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Saturday, October 25, 2008

Dallas polling place field report: early voting turnout in Lake Highlands

In an unaccustomed fit of foresight, I decided to take along my shirt pocket camera when I went to the library today (Sat., Oct. 25) to return some overdue books (and go to work on making some additional ones overdue - by now, the library is probably considering naming a wing for me).

I took the camera because I knew the Dallas Public Library's Audelia Road branch was an early voting location, and I figured there might be some people lined up there to provide fodder for a photo feature.

Sure enough: the parking lot was a zoo, and cars were parked on the side street for a solid block; kids hung out in the playground while their parents stood in line to cast their early ballot in the presidential (and legislative, and local initiatives) election.

I've got to say I can't remember this much pre-election day turnout in my many years of living in the neighborhood. Not sure what that means in terms of the outcome, but it's good to see folks putting their ballots where their convictions are.

Photos appended below, including two from Robert T. Hill Middle School (which is on my way back home from the library), where workers were busy erecting some sort of tower. I first took it to be a water tower, but closer inspection of the guts of the thing reveals a bunch of wiring and not enough pipe diameter to accommodate the standpipe purpose.

As I left the library I spoke to a gentleman who had just made it inside the door; he indicated the line was moving fairly quickly, and estimated he'd been waiting for about 20 minutes to that point.

Me: I'm voting on election day. And now I'll have a good book to read while I'm waiting in line.

Some kind of tower going up at Robert T. Hill Middle School
Some kind of tower going up at Robert T. Hill Middle School
Close inspection of the internals reveals a slew of cabling - thus probably not a water tower, I reckon
Close inspection of the internals reveals a slew of cabling - thus probably not a water tower, I reckon

photos by JM



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ch0, says:

A "zoo"??? How dare you!!!

Anonymous

1 year, 1 month ago
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Jesus Valadez, says:

I love living in a Hispanic neighborhood. No lines at all at my polling place. :p

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1 year, 1 month ago
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Christin Richard, says:

Can you imagine how thick the lines will be on Election Day? I haven't seen voting buzz as this since 1980, when my school was a voting place, and they had to give us a snow day to make room to accommodate the participants. Ah, politics! We had the "Dallas County Voting Machines" installed on campus, and to give them a test run in education of process, we voted for school president a couple of weeks before the general election. That was fun!!!

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1 year, 1 month ago
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xdavidwattsx, says:

I voted at that library yesterday. They had 1500 voters a day the week before and had 1200 by 1pm on Saturday. He said they were doing 250-300 per hour. It was pretty well organized and we were getting through in a reasonable time.

Anonymous

1 year, 1 month ago
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alexander troup, says:

I attended 3 events and made some new freinds,who cant afford designer stuff and found my other voters in line all confussed and told that this was the way to punch and that was the way to clock out, while Redneck stories were going around with men wearing hoods from the Old South, I saw just this...... a beautiful day ands hope you do vote and we all vote for somthing good this time....Mr Common Sense. A.T

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1 year, 1 month ago
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Gwen DuVal, says:

Ditto John's story about returning overdue books, but I went on Sunday to Harrington Library in Plano. Short line, but my ballot was 738, so I wondered if that was how many had voted so far. What also caught my attention was the two people behind me were first time voters, and talked about their responsibility to vote, very excited at the prospect.

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1 year, 1 month ago
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Billusa99, says:

I breezed right in, after a 5 minute wait, at 8am today. But, a poll worker told me there was a line around building at 4:30 yesterday.

BTW, that tower is an actual rocket, targeted at Lakewood. The LH Junior Militia and Bugle Corp is behind it. They're making a movie about it called "Last Wildcat Standing."

Anonymous

1 year, 1 month ago
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Teresa Gubbins, says:

gwen, i happen to know of a ballot cast this afternoon at 3 p.m. at the same harrington library in plano and it was ballot #4621. (or maybe it was 4261. but you catch my drift.) there was a small but steady line. it would seem that your guess is correct, that the # is the total # of voters at that location

i'll bet friday is a busy day at the polls, being the final day for early voting

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1 year, 1 month ago
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Gwen DuVal, says:

Here's to a long line on Friday! Like the celebrities say..just vote

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1 year, 1 month ago
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