Polling: Round Two

I got up at 6 AM this morning to vote. I arrived at my polling place around 6:15, aghast to find a line stretching at least four blocks. Apparently, although polling was to begin at 6 AM, voting didn't actually start until 6:30, as many staffers failed to show up on time. I was constrained by an 8:15 AM appointment. At 7:30, after having waited an hour and fifteen minutes, only half of those in front of me had voted, and I left the line, resigned. Hopefully, my second try will be more successful.

Mine is a story of inconvenience, but those who work all day may have only one chance to make it to the polls. The lack of adequate staffing and booths is disappointing. High voter turnout is a welcome change from the apathy of past elections. Greeting unprecedented voter interest with incompetent logistics and half-hearted planning shows the unflinching ability of the American democratic system over the last eight years to be persuasively inept.