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Voting in Lawrence
Lawrence residents take to the polls to cast their ballot.
Election 2008
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Sometimes, patience doesn't come easily.
Waiting in line - to buy groceries, get into a game or for a table at our favorite restaurant - can be trying.
Waiting to vote in today's election, could take even longer especially if Monday morning's advance voting line is any indicator. The line stretched out the door of the Douglas County Courthouse and down the sidewalk, where the average wait was 30 minutes.
Those who voted Monday - to avoid the long lines today - offer this advice to help bide the time:
¢ Find a baby-sitter. Charlie and Sarah Rigdon who brought their 2-year-old daughter, Bethany, suggest finding someone to watch the little ones. Bethany found a colorful leaf to play with, but that didn't last long. She wanted to get down and run around.
¢ Bring children. On the flip side, James Sharp said his 4-year-old son Jaden and 3-year-old son Dominic were keeping him entertained and occupied. He did suggest bringing "patience" along with the kids.
¢ Bring water, coffee and snacks. Graham Young would have given anything for a cup of Joe.
¢ Bring an iPod. Whitney Morgan, a junior at Kansas University, said having music to listen to would have been nice. Instead, he joked that he would just have to listen his friend Matt Bouwie, also a junior at KU.
¢ Bring a friend. Morgan wasn't alone. Many of those standing in line brought along friends or a spouse to visit with.
¢ Bring a cell phone. While many people don't want to hear your personal conversations, cell phones can be used to check the Internet, text message or even listen to music. "They can do everything," said Asia Merino, a KU sophomore. That's why she brought one.
¢ Bring a book, newspaper or magazine. Jesse Kaufman enjoyed a murder mystery by Nelson DeMille called "Plum Island" during his wait.
¢ Hit the bathroom beforehand. Karin Pagel-Meiner's advice is to take a bathroom break before heading to the polls or bring someone along to hold your place in case you have to go.
¢ Exercise. Erin Stewart was dressed in workout clothes and listening to her iPod. Instead of driving, she ran and walked to courthouse. She also avoided a parking space crunch. Smart move.
¢ Bring a small project. Jenni Smith was knitting "the world's smallest Christmas stocking." Her project fit into a small plastic bag that she carried under her arm.
¢ Meet someone new. Don't be shy while standing in line. Tom and Sherri Welsh became instant friends with Jim and Judy Walker. During their wait, they chatted about everything from children to work. "Time flies when you are having fun," Tom said.
¢ Keep cool. With high temperatures predicted in the upper 70s, you might want to bring a hand-held fan or wear lighter clothing. As Judy Walker neared the second floor of the courthouse, she was plenty warm. That's because there were a lot of people scrunched into an area with poor ventilation.
¢ Bring a sample ballot. Billie Archer used the time to look over a sample ballot, so she would know exactly whom to vote for when she got the real ballot. Sample ballots are available at www.douglas-county.com.
¢ Rest. Sandra Tempel enjoyed the nice weather and down time after a crazy 47-hour flight home from Australia on Thursday. Sometimes, it is nice to slow down and enjoy your surroundings.
Comments
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Danimal (anonymous) says…
Or better yet, just don't vote... Seriously, it's 2008 and we still have long lines at polling stations?
duckie_2028 (anonymous) says…
i fear i see a HUGE nation wide riot comming on regardless who wins this election... Marshal Law, be READY....
tangential_reasoners_anonymous (anonymous) says…
The national election has become simply too polarized.I'm writing in Ronda's name... so get ready America!
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
The_Original_Bob (anonymous) says…
I'm bringing a biscuit with some slander jelly. That way, if I'm in a long line and some overzealous McCain or Barry supporter starts lecturing me, I can rub it in their face and tell them to go mount a sofa.
countrygirl (anonymous) says…
Be nice to the poll workers! They're volunteers and in for a very long day.
snap_pop_no_crackle (anonymous) says…
I'm taking Spiced Ham with me.
nobody1793 (anonymous) says…
Patience? I had *Zero* wait time at the Brandon Woods location this morning.
alm77 (anonymous) says…
We showed up at 6:35, got in the building and sat in chairs at 6:45 and the voting began at 7:00. We were out of there at 7:13. We took the kids and they were totally fine with all of it. Then we rewarded ourselves with McDonald's breakfast and got the kids to school on time. Perfect morning!!
newsreader (anonymous) says…
I voted at 7:30 on my way to work and there were 5 people in front of me.
nobody1793 (anonymous) says…
"What a way to teach them how to grow up. "Indeed. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Voting is important. Those are a couple pretty good lessons.
alm77 (anonymous) says…
hawk, what's wrong with celebrating our democracy by dining out? I wanted this to be a good memory for all of us. I don't think that *this* is what's wrong with America. I think snarky posters who don't know what the hell they're talking about contributes more to "what's wrong with America". I planned this morning for WEEKS ahead of time, and it was perfect. So you can just STFU.
The_Original_Bob (anonymous) says…
Alm -Hawk is one of handful of posters everyone should just ignore. He's just baiting you. Was a biscuit somehow involved in your breakfast? If so, your day is already better than his will ever be.
alm77 (anonymous) says…
TOB, biscuits AND gravy. ;) I'm determined to not let anyone ruin this awesome day.
ClaroAtaxia (anonymous) says…
I just voted at 830 at First Southern Baptist (I think, it's the one on 6th near Hy-Vee, 20th precinct or something like that) and there was NO line at all! I was in and out in under 10 minutes! The staff was very friendly. Great job!!!!
The_Original_Bob (anonymous) says…
Alm -B & G? Holy jebus. You are living right.
persevering_gal (anonymous) says…
I was in and out in less than 10 minutes as well. No line what so ever at the Jr. High on Inverness around 8:30 this morning.
snap_pop_no_crackle (anonymous) says…
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/11/04...
Satirical (anonymous) says…
Did you hear the news!!!There is a change in how the election done this year. Conservatives are suppose to vote today and Liberals are suppose to vote tomorrow. Make sure you vote on the right day or you may be voting for the wrong people : )
conservative (anonymous) says…
It took me less than 5 minutes from leaving my car to getting back into it. 1 person in line ahead of me. As always the poll workers were friendly and efficient.
jonas_opines (anonymous) says…
Even as an obvious joke, Satirical, not funny. }:(
Thinking_Out_Loud (anonymous) says…
People thinking trivial things are what is wrong with this country represent what is wrong with this country.
Agnostick (anonymous) says…
I took my daughter... showed my drivers license... demanded a paper ballot... let my daughter help me darken a couple of the ovals, and let her dump the ballot into the box. We each got a sticker. A splendid time was guaranteed for all!--Ag
prospector (anonymous) says…
Patience? I kick that to the curb long ago.I took myself.I did not take my drivers license because I walked the two blocks on this glorious November day. Anyway, I only show my DL after someone has complied with my request, "You got a badge?".I demanded nothing for I was happy to have the opportunity to vote free, fair and secret.
trinity (anonymous) says…
the voting in richmond kansas, happy to report, was going quite nicely at 7 a.m.! :) in&out in about 15 minutes. approximately a dozen folks ahead of me! that meant a lot of empty houses in richmond at that time, heh. :) i had no biskit this morning only shredded mini wheats. :( color me deprived.
none2 (anonymous) says…
trinity (Anonymous) says:the voting in richmond kansas, happy to report, was going quite nicely at 7 a.m.! :) in&out in about 15 minutes. approximately a dozen folks ahead of me! that meant a lot of empty houses in richmond at that time, heh. :)============================I have to say I've enjoyed stopping at that business in Richmond that has concrete statuary. The guy seems really nice. I have also taken John Brown's Road to drive to Osawatomie. I used to drive quite a bit down to SE Kansas, and I must say that I think that the river valley between Richmond and Garnet is one of the prettiest places on that road. I also hope one day that Garnet gets some kind of economic boost. From the looks of houses near their town square, I would think there used to be some well to do people that used to live there. I also wanted to stop at some church east of 59 somewhere around there. There is some big steeple you can see from the road. I've always enjoyed stopping to see beautiful churches. You can tell that lots of early settlements put most of their money into their churches and their courthouses.