The World According to Oatney

My voting experience today

I have just returned from my voting experience at White Pine Elementary School, where Nicole and I voted together. If what I witnessed at White Pine's Second Precinct is indicative of turnout in East Tennessee (and indeed in all parts of our State) turnout is huge. I simply cannot remember turnout for a General Election in a non-Presidential year being so high.

Just as I expected, when we arrived at the school to vote, Alderman Mickey Smith was out campaigning and greeting voters on the 100 foot line along with Alderwoman Carolyn Voiles. Mickey came up and greeted us as soon as he saw me get out of the truck. He sees me around town quite a lot but today was the first time he had met Nicole. When I introduced her, he joked to her that he felt terribly sorry for her that she had to put up with me every day, and what torture that must be, and he would pray for her! Of course he and Ms. Voiles gave cards to Nicole and myself.

What I was amazed by was the size of the line in the school gymnasium. When we arrived the line was out the door, and I filled out the Jefferson County ballot application while I stood in line. When I got to the station where the poll worker was, she said that I was not registered as living in the city and could not vote in the municipal election-Nicole however was registered as living in town-obviously we live in the same house. I contested this and the good lady put in a call to Dandridge where the situation was resolved on the spot-I did vote in the municipal election.

After the short tangle with the poll worker, I waited in line with Nicole for another 20 minutes and let her vote first and then I cast my ballot on the new electronic machines in Jefferson County that I found even more user-friendly than in Knox County. Between the two of us, it took us about six minutes to vote.

Labels: Elections

posted by Deacon David Oatney @ 5:08 PM