Voting

Before I get into my ongoing health ordeals I want to share with you my experience when my husband and I went to vote.  According to the news we vote at one of the busiest polling stations.  Woodlawn High School.  When we set out to vote at 7am my first thought was we'd get stuck in a lot of school traffic getting in and out of their.  Leaving home it dawned on me that school was closed.  Upon arriving at the school the parking lot was completely full and I doubted my belief of school being out.  I saw all the cars and thought oh darn they are having school.  Then I started seeing all the signs for voting in the gym. (not building we normally use)  Then I started seeing everyone coming in and out of gymnasium.

As we got closer someone going in asked some one coming out how long did it take.  He said he'd come 10 minutes before opened at 6 and there was already a line  It was 7:15.  I was feeling terrible.  I don't know what was worse; my back, my heavy can't breath feeling in my chest, or the pain in my abdomen.  When I saw the line I told D, no way.  I can't do this.  He asked me to stay until we at least figured out what line we'd be in.  There were several different ones.  A nice lady greeted us and asked where we lived and looked on her map and told us what line to get in.  There were different Zones and within the different zones the lines were broken up into groups of the alphabet.  Of course ours L-W was the longest.  Seriously, it looped around like a line at a ride at an amusement park.  

I waited 20 minutes and I thought I was going to fall on the floor.  My husband is pretty sympathetic to my ailments but for whatever reason he was determined to get me to stay.  He kept telling me, "we're moving".  Yeah, a little. We rounded the end of curve and made it to the straight line.  Then we figured out that this line is to check in and get your name called out for everyone to hear.  The line on the side of ours was to actually vote.  OH MY GOODNESS.....no way.  I told my husband I love you but I can't do this.  I kissed him and promised I'd come back at 3.  That sounded like a slower time to me.  

On my way out the door, that same nice lady we spoke to on the way ins stopped me.  "Honey, are you ok?" she asked me.  No, I told her I'm feeling really bad and I really can't make it through the line.  I'll be back later. "Come with me", she said.  It will be like this all day I'm afraid.  Holding my arm she started guiding me towards the front of the line.  Oh no, I told her, I can't do this.  I heard the crowd complaining about a poor old man who could hardly walk,he had a cane,when they brought him to front of line.  The people around me and I could hear some up front griping.  What would they say about me?  I tried to stop her on the way up there.  I told her it would make me very uncomfortable.  She assured me it would be fine.  Just ignore them.  She informed me that they are instructed to let anyone with any sickness, problem standing or whatever they deemed necessary to move to the front of line.  Of course I did hear it the minute I got up there.  The lady that was next in a very serious mean tone said, "are you kidding me, how many people are you going to keep letting cut in line".  The poll worker just ignored her.  When they asked for my id the lady said again, your really doing this, that's why this line isn't moving.  I turned around with tears in my eyes and told her I really didn't want to do this but the lady insisted I do.  

So I get all checked in and they they had to cut me again into the line of people waiting to vote.  Oh gosh, I thought I was going to throw up.  The lady she put me in front of told me not to worry.  She said one day that lady will need help or be feeling bad standing in a line and she'll remember how rude she was to you.  Thank you, I told her.  I really feel bad about this.  She said, "not to offend you but it's obvious you don't feel good."  After I voted I couldn't get out of there fast enough.  I left at 7:50.  So I'd been there 35 minutes.  No telling how long if I'd have stuck it out.

When I watched the noon news I heard them say the lines there were averaging hour and a half to two hours.  I've never experienced anything like that in all my years of voting.  I also know that there were other places in the United States that had much worse conditions. Especially int the northeast.  I can't believe there were still people waiting in line as the final results were coming in and even after the election was called for President Obama.  This morning before I left for my 2 appointments I saw on the Today show that they reopened the polls in FL to let people finish voting.  Unheard of!!

In this long post I really just wanted to point out how important a small kind act is.  She didn't have to do that for me.  In my eyes for her it took a lot of courage to bring me up there knowing she'd hear more griping.  I need to make a point at the next election to see if I see her and thank her again.  Maybe bring something nice for her.  It's a long day for the people who work the elections.  A friend of mine has done it in the past.

Sorry, this was way to long....I'm going to start over about my findings today with my two appointments.  Thanks for still coming back just to hear my whining.  I'll be back later on tonight.

Fighting back, Theresa