Over the weekend, OFA called to invite me to be among the first to vote in our county. They asked us to be there at 7:30a.m. and told us there would be doughnuts and coffee. It sounded like a good deal to me, so I signed up. They called last night to remind me, but I'd already set my alarm for 5a.m.
What an ordeal! I did vote, but it was not what I expected. In order to be there at 7:30, I had to take a bus that got me there a little before 7. There were organizers there, but I was the first voter. The building didn't open until 8, but there was supposed to be food and at least coffee. I don't drink coffee, but I might have this morning. It was only in the mid-40s and the sun was just coming up. Sitting on a metal bunch for an hour in the cold is not my idea of fun. The organizers weren't – organized, that is. There were issues about how close certain things could be to the entrance, etc. There was nothing to drink and it was 7:45 before we were even offered a cookie.
The crowd grew to well over 50 brave souls and were mostly excited. One woman was just squealing she was so happy. I'm glad I was in the front of the line because the inside wasn't too smooth, and people were lined up way out the door. There were only two people at each station for the check-in. The lobby where the voting took place is really small and moving from place to place wasn't easy. The media took up a sizable share of that space. First, I had to fill out a request for an absentee ballot. Then I had to sign an envelope to swear I was who I said I was. Then I had to go to a person with a computer who checked my name against the rolls. She then gave me a secrecy sleeve for my ballot, along with the envelope I'd signed. There were eight bays in which to vote. All the sitting ones were taken, so I had to stand to fill out the ballot. (I'd done my research and knew that there were no amendments or initiatives, so that didn't slow down the process.) Then it went into the sleeve, into the envelope, which had to be sealed by licking (yuck!) and placed in the blue strong box. The place was so crowded that finding the damned box was a feat. I did get my “I voted!” sticker. I wasn't going to leave there without it. :-)
All in all, it was harder than going in November, except for the possibility of bad weather. If I get to the polling place at the church at 7 a.m., I can get in and out in almost no time. If I vote this way again, it will not be in the first rush on the first day. Oh, and I did break my vow to never vote for a Republican. I voted to retain a GOP appointee to the Iowa Supreme Court. He was the only one up for reappointment who had voted for equal marriage rights. The three who were appointed by Gov. Branstad (R) to replace three other brave judges who got the boot over equality in 2010 got a big, fat NO from me.
Now, I'm off to heat up some of the soup I made the other day. I need to get warm!