Vote 2020!


I waited to vote on Election Day in my West Peoria precinct on this historic election. Although we were encouraged to vote early, I had a feeling that this could be the last presidential election when so many people vote on Election Day. In the future, it could be Election Fortnight. So, for posterity's sake, I decided to vote on the the first Tuesday of November.  

About 6:30 am, I drove down the hill to my precinct. Construction work on Farmington Road made it a little trickier to get to the polling place. 

But I was able to get there. Until I voted for the first time at a West Peoria address, several years ago, I had never been to my precinct neighborhood, which is tucked behind the gravel pit off of Sterling. . .

. . . located in a vehicle storage building for West Peoria. 

Once inside, I couldn't use my cell phone. Here's what I can tell you: I was 16th in line. They had blue tape marking the floor every six feet. It was silent: no one was talking. As I approached the table to get checked in, the process was the same as in past elections. I signed my name on a piece of paper. They read off my address and printed off a number for me. Two of the ladies working as election judges were from my parish. As I waited for one of the four voting booths, I timed my fellow citizens. It took 3-4 minutes to vote. 


Above is part of the ballot. While it is straightforward, I can understand how the voting machines could be a little complicated for some people.


I finished voting and was out of there a little after 7 am.

All the signs at regulation distance from the polling place. I wonder if these last ditch advertisements have ever made a difference in who people vote for.


It was so in keeping with this year that my polling place was a little difficult to get to. Nevertheless, I persevered.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Tribute to My Uncle Al

Image
My Uncle Al passed away the day before Thanksgiving. Here is his obituary  Like many deaths in this time of COVID, it was hard. But that's not what I want to focus on. I want to focus on him and his life because he was so much fun.  When we were kids, we were fortunate to be able to spend time on my grandparents farm. My uncle Al who farmed corn, soybeans, and hogs, lived there too. When we would stumble out of bed around eight o'clock, he would often be reading the paper in the rocking chair, on a morning break from the day's worth of work he had already done. As we came down the stairs, he would ask, "Are you sick? You were sleeping so long?" When the grandkids were on these visits to the farm, our Grandma would always say we'd do "something special." Al would chime in, "Yes, we'll have a nice, cold glass of water." When we balked at that, he'd say, "Then maybe a relaxing nap." When we let him know this wasn't what w...
Read more

Gold Star Mass at St. Mark's Catholic Church, May 31, 2021

Image
Photo by Peoria Journal Star photographer Conor Courtney The St. Mark’s Church basement is a basement lover's delight. Dark and cavernous, with pockets that seem to go on forever, it is filled with stuff from the church’s 130-year-long existence. It was not until my 57 th year as a St. Mark’s parishioner that I descended into its recesses, courtesy of Bob Ripp, the Boy Scout leader and unpaid parish handyman, who gave me a tour. Bob is a regular frequenter of the basement, as it is where the Boy Scouts meet. Amidst all the stuff—old pews, photos, Christmas decorations—Bob pulled out a three-foot-high, worn, wooden plaque in the shape of a cross. The faux bronze façade had lost its luster and there were cracks and chips in the wood. The plaque had been commissioned by Boland Mortuary, and on it were listed the nine men of the parish who gave their lives in World War II.                     ...
Read more

Working on the Navajo Nation in Shiprock, New Mexico (photos by John Carroll)

Image
In January, John spent three weeks working at the Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, New Mexico.  He volunteered at the federally run hospital through Project Hope. John was impressed by how well run the hospital was.  During his time at the hospital, John worked at an outdoor COVID clinic.  He also did telemedicine, checking in on people at home who were on oxygen. The Navajo Nation, which is in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah, is larger than the state of West Virginia. It is a challenging place to live: one third of the people don't have running water and only 60 percent have electricity. Despite the wide open spaces, COVID was rampant on the Nation earlier in the year.  However, since then, rates have declined. Medical workers have done a great job getting the vaccine to people. But COVID took its toll. John talked with many people who had lost multiple family members to the virus.  Besides the difficulties of poverty, many of the Navajo people have co...
Read more