When I took the Health Line downtown today, I saw the Board of Elections had erected canopies over the sidewalks on Euclid Ave. and E. 30th St. to shelter the voters waiting in line to vote early. It was 11:45 a.m., and the elections office was supposed to be open 1 to 5.
When I came back the other way, about 7, people were still standing in line to get in the building. Just like on Election Day, if you're in line when the polls close, you can still vote.
A woman on the bus said she'd voted that day. She said the line extended all the way up E. 30th from Euclid to Chester, then snaked around until it was blocking the freeway exit. So the line shifted and snaked back down 30th to Euclid again. She waited two hours; when she left the projected wait was four hours.
A DJ was playing hip-hop to keep the crowd entertained and energized, she said. Judges were campaigning, asking those in line for their votes. She showed me a card she'd gotten from Peter Sikora, a state Supreme Court candidate.
Four years ago, Ohioans were complaining about long lines, saying they'd disenfranchised some voters. Now, people are going out of their way to stand in long lines, they're so excited to vote early.
(Photo by Erica Jacobson)
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1 comment:
I sick of people complaing about standing in line to vote, or having to serve jury duty. It's called democracy. In 1994 black South Africans stood in line for days for the chance to vote. This past spring people were being tortured and killed for compaigning for the opposition candidates
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