How I voted
How, in terms of “for whom”
President: Obama
Senator: Kerry
All other races were uncontested
On propositions, I voted to decriminalize marijuana, to keep the state income tax, and to outlaw dog racing. This last one was the toughest decision, as upwards of 3,000 people will have to find new jobs in a tough economy. What helped my decision was that the proposition calls for dog racing to be outlawed by 2010, not immediately.
How, in terms of method
My wife and I went together, saw lots of neighbors, marveled at how many people bring their dogs and babies to the polls. This was my sixth time voting in Cambridge—and the first time I ever had to wait in line. We waited for about half an hour, and while the wait didn’t frustrate us, the lack of a single poll worker walking the lines did: we saw dozens of people get to the front of the line only to be told they were in the wrong one.
We love our precinct’s methodology. You get a one-page ballot. It’s well-designed so there’s no confusion. You fill in a bubble alongside your choice, and it’s done with a black marker. Hence, our precinct uses optical scanners to tally votes. It’s damn simple and nearly idiot- and fraud-proof. Why any locale uses a touchscreen machine I’ll never know—it’s a lot cheaper and foolproof to buy extra paper ballots than it is to buy and maintain a touchscreen machine. And it leaves a voter-verifiable paper-trail.
After voting, we had coffee and bagels and walked to our bus and train.
Democracy is so much better with coffee and bagels.
