I just got back from early voting (Thursday, 10/28)and encountered one of our Denver Commissioners, who is also a long term (15 year) member of the Election Commission. Upon finding very long lines snaking out the door of the King Soopers grocery store and down the sidewalks, she was suggesting that most precincts only have about 400 people registered (?) and thus Tuesday would likely be a much shorter wait. She wasn't getting ANY takers!
I was alarmed at first that she was discouraging people from waiting to vote and engaged in some discussion with her. I asked her if those statistics took new registrations into account and she said no, but it was her belief that the media was feeding paranoia unnecessarily, leading to so many people determined to vote early and feeding the crowds unnecessarily. While I think she was being sincere in not wanting people to have to wait so long (and I know her to be a committed Democrat), we had a good long discussion about why people should probably not be discouraged from early voting, despite the wait. She was pretty aghast at the various documented reports of foul play I was able to relate in detail from Ohio, Florida, Georgia and elsewhere and how easy it would be for partison poll challengers to "muck up the works" on Tuesday. So, I think she has come around.....
She asked me to call her when I had finally voted with the time--almost exactly two hours-- and then asked me if I thought that was excessive. I all but reflexively yelled "are you crazy?" but managed to more calmly state that I'd waited four long years--counting every day, every minute-- for this vote, eliciting a knowing chuckle from her. In truth, I have felt helpless nearly every day of that time and for me, two hours was NOTHING. I told her that I would have been willing to camp out, had it been necessary, and that the wait only underscored how much I'd earned my vote this year and reinforced my determination. My guess is she is convinced that there are many many more like me out there, since she ended the call all but shaking her head that "never in 15 years had she seen anything like this!"
I don't know about the rest of you, but I have to admit getting really emotional as I drove to the polls. I had waited four long years to do my own small part to restore sanity to our country. All the efforts of so many of us to actively campaign, financially support, and to educate/convince others to vote for change-- finally culminating in one final act, my vote. Somehow, it only seems right that the moment was prolonged with a considerable wait in line. For one small moment though, I felt I had regained a small bit of control over the future. Now comes the wait. But, I feel optomistic!GO COLORADO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!