Voting Booth Cafe

Don't worry.  Surely you know from experience with this blog that this will not be a political diatribe.  I keep all of those comments private and obviously I keep in contact with you no matter how wrong your views are.  Plus, remember, I'm shallow.

No, the topic here today is only vaguely related to any election.  Here goes...

Like sometime in the past 10 years or so, Vanderburgh County (where I live) started having early voting.  Possibly it's the whole state, I don't know, but it definitely is in Vand Co.  You could always vote an absentee ballot; that's how I voted back in my days at DPU.  But for those of us who have no legit reason to obtain an absentee ballot, early voting was a God-send!  Instead of getting up early on Election Day and risking being late to work, and having to stand in line with a bunch of other idiots who couldn't get an absentee ballot, now, I can go any day I like (obviously during the 2 weeks of early voting, duh..), to my local library, after work, generally there's no line, or if there is, it isn't bad.  Rose likes early voting.

Exercising my right to vote is one of the only forms of exercise I get, so I do it regularly.  Of course, back in the days when I lived in Posey County and there were rarely any contested races in the primary, I would sometimes skip the primary, but...

Anywho, a month or so ago, my friend Erin posted on her Facebook page a link where Hoosiers could go to confirm they were registered to vote lest they go to the polls and be turned away.  However, as I have previously stated, I have voted in every election they've held since I turned 18, lo those many years ago.  Therefore, I poo-poo'ed Erin's post and disregarded it.  I'm obviously registered to vote.  After all, I just voted in the primary in May!

I hereby officially apologize to Erin for poo-poo-ing her.

Monday, Oct 22nd, was the first day we could early vote at the library.  After work, I drove home, picked up the Mom-bot, and drove us to the Red Bank Library.  The parking lot was full and the line to vote was out the door (of the room where the voting was happening, not the Library) and into the hallway.  But it moved relatively quickly.

Since I'm on drugs, I happily chatted with the people in line around me.  (I was standing for two - Mom sat while I held her place in line.)  Once I got in the room, I could see that one of the two women behind the table where we check in was the same wonderful woman who I entertained back in May when I came to vote in the primary.  See I couldn't find my ID. 
My wallet isn't all that big, but like the Doctor's TARDIS, it's bigger on the inside.  Plus I had just returned from a conference in Chicago, so it was full of receipts and other stuff that I hadn't cleaned out.  There certainly was no cash in it.

We get to the front of the line, and Mom goes first to the other lady, then I go up to the woman from May.  I hand her my license, she zaps it with her scanner gun thingee.... and nothing.  She pauses... "hmm, I'm going to have to type it in."  She types in my birthday - nothing.  My last name...Barger.. nope, nothing (except Mom, presumably, because by now she has moved on to the line waiting for an open machine.) 

So by now, the wonderful lady... who I'm going to call Linda - she looked like a Linda.  Linda calls someplace governmenty - so Vand Co Voting Headquarters, say.  We go through my name, date of birth, finally the guy on the other end tells her I'm registered to vote in Posey County.

For those of you paying attention, Mom and I have lived at the 'do for nigh onto 9 years now (in November, 9 official years).  And I've already pointed out that I vote regularly... and that I talked to Linda in May when I voted, in Vanderburgh County.

Linda was very sorry, but there was nothing she could do.  So I was like, cool, no problem.  Not her fault.  And besides, by now, Mom is finished voting, so we can leave.

So the next day, I called Voting HQ to see what was up.  I spoke with a lovely, friendly woman named Connie (her real name).  She looked me up and confirmed that yes, I'm registered in Posey Count, but she can tell from my "voting history" that I've voted in Vand Co 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016... "you even voted here in May for the primary!"   To which I responded, "I know!!" 

She said she was going to have to call Posey County to see what was up and that she would get back to me.  AND SHE DID!  She called me back a few minutes later to tell me that the "computer guy" in Posey Co merged my record back to Po Co for some unknown reason, but that he was going to un-merge me back to Vand Co and he was going to call her when it was done, and she would call me.

AND SHE DID!!  She called me back to say it was done, and that Rick said "hi," and she was going to walk a "Certificate of Error" down to ??? (another governmenty, voting-related office) as soon as we hung up.  I asked who was Rick?  She said that he's the computer guy from Posey County and he said to tell me hi.  (Oh, that Rick!) (??)  Anyway, I confirmed with her that I could go to the library on my way home that night and vote.  She said yes.

Note:  Working in the legal field, as I have, for these last 28 years, I've dealt with a lot of governmenty types, and Connie wins the prize for being a) helpful and b) doing what she promised - i.e., calling me back!  TWICE!  Yay! Connie!

After work, back to the Library.  Oddly enough, there was no line, so when I walked into the room, I gave Linda a big ol'wave and smile!  Linda scanned my license - nope.  She typed in my info - nope.  She called HQ and told my story of woe - the person she was talking to confirmed that yep, they had a Certificate of Error about me and that I could vote.   (I repeat, "Yay!  Connie!)

I had to fill out a form, but finally, I was able to vote and go home. 

One preachy note, if you're reading this and are eligible to vote.... get your furry butt to the polls and vote.  I could have just said "F*** it!" and not pursued it, but the right to vote is something my ancestors fought for (literally) and shouldn't be taken lightly.  I don't care who you vote for ... well, that's not true, I'd prefer you vote for the people I'd like to win, but...  as long as you vote.

Of course, if you are able to do early voting, like me, then you'll spend the next two weeks wondering why you still have to watch all these freakin' campaign ads!  Argghhh!!!