go! And when he realized there was only adult stuff happening – copped an attitude – which made a scene of us going at it (he's 7) – I was so embarassed and mad and sad all at the same time.
I wanted it to be special – instead it was one of the worst days of my life, and I had to ground my son for two weeks.
Let's just hope our votes count to make change.
PS – wearing David Yurman today…seemed vote-worthy
I'm so sorry! I'm waiting for my son to get off school — I always take him to the polls. Thankfully, he's never yet made a scene there although he does it everywhere else so you have my most sincere sympathies. Hope the rest of your day goes more peacefully.
Hey, I wanna vote where they have cinnamon buns!
Good luck, hope it's better later in the day!
I got there at about 8:55 AM; there were no lines and lots of parking. I walked right in, got my ballot, walked right over to a non-curtained voting booth (hence no pictures) and voted my little heart out. As I submitted it, I looked to see what number my vote was…342 in the A-L section of my precinct. Woohoo!
There are long lines here in Anchorage Alaska, I got there early and it wasn't too bad, however the lines were out the door and in the snow by the time I got to vote. We did have some moose drop by to keep us company…I think they wanted to vote.
San Antonio, TX
I voted early and did not have to wait- and my husband (41 and first time voter) just voted this morning- no wait. But we live in a precinct with a lot of older folks, so I'm guessing a lot of them voted early/ mailed in their votes…
My husband (is a bit loco) and joked that he didn't trust the machine, so he voted for the other guy- I was not laughing >:-0
No lines in Oregon — we're entirely vote by mail. Over 2/3 of registered voters had already returned their ballots by 8am this morning!
Yeah Oregon! My hubby is a native Portlander — poor man misses it so. (Like most native Portlanders finds it hard to live anywhere else!) OR has the BEST and MOST CIVILIZED manner of voting in the entire US. I miss voting at home with my fav voting accessories: whiskey, the election guide, and a big eraser!
San Diego – heard there would be an expected 85% turnout this year! Wish we could get that much every year! I voted by mail a week ago.
I voted by mail on October 22nd, but the County Registrar of voters has been gearing up for a heavy turnout here in LA County. Voters turned out for early voting in Norwalk over the past week, and wait time was up to four hours over the weekend.
Wearing Le Labo Iris 39 today and loving it.
Let's get out the vote people!
My Biology lab was canceled so I could go vote!
There basically wasn't a line.
Voted by mail on October 22nd. Absentee– the only way to vote!
I voted at 7 a.m. in the hinterlands of northern Wisconsin, where I did have to wait about 5 seconds for one of the three voting booths to open up. I was the 16th voter at our polling place — compared to 2nd at the same time, same location for a recent local election.
I wore Caron's L'Anarchiste for the occasion. Not a scent that I wear often, but today I keep catching whiffs of myself and wondering why not.
I was an absentee voter, so no time spent: just the cost of a stamp. BTW, if you are an absentee voter, the postal worker told me to always, always scratch out the barcode and where you see your own name and address printed, as it makes the postal machines want to return the ballot to you.
For those of you who are voting today, remember that you are allowed to vote even if YOU JUST GET IN LINE AT 8 PM. If you arrive later than 8 pm you can't vote, but if you're standing in line just as the polls are supposed to close, you still have every right to vote. I've been a poll worker in California, and I'd imagine that this might be an issue in this election. So basically, if you need to vote and are worried about lines, you don't have to get off work at 4 just to get in line. Simply be sure you can be at the polling place before 8 pm.
Ditto here. I love California's permanent absentee voter system.
This is the first year I actually mailed it back; usually I delay filling it out (maybe I'll change my mind, you know?) and then deliver it in person (which is pretty common. If you wonder why we bother–It's a lot quicker to just drop off a ballot than to stand in line to fill one out.)
According to a co-worker, even the people dropping off their absentee ballots were forming queues today–HUGE turnout.
Just got home. We didn't have to wait at all — walked in, voted, left. Apparently local turnout (SE PA) has been very good today though.
I got up at 5:30 this morning so I could be there when our polls opened at 6:00. There was already a small group waiting, but I may have been the first person in town to vote because I was the only one in the district they called for first. As I left the line was still growing. Glad it's over, this had to be the longest campaign ever!
There was no line at 11:30 a.m. in the tiny Catskills town where I voted. I wore Eau de The Blanc, because the weather was mild and I find it a calming scent. I'm interested to read about all the voters who like absentee ballots — I guess I like the ritual of going to the polling place.
Except not all polling locations close at 8 p.m. — some close at 7 or even 6. Sorry, I know I'm neurotic for pointing this out, but I can't stand the thought of even one person showing up too late to vote!
I heard there were lines earlier, but I waltzed right in to vote at around 1:30 here in Connecticut. You may draw your own conclusions about my perfume choice: Black Tourmaline.
Straight to the ballot machine in the northern side of the Chicago metro area just after 5pm…my precinct worker informed me that between early votes and today, we had already set a record for participation: over 60%.
(Which, when you think about it, is kind of sad…but still, it was exciting to hear.)
The Tribune is currently saying that turnout may go as high as 80%…lots of energy throughout the area, what with one of the candidates being right here. On my way home from work, I passed a 30-some car cavalcade of various municipality police cars, proceeding toward (what I assume was) downtown.
Sunski, I enjoy wearing L'Anarchiste…lavender & smoke on me…I can feel all Sitting In a Cafe and not risk my lungs…
I went at about 3 here is the Sunset District in SF – no line at all. They offered a touch-screen or paper and everyone I saw took the paper.
I wore Opus Oils Venus cause I was feelin' the love!
My 18 yo daughter and I went about 4 pm, South Bay Area, CA. Only one person ahead of us. It was exciting to see my daughter vote for the first time. I wore Chanel 22 for no particular reason other than I love it. '~)
Totally understood. I'd hate to be the reason someone didn't vote. I was under the impression that 8 p.m. is the national time all polls closed. 6 p.m. seems pretty discriminatory for people who work until then, but maybe there are stations that open earlier than 7 a.m. like they do here?
I voted at work ( NW Georgia elementary school) during my lunch break. There was no line at that time.
I'm in Montgomery, Alabama. I arrived at my polling place (our Museum of Fine Arts) at 6:45, and was the 411th person to enter once the doors opened at 7:00. I was done by 7:45 — in time to take advantage of Starbucks' free coffee offer en route to work. The morning's excitement was enhanced by Corps et Ames: just got a decant from TPC yesterday!
Hopefully no one is timing their voting according to what NST says, but you never know! And yes, polls opened here at 6 a.m., and when I made some get-out-the-vote calls today, I noticed that a fair number of polling locations in other states closed earlier than 8.
I cast an absentee ballot from Montreal. No lines there, except that my dad called me from home in NJ and told me that he didn't see my name on the list of registered voters, so I'm afraid they may have lost my vote somewhere along the line
Oh I'm so sorry! Hope you did get counted.