This Early Voting Experience Was Smooth

Part of the idea behind early voting is to help us avoid long lines on Election Day, but early voting has become so popular that we sometimes hit long lines there too.

I think I may have discovered the best time of day to go, to avoid long lines. Oh, and I voted for...

...many candidates!  State and local races, and for President, and it felt good. Whew!  I would never bore you with my thoughts on the specifics.  We have our Facebook friends for all of that madness, right?  I wonder what they'll do with all their free time on November 9th.

I arrived at the polling site at 9:12am, after I dropped off the youngest at preschool, and I was in and out in ten minutes.  Ten minutes!  I thought I'd be waiting at least an hour to vote, but the poll workers were prepared and there was no line at that time.  I also knew how I wanted to vote before I arrived, which saved time and kept me from contemplating too much once I got inside the booth. Easy breezy.

So, despite some headlines about slow machines and long lines, my experience was pretty smooth.  I think it helped to go slightly before mid-morning, after most people had gone to work and before the lunch crowd arrived.  The crowds may be larger this week, since we're down to the last few days of early voting now before Tuesday's election.  The biggest crowds starting arriving around 4pm, as people start getting off work.

Even if voting isn't super easy, it's important to sacrifice a the time it takes to make it happen.  But let's admit it -- it is a nice bonus if it's convenient.

Early voting locations include Meridian City Hall, Boise City Hall, and the Eagle Senior Center, and they're open from 9am to 6pm this week, closing an hour earlier on Friday.

The General Election is Tuesday, November 8th.  Go vote!