Poll:Have you voted

[mickj]

The fact that people’s behaviour is influenced by what their friends are doing is nothing new. And there is a dark side. In Solomon Asch’s seminal 1950s conformity studies, 75% of participants answered a simple test (judging the length of lines) incorrectly if the rest of a group did so. This conformity is blamed for bystander apathy – when onlookers do nothing in an emergency because no one else is. There’s plenty of evidence that obesity, drinking and smoking spreads like this within peer groups.

How Facebook Could Swing The Election - Forbes

Just curious, don't want to know who you voted for but curious how many have and will vote. I am guessing most of this crowd will vote.

I dropped off my absentee ballot the first day I could. Don't trust the post office to deliver it ;-)

 

[HFWR]

Voted straight ticket for the Cocktail Party...

 

[FUEGO]

Will vote on election day. I expect lines will be shorter there compared to 15-30 minute waits at the early voting sites that aren't that convenient compared to the in neighborhood fire station where we vote. And I like the patriotic feeling of voting on election day, taking the kids to instill a little civic tradition in them, and meeting big name politicians and getting photo ops with them and the kids. Last election I caught a mayoral candidate and a US Senate candidate (both lost).

 

[JOHNNIE36]

Went to our local library Saturday for early voting (the first day). There were so many people you couldn't get near the front doors. Left and went back about 2PM. Nobody standing outside the doors so I went in and voted. Still, almost every voting booth had someone there.

I couldn't get over the morning crowd and then always wondered about all the groups of people waving signs and promoting their candidates. Does anyone think that makes a difference? Can't imagine going to a voting place and saying "I'm undecided, but whoever has the most signs or the most people supporting them, that's who I'll vote for".

 

[EvrClrx311]

I have a unique perspective on this from being a High School coach as a volunteer/hobby. After coaching for 8 years I have around 200 young adults linked to my Facebook account - for most people my age that would be cause for alarm haha. It is mostly Alumni who wanted to stay connected to the team and our events. These days you have to be on Facebook to get information out to that generation (sad... but true) so we post everything about workouts, cancellations and practice times to social media. Parents actually are the driving force behind this requesting that Facebook groups be set up to get information out to everyone on the team.

I am amazed at the level on involvement in politics this generation (18-25) has on facebook. There are groups most of them participate in about getting out to vote and talking about political topics and how it will effect them when they go to college and graduate to look for jobs. I saw dozens of them commenting on the political debates, from who won to how they thought it would swing their vote. I didn't even know there were political debates when I was under the age of 25.

Not long ago when I was in HS, politics was a boring topic that no one discussed outside of class. For my generation... voting was lame, something that teachers and parents pushed kids to do.

Today it seems to be the popular thing to do. Everyone is pushing each other to get out there and vote through social media. I find this fascinating...

 

[W2R]

I plan to vote on Election Day. I like the communal experience of voting at that time, along with my neighbors. I like my neighborhood and have some great neighbors, so standing in line for a little while and passing the time of day with them is not an odious task at all. Instead, it is more like a party, or a mini-celebration of our freedom and right to vote. My precinct votes in one of my neighbors' garages.

 

[dmdunca44]

DH and I have been voting by mail for years. We sit around the table, with all of the information literature and discuss the various proposals and issues. We've sometimes cancelled each other's vote, but that's OK. I really like the convenience.

 

[imoldernu]

Will vote, but mostly from habit. President and Congress are predetermined for our state.
Local government doesn't really affect us, not just because we only live here for 6 months, but there are virtually no issues that seriously concern us, either directing our lives or fortune.
We dutifully go through the sample ballots but have found nothing to make us side with one or another issue.
We feel an ignorant or unconcerned vote is worse than no vote.

The nation is certainly able to handle a popular vote, not only for President, but for major national issues. Perhaps... some day...

 

[MasterBlaster]

DH and I have been voting by mail for years. We sit around the table, with all of the information literature and discuss the various proposals and issues. We've sometimes cancelled each other's vote, but that's OK. I really like the convenience.

We do pretty much the same thing. No waiting in lines, very convienient.

 

[HFWR]

The nation is certainly able to handle a popular vote, not only for President, but for major national issues. Perhaps... some day...

If you think a know nothing, do nothing Congress is bad, just wait until that happens. Look to California for an example...

Although, if there was a bill stating the dollar amount to be withheld from everyone's paycheck attached to all spending, it might just work...

 

[scrabbler1]

New York has no early voting so it is absentee or in person on Election Day. One good thing about being ERed is that I can vote in a midday, off-peak time at my nearby voting center (walking distance). Only a few times when I worked on Tuesdays were there some lines at the polls, and nothing like the shocking images of hundreds of people in other states. The longest line I encountered was maybe 10 people and that was at a peak time like 7:30 PM. In New York, the polls close pretty late, at 9 PM, and mainly because of the long commutes many people have.

In 2001 I was a poll watcher at closing time so it was pretty cool to see what happens after the polls closed and they opened up the back of each voting machine (these were the old, lever machines which are for the most part retired now) and wrote the numbers corresponding to each lever.

Most of the races on my ballot from year to year are not close. Once in a while we have some close local races but rarely is there anything competitive. Ironically, ballot referendums and amendments have been the closest and most unpredictable.

 

[Nords]

I voted by mail last week.

Twice.

[Once on my ballot, and I fill out spouse's too.]

I should put up a sign on our mailbox that says "We already voted. Now get the hell off our property!"

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

Voted by mail a few weeks ago with my FL absentee ballot. I like how I can track the mail and the state lets me know they have received it.

 

[BigNick]

I am amazed at the level on involvement in politics this generation (18-25) has on facebook. There are groups most of them participate in about getting out to vote and talking about political topics and how it will effect them when they go to college and graduate to look for jobs. I saw dozens of them commenting on the political debates, from who won to how they thought it would swing their vote. I didn't even know there were political debates when I was under the age of 25.

Please point me at a reasoned debate about the issues taking place on Facebook, I'd love to see it. All I've seen so far is yah-boo stuff like "zOMG Obama is a Foreign Communist Atheist Muslim !!11!1!!!" or "Romney thinks rape is no big deal".

BTW, the one "not going to vote" above is me, since I'm not a U.S. citizen or resident, but I wanted to see how everyone else had voted.

 

[easysurfer]

I voted early and in person.

 

[JakeBrake]

I will vote on Election Day. Personally, I don't even understand early voting, sort of like I don't understand or do Facebook. I do understand absentee voting.

I vote in a church in an area that was rural when we moved here but now has encroaching suburbs. The Cubicle People vote early in the day or late in the day. I vote in the middle of the day when most of the voters are retirees.

Incidentally, when I first registered to vote, I had to pay a poll tax and also read and interpret a random passage from the Constitution.

 

[easysurfer]

I will vote on Election Day. Personally, I don't even understand early voting...

The irony is that we may not know the result of who won until days after election day

 

[MasterBlaster]

The irony is that we may not know the result of who won until days after election day

Yeah, with all the hanging chads and other voter irregularities, it'll take a week or two for all the various state and federal courts to weigh-in and pick the winner.

 

[powerplay]

I dropped my ballot in the mail on Saturday.

A number of years ago when we had to go to a polling place and stand in line to vote I really hated it so am happy that we now vote by mail.

 

[Nodak]

Mailed it in today.

 

[Texas Proud]

I voted on this polll awhile back with no comment....

But, I almost always vote on election day out of habit... I think having this tradition is good.... and since I still work.... I leave early


As someone else pointed out, the vote is pretty much decided for national offices by Nov.... you better vote for who you want in the primaries or you get stuck with bad choices... but, since the 'true believers' vote in primaries their picks usually win... (this is for both parties as districts are pretty clearly defined to be one or the other)...

 

[steelyman]

I took the leap on the first day available in this state: last Monday. I was surprised at how many people were there (not that it wasn't manageable. everyone was very excited and friendly!).

 

[samclem]

Yeah, with all the hanging chads and other voter irregularities, it'll take a week or two for all the various state and federal courts to weigh-in and pick the winner.

Yes. If we have a close election, the individual convenience of absentee and early voting is going to turn into a big national inconvenience. Here in Ohio the window for mail-in absentee ballots only closes on Nov 16th. If there's a demand for a recount, that can't start before Dec 2nd. The electoral college convenes Dec 17th.

Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

 

[Purron]

Voting on election day. It's kinda like shopping on Christmas Eve. Plan on voting a straight ticket for the Gonzo Party.

 

[Brat]

Oregon is a vote by mail state although one can take your ballot to the elections office on election day. Mine was in the mail Friday.

I wonder how those who in states impacted by this storm will manage to vote. Voting machines need electricity.

I really like Oregon's voting process. Nothing fancy, mark your ballot, get it in by mail or in person. The only thing high tech are the ballot scanners.