Friday, November 7, 2008

On Tuesday, I went to two different polling sites in the pretty diverse city of Middletown, NY, in Orange County. No one seemed to be having trouble with voting. Barbara Romer and Samantha Gonzalez, both recently registered first time voters explained that everything went smoothly. "I think they need better technology though," Romer commented after pulling the lever.
Paul Rodriguez, also a Middletown resident, explained that he didn't have too much of a problem. "There was a little line, and the lady tried to rush me," he said.

In addition to going to the polls, I also asked my friends to keep an eye out for me if they, or anyone they knew had trouble voting. A friend, Katy Klepfer from Binghamton in Broome County, let me know that when she went to her normal polling site, she was told that it was no longer a polling site. When she called the county to find out where to go, they said they couldn't tell her just from her address, so she had to come in. She went to the office, gave her address, and they told her her new polling place.

Additionally, my dad let me know about a more subtle way to give voters problems. Emails and fliers targeting poor neighborhoods claimed that "If you show up to the polls and have any outstanding parking tickets, you'll be arrested. http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/30082104.html

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