Remember *HOW* you voted for Kerry?

[spooked]

Trying to be patient, tempted to vote absentee...
Couldn't wait for the big day.

Every election I'll wait until after school and take my kids to vote too. So sorry kids but I just can't wait, and off I go at 10AM.

Remember *HOW* you voted for Kerry?

My Heart was leaping, excited that a return to Democracy was just hours away...

Ballot in hand, shall I enter here? Not that booth, No, not that one...ahhh, this one is perfect.

Holding the little pencil, I darkened the oval near Kerry's name, and my heart soared. I stopped to admire the oval as it became darker and darker. I decided to make the oval just a little bigger, a little darker...I just couldn't stop darkening that oval!

I lifted my ballot, and admired it and the darkened Oval as though it was a masterpiece, or maybe a ticket to somewhere, a place so much better than where we are now.

I was absolutely *Giddy* with joy as I placed my ballot through the scanner and joked with the old man volunteering by the machine, "This is going to get counted, right?" He laughed and assured me of course it would.

I have voted in every Presidential election since 1984 and have *Never* felt the way I felt voting FOR Kerry. --Voting FOR Kerry and AGAINST the insanity and the cruelty of the current administration.

I was Giddy, Giddy with joy. Did you feel it too?

Remember *HOW* you voted for Kerry?

[SW FL Dem]

1. I remember

I voted at the earliest opportunity, right after I shook John Edwards hand at a rally. Unfortunately, I voted electronically in Florida. I hope my vote counted.

[bumblebee1]

2. Yes, I did

The whole time I was on my way to the polls, I kept repeating to myself, "It's time to oust the moron!!!" Needless to say, I was stunned when Kerry lost. I remember while at work, I shouted at the top of my lungsd that Americans were the biggest morons in the world. It surprised some of my co-workers; they didn't get angry at me.

[RaleighNCDUer]

5. you're lucky. i'm going to anger management because someone

in my office objected to the way i shouted 'they stole the fucking election again'.

[demodonkey]

3. I pulled the big, red STRAIGHT DEMOCRAT LEVER!

I'm a pollworker. We still have old fashioned lever machines, at least for this one last time...

Even if I want to vote a straight ticket I always vote the individual offices -- 2004 was one of only two times I ever pulled the straight-Dem lever. (The other time was the year of Ken Starr.) Sort of my own little protest. Took me literally 5 seconds to pull that straight Dem lever; I did it quick, fast, and proud. An in-your-face gesture to the Rethug pollwatchers staring at me.

[Wabbajack]

32. What state are you in

that still has levers?

[demodonkey]

43. Pennsylvania -- The P stands for Pull the lever eom

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Yes I was up at 05:30

could not sleep any longer...

[malmapus]

6. I remember

Going to the church and plugging in my vote, well using this little dial thing and punching a button when Kerry was highlighted (yeah it was electronic =/ ).

Then going home and hitting the phone calling friends and neighbors asking if they voted and getting them to the polls to oust the moron.

Lotta good that did eh =/

[fooj]

7. I've been voting since 1979...

this time IT DID feel different. You're right, Spooked! I felt like this was the mother of all elections! Such a hopeful time...:shrug:

[zann725]

8. The last time I voted for President was 1984 too.

Nothing since then had impressed me...until Kerry.

And I still feel he was the right man at the right time. I believe it WAS his destiny...and Shrubco fu**ed with that destiny.

[spooked]

18. That's how I felt too...that it was Kerry's destiny

and Bush* tampered with fate. What bad karma he must have!

[zann725]

48. I was going to add JUST that in my original response...

when Fate is tampered with...

[LittleClarkie]

9. I voted absentee for the first time ever

because it was allowed in Wisconsin this time. Normally you have to have a reason. They changed the rules this time so you didn't have to have a reason, you could just do it.

I handed them my ballot after staring at it for a moment, afraid because I was uncaffinated at that moment that I'd done it wrong. Talking to the folks behind the counter, they said that even though it was a good 10 days before the election, they'd already mailed out as many absentee ballots as they had in the entire 2000 election.

But I'm in a Red county, so those all could have been freeper votes.

I was so excited November 1st and 2nd. I'd taken off the Friday before and that Monday and Tuesday for GOTV. I'd worked off and on during the summer and into the fall, even taking off my birthday to work at HQ.

I kept praying that God help us change the country and save us from what was happening. I'd cry once in a while thinking that prayer wouldn't be answered. But after the first debate, I started to have hope. As Kerry built up the big Mo', I felt so good about Nov. 2.

I was so happy that I'd taken off Nov. 1, because even though I live in a battleground state, I'd never had a chance to get to any of the rallies with JK or JE, only one with Max Cleland and Jim Wasser. When I found out JK was going to be in town, and I had off, I was beside myself with excitement. I was so sure I was going to get a chance to see our next president.

As it was, after 2 hours in the cold rain, during which my feet fell asleep and my shins cramped up and I got soaked to the skin, I got to see Kerry and even got to almost shake his hand. I met an annoying woman with an illegal umbrella she'd poke people in the eye with accidentally, who wasn't nearly so annoying when I found out she had a son in Iraq and had wedged herself in front of the line to ask Kerry to help her and her son. When I turned around, she was crying because he said, "I will."

My therapist, it turns out, was also at the rally, and said she was impressed at how Kerry tried to listen to each person as he shook their hands. I had poked my hand out over someone's shoulder, and gotten a half handshake. I was impressed by the big smile on Kerry's face, and the way he hugged his girls. Vanessa had ahold of Alex, almost as if she were protecting her.

I went to HQ after that, but refused to go back outside to phone bank at a different location. I'd only just gotten warm, dagnabit!

I worked Nov. 2, annoying the shit out of our phonelist, making sure folks had voted, and seeing if anyone needed help. I ended up in a group taking snacks to some of the lines of people, making sure no one left the line because they were hungry. When we got back to HQ again at the end of it all, several of us watched a tv with bad reception then headed down to a convention center where a gathering of volunteers was in full swing.

I remember I kept telling folks "Landslide!" and getting big ass smiles in return.

Then came the night from pergatory, followed by the morning from hell. I cried like somebody died. I continued to have crying jags as if somebody died for weeks after, the way you are when you think you're fine, and then suddenly you're not fine.

I prefer to think that I, and Karen Hughes were correct. Landslide.

I don't hate Kerry, I'm not even angry at him. Not at all. I see him as one of the victims of this mess. I just feel cheated. Robbed. I don't think I will ever look at Bush or Laura and think they are the President and First Lady. That was brought home again to me when I saw Pickle's face on Parade yesterday. "You don't belong there," I wanted to scream.

I can't get over the feeling that what's happening isn't supposed to be happening. And as consolation perhaps, I still want what was stolen from me. I want Kerry as president. I still think he'd make a good one. If only his skills as a campaigner matched his qualifications for the job.

There I go again. When will this feeling go away :cry: It STILL feels like somebody died.

Only one up side: at least if it was truly a landslide, I feel better about America. We're not as dumb as we look.

[Vektor]

13. What you said....

I gave a condensed version of my events, because I didn't want to relive it.

Your experiences mirrored my own pretty much entirely.

I still have PTSD from it all. The only thing this debacle of a stolen election has succeeded in doing is making me love Kerry 9,354,552,252,445,122,348 times more than I did before.

He will always be my hero, politically and otherwise. I don't give two shits what anyone says. I'd vote for him again in a heartbeat.

Thanks for sharing what you did. I can relate.

[spooked]

21. That's the one consolation I have too...that America DID vote for Kerry

and we're not as far gone as they'd like us to believe.

I understand what you're saying about feeling like someone died. I felt the same...a deep sense of loss & mourning.

I realized yesterday that I was still feeling depressed and almost despondent, and found myself crying again as I thought about Black Thursday.

I guess I needed one more cry. But so many in Iraq will NEVER stop crying.

[Wabbajack]

34. illegal umbrella?

wtf?

[LittleClarkie]

36. No signs, no purses, no umbrellas, no nuthin' as you went through security

You had to leave it behind. Nothing that could be used as any kind of weapon or to conceal one I suppose. But this woman had been given one by a union guy. And so she used it, and tipped it on her neigbors getting them more wet, and poked her neighbors in the head with the spokes, and obstructing her neighbors' views. She annoyed me, as I said, until I turned around and she was crying. Kind of erased everything else, you know? I patted her on the arm and wished her luck.

[kerrygoddess]

10. Proud... Excited

And I would vote for him again in a heartbeat!

Thanks!

[Vektor]

12. Hi, KG!

You've had a sex change! :-)

Tee-hee....

[Vektor]

11. It was my first vote ever cast!

I registered to vote for the first time, just to vote for John Kerry - my hero... I voted absentee, then hand delivered my ballot to the election office.
I was so proud, so elated, so hopeful.

Now I feel like I am trapped in a nightmare I can't wake up from.

Anti-christ, corrupt, election-stealing Shrub has destroyed my faith in the democratic process.

But MAN, voting for John Kerry felt GOOD.

[GetTheRightVote]

14. I felt as if my vote could be weighted by the gold standard, it was so

important to me. I wanted to believe it would be counted correctly because it had John Kerry mark in black. I felt it was one of the the most important decision I had made in my life. My vote saving our country and her children combined with so many other good Americans because I knew you were out there in the polls. That our country would wake up happy with a brand new President and a chance at a new start.

My heart fell to the ground with the news concerning * and I knew it could not be true because that would mean my country was filled with evil people. This of course I could never believe so then I realized the electon was stolen from us again, I knew it in my heart before I ever heard it from another source. It was a dark day in my life but it was brighten when I discovered that a new age in this country was being given birth too, one that contains citizens who will fight for their rights once again.

Though the sorrow lives on in me so does the hope that springs from the awakening we are experiencing in our demand for ownership of our country. I am far from being alone.

:kick:

[LittleClarkie]

15. I remember a movie about God

being on trial, and folks asking why he let bad things happen.

Because manure stinks, but in it things grow. Every once in a while, we need to be reminded that there are certain things worth fighting for. Americans get so complacent otherwise.

I saw a video on Devo from 2003. One of the band members said something really interesting. He said we now know that freedom is indeed not free. Freedom costs something. It costs... freedom. The price of freedom so far has been our freedom.

Bush apparently believes we have to destroy the village to save it. Now let us see how many agree.

If we are right, even though their votes didn't get counted, there is STILL a damned majority out there not down with the Bush agenda. And there are those on the Republican side who KNOW it. I hope they're hatching bricks.

[spooked]

19. That's how I knew the election had been stolen too

Everyone around me COULDN'T WAIT to vote, and they were not voting for Bush!

There was so much excitement in the air. You just KNEW that all of those people waiting in lines for hours were not waiting to vote for Bush*.

(Reply to #14)

[ebayfool]

16. Yup, so excited that I got up way too early ... 1st voter in the door!

Everyone behind me (& my daughter) had to wait while I was shown the ballot collection box, & verify that they weren't prestuffed (little did I know that wasn't necessary!). I cast the 1st vote & my daughter the 2ndvote in our precinct. Then I joined DU after being a lurker for some time ... next time I'll be PREPARED! I plan on working at the polling places next time, no more blinders!

[Up2Late]

17. I stood in the Rain for 3 Hours- 5 Days Early

Because, I was going to make a difference, as a Poll Watcher for Election Protection:puke:

Well, No Need to EVER do that again, Because if we don't put these Paperless E-voting machines in the dumpster, we never have to worry about our Vote being counted again.:argh:

It won't be.:puke:

[seabeyond]

20. i went down to the election place three different days

first just stopped by because i saw it to make sure this was the place. then i got there too late the second day. adn then on the third day, boys and i went into vote. and yes giddy. we all felt good. we were happy.

there was not that enthusiasm on the other side

[Laurab]

24. First time I'd voted in 20 years

I got up early, too. I couldn't wait to cast my vote. I wanted to make sure nothing went wrong. If there was going to be a long line, I was prepared to stand and wait, if it took all day. It took 5 minutes. I left there feeling so optimistic - I'd done my part to get this country out of the mess we were in. Went home, watched tv (another thing I never do), just to watch * get sent back to the ranch. I remember too, watching in disbelief as those numbers started changing, and finally going to sleep, but not being able to sleep very well.

Listening to the radio with a growing sense of dread, I knew something was terribly wrong - it couldn't be...

I knew even then that they stole it. I did NOT want to get up that day. They stole the election and they stole my hope. Luckily I found my way here, and got some of that hope back.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

22. For the first time in 34 years of voting I was truly excited on the

morning of November 2nd to exercise my right to vote.

Of course, as Murphy's Law goes, my car decided to act up. So at about 8AM I drove it into the shop, followed by my ex-husband. We then went to the nearby school to have our say.

I live in a large township in a suburb of NYC, and the whole process normally takes about 5 minutes. The parking lot was filled with more cars than I have ever seen on an election day. It was great to see that voter turnout was apparently up.

I went into the gym and there were short lines in front of each district, where there had never been lines before. I then went to the table that I had been going to for the last couple of years, but it had been changed to a different district. The elderly election worker asked my address and in seconds told me that I had to go to the adjacent table. I signed the book, waited for about 10 minutes, and went into the booth. I selected the whole Democratic slate, and when I pulled the lever, felt powerful. As I pulled it down, I said to myself, "Bush you're fired!" I really did!

I walked out of the school with such a deep feeling of hope that America was going to be saved on that day.

[spooked]

28. LOL, "Bush you're fired" I love that!

Think about it...Gore won in 2000, and we had no real REASON to hate Bush at that time. Now with a pointless tragic War, Outsourcing our jobs, Biggest budget deficit in history, MORE PEOPLE are going to vote for BUSH than did in 2000?!!

I don't think so!

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

30. The first real clue I had back in 2000 that Bush was scum was when

he tried to stop the recount in Florida. After all, wouldn't an honorable person want to know if they really won, fair and square?

I have since, in the last 3 years learned way too much about that Sociopath... our pResident.....

[GreenPartyVoter]

23. Walked right in (no wait) picked up the pencil and made a tick

by his name.


I love living in a small town!

------------------------------------------------------
Join the new Boston Tea Party!
http://timeforachange.bluelemur.com/index.htm#shopping

[Green Thumb]

25. It was almost better than

sex. I was so overjoyed at voting because I voted late in the day and had already seen the exit poll numbers. So I really thought that Kerry had things zipped up. It was really hard going from those feelings of joy to the deep depression that I felt later that night. :-(

[meganmonkey]

26. I voted in a new place and it was fun!

I am a newcomer in a tiny town, and I was the first car there, although it was raining so I waited in my car until 5 people were in line, that way I could stand under the awning!!! And I could tell that almost everyone in line had been among the first in line for years and years, they all knew each other and I was kinda the new young kid (I'm 30, young is relative) in the middle of it all. It was kinda nice to listen to the old timers. In my old voting place we used touchscreens, but here we used optical scan. It felt good. It was so quick I had time to go home for a while before leaving for work, and I was just GIDDY when I got home, restless, drinking my coffee, logging on to DU and switching to my I VOTED avatar.

It was the first time I had voted Democrat for Pres (previously I had voted Green, or written in my mother - long story). I was so proud that I had put aside my selfish principles and voted for someone who could and DID beat Bush....

[El Fuego]

27. The touch screen wouldn't take my Kerry vote.

I kept poking poking poking and it wouldn't register. Poke poke poke and nothing. Rub rub rub and nothing. I just knew if I pushed "bush" it would register immediately, like the machine was coaxing me to vote bush just to get through the process.

Eventually it took it after about a minute and came up KERRY. There were no problems with the rest of the voting selections, the touch screen worked just fine the rest of the time.

I talked to some people who voted in other precincts, and they had the same problem.

This is in Florida, of course.

[spooked]

29. Outrageous! Are we supposed to give up on Kerry

when the machine won't register?!

You can BET it would have taken your Bush vote the FIRST time!

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

31. Yep! After all, wasn't Bush the "default" on lots of machines??? n/t

[NationalEnquirer]

33. I went with my brother, who is a republican...

I was feeling good, having heard the "Rumors" of the exit polls.
He said he was feeling good as well, having "read on the internet" the debunking of the numbers.
He hardly ever votes republican actually, claims he is a libertarian.
This time he voted for B*sh, I voted for Kerry, so I was able to cancel out his vote!
Actually, in our large family, we are all Democrats except for him.
Lets just say we don't talk much politics when we have family get togethers.

[genieroze]

35. I felt good but I knew my vote wouldn't count, I knew * was going to pull

a fast one.

[HEAVYHEART]

37. I will never forget

I was determined to get my vote in so I voted early. I stood in line for over 2 hours.

What a stressful time it was. I had moved recently, on August 2004 to be exact. When I moved to the new place this past summer, I made sure that I filled out a new voter registration form right away (that month) and I mailed it right away. Long story short, they sent me the new voter card about a week before the election. I checked the card and my last name had two letters transposed. But they got my new address right. The Board of Elections web site however, still had my old address but correctly spelled my last name in their system.

I was worried about my registration info so I voted early. I also sent a letter to the BOE about the discrepancy on my voter card versus their web site. Because my voter card did not match what was in their system, the poll worker directed me to the line for provisional voters. I've never had to fill out a provisional type ballot before, so I was a little nervous about the possibility of my vote not being counted. And I did not like standing in the provisional voting line at all. Like I was some loser criminal who did something wrong. I wanted to scream at the onlookers and say, "What? What the hell are you looking at? They screwed up NOT ME!"

They didn't even ask me for identification. I brought every identification you can imagine and proof of address, and even my citizenship certificate (I'm Asian but I grew up in the US, been here since 1975), in hopes that we can rectify this bullshit hassle right there and then. But no one asked to see any identification or anything. When I had proceeded to show the lady my documents, she said that's ok, just go to THAT line. The provisional voters line included 2 black guys, 3 black women, 2 young white men, and 2 young women, and me, an Asian female. They probably thought I was some chink who just got off the boat. I'm an American citizen goddammit!

What pisses me off is, I did everything I was supposed to do. I did MY part. I followed all the rules, and they still didn't get my voter registration information right.

I was suppossed to call this 800 number 8 days after Nov 2nd, to find out if my vote was counted. I thought about talking to a lawyer to get my ducks in a row just in case my voted doesn't get counted, but I didn't. I thought, well maybe I'm stressing over nothing. When I called after 8 days, I was told that there were delays and that they don't have any info yet, blah blah blah, and to call back in a few days. So I said I will, thank you. This shit went on until about mid December. I was finally told that my voted was counted.

I was relieved but in retrospect, I thought to myself, I'm glad that my vote was counted, but who did my vote go to? So I called back to find out if anybody can tell me detailed information on my ballot. I voted for Kerry goddammit and I wanted to make sure that that was what their records indicate!

After calling for two days straight, I was finally able to talk to someone on the phone, after being transfered a gazillion times. This person couldn't tell me anything. She just said, your vote was
counted and that's all I can tell you.

Sorry for being so long winded. It felt good to vent.

[fooj]

38. That's why we are here together!

It is nice to be able to "vent" somewhere and know that the people you communicate with GET IT! PEACE!

[HEAVYHEART]

39. Thank you fooj

I've always felt that I didn't belong or fit in anywhere. I feel at home right here in DU.

[fooj]

40. No Misfit Island for you, my friend!

We are the true uniters (not dividers) in this country. Peace!

[LittleClarkie]

50. Oh no. Now I'll be singing that song the rest of the night.

Why am I a misfit.
I'm not just a nitwit.
You can't fire me, I quit.
Why don't I fit in.

I love me some elf dentistry.

[mousie]

41. Yes, indeed!!!

You describe the feelings so well... I felt the same way that day. And NEVER before have I felt so good about casting a vote for President... I so believe in John Kerry! Whether he's our Prez or not, I think he really IS our Prez, regardless! ... I see he's still there for us, and he's tryin' his best to get to work on as many of those "presidential" things as he can accomplish for us while being a Senator!

[Mistwell]

42. I remember holding my nose

I'll admit to never having been a big Kerry supporter. He was clearly the better choice of the two people who had a chance at winning. But, that didn't make me happy. In fact, it probably didn't make MOST people who voted for him happy. Kerry was the compromise candidate in my mind. He was the guy we put up based on his resume, thinking he could beat Bush due to his war record. He was not charismatic. He didn't inspire me. I did not watch his speeches and feel elated...just okay with the fact that he was at least acceptable. I did not have faith he would be capable of accomplishing much if he did get in office (just that he would do a LOT less damage than Bush).

Yes, I remember how I voted...holding my nose, and once again voting for the lesser of two old white rich spoiled brat duds. I knew that no matter who I voted for a wealthy New England Skull & Bones member born with a silver spoon in his mouth to a popular political family would become President.

The memory does not bring joy...

[spooked]

44. The lesser of two evils? The world would beg to differ I'm afraid.

[LisaL]

45. I went around 9 am, stood in line in the rain, finally got to vote

on the paperless Danaher voting machine-the same kind of baby that gave Bush 4,000 extra votes in Gahana precinct. The mood was very good early on-because it appeared the turnout was high due to all the people waiting to vote. High turnout favors democrats, of course. Furthermore, everybody I knew voted for Kerry and had the same hopes I did. Of course, later on, it became clear lines were caused by the fewer voting machines and not necessarily a high turnout. And without a receipt, I have no clue who did I actually voted for.
:argh:

[bardgal]

46. a month early - ABSENTEE.

[bobbieinok]

47. voting since 64...1st time I ever felt I was fighting for America by

voting.....it was weird

[meganmonkey]

49. Kick!

for the good vibes...

[ClintCooper2003]

51. I slammed that marker down on the oval repeatedly in anger at the...

incompetence of the Bush administration. And then I voted for every single Democrat and just voted "yes" on every damn issue on the ballot.