Polling Place Poll

[liznotter]

How long did it take you to vote today?

[jabberwocky]

Like 2 minutes. I got lucky, because my polling place served two districts and there was a massive line for the other one. Hardly any line for mine though. I went not long after they opened so I'd have time to bike in to work.

[pirate]

It took me a little over an hour in Columbia, MD. I got to the polling place at 7:30am, and was surprised by two nice long lines. Luckily both of my kids were very patient. :)

[BikerMiker]

How about a choice for 'less than 10 minutes?'

It took me longer to take off my helmet and lean my bike against the wall than it did to vote.

About 3 minutes. Gambrills/Crofton area of AACo at Carver School.

WOOHOO!

mike

[DKEG]

1hr 55mins

[dphelps]

less than 10 minutes...Oak Hill district, Annandale

[allencb]

Less than 5 minutes from the time I rolled into the parking lot till I was back at my bike.

Chris

[urbaindk]

About 5 minutes with toddler in tow.

[kmax]

Thought I'd beat everyone else and walk to Greenbelt Elementary school (2 blocks from my house) a few minutes before they opened... Oops, took an hour to get to the voter registration table. Probably about 1:15 to 1:30 in the end.

[toonces]

About 5 minutes around 9:30 at Woodburn School in Falls Church. There were 2 people in front of me. :)

[mreyes2112]

Arrived at 6am and a LONG line. At 6:59 I voted. :D Reston by the Town Center

[philvw]

City of Frederick about 7:45am
A few voters around, but open voter registration tables and booths. Maybe 90 seconds total.

[drewdane]

I was among about 300 people who thought they'd beat the lines by showing up before the polls open. When I stepped out of Shrevewood Elementary at 6:30, the line wasn't any longer than it has been in past elections.

As an interesting (or not) aside, I was surprised to be handed a paper ballot. I knew VA was planning to phase out their touch-screen voting machines, but not so soon. Just as well - I trust paper more than I do electrons.

[saxman]

At Woodfield Elementary outside of Damascus, it took me less than 10 minutes from the parking spot, to the voter booth back to my car. A small line was forming as I left around 9 AM.

[brcire]

1 hour 15 minutes in Claredonia at 6AM. I knew I should not have snoozed that extra 10 minutes! However, between my book and the better looking Clarendonians :), it didn't seem that long.

I opted for paper instead of standing in line for another 10 minutes.

[tuba_transport]

Maybe 3 minutes. There were zero in line when I got there at 9:15am. My wife voted earlier and was told that the line was 300 when the polls first opened.

I guess the worst line was when all the people got there early to avoid lines. :rolleyes::D:D:D:D

[FIX_BKS]

I waited until about 9:30 to head up and didn't wait in any lines at all. It was weird actually. Went right up, gave 'em my name and was handed a paper ballot at Fairhill Elementary just outside of Fairfax City.

Now to go back and vote under my real name! :D

[tuba_transport]

Now to go back and vote under my real name! :D

I should go back wearing my Mickey Mouse costume.

[mtbmore]

I rode my bike to the polling station around 10:30. Waited behind 5 people and was out the door in less than 10 minutes. Rode home just as it started sprinkling. The Polling Official said there were 200 peole waiting when they opened and the line finally went down around 9:45 or so.

[FIX_BKS]

Well, suprisingly Freddie Mercury worked, but everyone knows my real name is Farrokh Bulsara, born in Stone Town, Zanzibar.

Okay, so I just Wikipedia'd that and learned more about the guy who wrote the "Bicycle Song" than I ever needed to know. Sure I knew the obvious stuff, but I didn't know that wasn't his real name and that he was honored as one of the most influential Asian heroes of the last 60 years!?

[bunky]

6 minutes flat--beat my 2004 record by 4 minutes roughly

[jon_baler]

less than 10 minutes at 2:00 in Elkridge, MD

[rizetech]

Bout 10 minutes in kensington, md.
everyone go get free ice cream and ben and jerrys!!

[allroy]

2 hours at the peak of voting this morning, couldn't wait till evening to cast my vote.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3207/3002868434_6d63bfd4fa.jpg?v=0

[vlin]

~20 minutes, at Fairfax County Gov't Center, in-person absentee ballot, last Thursday 6PM.

[pinbuoy]

Went by the polling place at 7 am, saw 20-30 ppl walking in, I hate lines so I took a risk, went to work, left at 3, got to the polling place around 3:35 and was out in 5 minutes! yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GF70]

I arrived at my polling station at 5:30pm and was out the door at 5:35pm.

[DownHillDan]

in and out in 5 minutes

[eroc]

less than 5 minutes. At 6:00pm.

[CRAIG2]

About 5 minutes here; zip code 22304, and I went at about 3:30 this afternoon. Tempted as I was, I did not write in Paris Hilton. I'll see if she'll be my running mate in 2012. :D

[deansidr]

I got ya'll beat. 4 minutes flat!!! 20194. Not one person in line. Walked right up and got my yellow ticket then went to the computer screen and went through three screens and I was out.

Beautiful thing.

[heidi]

Less than 5 minutes. Middletown 8am: Parked right up front, never stopped moving - straight in - straight out. I spent more time talking with the volunteer afterwards than the voting process.

[g_barr]

Was there an election today?

[Squirrel_Girl]

I went into the gym. There was a longish line for people whose names ended in "Z" and some few letters before that. Next line was also long. The third largish line and I figured, 'mine.' But, wait, that line is for people with names "D" and higher. Where's the "A" line? Huh, there's only one person in it. Lucky me! I then had to go through another line to get my ballot, but it was only about 4 people long and went quickly. I didn't time it, but it was certainly no more than 10minutes all told.

BTW, I got to meet Madaleine Albright yesterday. I shook her hand, but I have a new cell phone and wasn't sure how to get the camera to work.

[Squirrel_Girl]

I was going to volunteer in the evening yesterday. Monday, they told me, I could cheerlead the people in line so they wouldn't leave (in by 7 pm, but ya can't get out of line or your done for).

But it turns out by about 5 pm, the lines had disappeared. And that was both in Loudoun and western Fairfax. Everyone who cared enough to vote and gone and done it early.

[blacknell]

Just short of three hours for an in-person absentee vote at Arlington's central precinct last Friday. Worked election day down in Lynchburg, where lines were out the door all morning long (~30 minute wait), and then disappeared in late afternoon.

~

FWIW, Virginia's not phasing out touchscreen-based voting. It's up to each county. Most (I believe) have touchscreen, with some having optional paper ballots. I've worked four election cycles now as a legal volunteer on registration/voting issues, and have seen lots of screw ups or really ridiculous situations that resulted in someone not being able to cast their ballot. I can't pin a single one of these issues on malice (tho' I certainly could a few on indifference). Our mess of a voting system is not a partisan issue, and it's something I'd like to see paid better attention to by our legislature. Counties make a lot of their own choices in how we conduct the voting process, but the place to complain to/make the changes is at the state level. So if you came across something that bothered you on Election Day, I hope you'll follow up with your state Senator and Delegate. (If you're interested in finding out more about some non-partisan voting-related proposals in VA, check out New ERA for Virginia. (http://www.neweraforva.org/))