Election Day in Kansas City!

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

My youngest son, Tim, and his lady, Erin, live in downtown Kansas City, MO, in a gentrified area called Quality Hill. Tim sent me the following account of their early morning voting experience:

Erin and I made ourselves go to bed early last night so that we would be less likely to "not hear" the alarm clock this morning when it started reminding us to go vote this morning at 5AM. We each rolled out of bed at 5:15AM, took little care in our appearances and hoofed it beneath the stars just less than half a block to a retirement home that was to be our polling place. When we arrived at 5:30 we were surprised to see only 20 voters ahead of us. The locals news had warned of more. To be sure, within fifteen minutes there were another 100 voters behind us. There was much laughter and a little shivering in the chilly wind but, being November 4th, it could have been considerably colder and/or wetter.

At 6AM the doors opened and the line carried us into the heart of this retirement home where many elderly folks greeted us with a smile. 6AM is their time of the day like 11PM is my time of the day. Several women drove scooters in circles through the tables setting out sharp pencils. A variety of men and women ran the table, signing us all in and giving us the option of using a paper ballot or waiting in line for the one electronic ballot. We chose paper. To my surprise, privacy did not play any part in the voting process. Some cardboard boxes had been cut out in the shape of a tiny wall but the majority of us sat and voted in plain sight of all the passersby. I tried not to look as I carried my paper ballot to a far table.

Yesterday, Erin and I both made an attempt to educate ourselves on the lesser known ballot initiatives so it wouldn't be a guessing situation. A lightrail, gambling loss limits, sewage water treatment, the "correct" language to be spoken at all official public meetings... relatively easy choices (the gambling loss limit one could have gone either direction... being a former blackjack dealer--having watched middle-aged men and women cry at the table and tell me that they couldn't go home until they won some of their money back... I had to go with my heart on that one). The difficult part was the list of judges. Most of the names of the 15 or so judges were unfamiliar to me. Next time... I will better prep myself in that area.

The excitement of finally seeing Obama/Biden on the ticket made the morning worth the long and sleepy day that will surely follow. The printed names were the culmination of a long, difficult campaign season... the beginning of which is filed in my memory alongside beginnings such as the first cell phone I ever saw or the first time I emailed someone... it happened, but I don't remember when or the exact circumstances.

As we walked out the line held steady at around 200 people. The wind died down and the sun shone strong overhead. Missouri law mandates that employees be given three hours to vote with prior notice to their employers and the voters all knew it. I overheard one man tell the older woman next to him that he hadn't voted in twenty years. She said "shame on you and good for you" all in one breath.

Tonight Erin and I will watch the results coming in with our friends in Lawrence at a dinner party. Tomorrow we'll sleep later and better knowing that our eight-year nightmare has been successfully exercised (that feels like the appropriate verb) from our anxiety-riddled lives through the time-tested process of democracy. What will root in its place remains to be seen but the cleansing motion will at least get us back within arm's reach of that temporarily misplaced feeling of hope that we all require.

Lastly, with my "I voted" sticker I'm entitled to a variety of free services and products in the KC Metro area. The best of which are clearly a Krispy Kreme donut, a large coffee from Starbucks, free ice cream at Ben and Jerry's, a Chick-Fil-A sandwich and a free body piercing. Should be an interesting day.

And Carla, a special friend of mine from our college days in the 1960's, voted early in Independence, MO, Harry Truman's hometown. Carla sent these comments about her voting experience in the Kansas City area:

Just returned from voting at my tiny polling place which normally has four machines. Today they had eight machines. I arrived at 5:50 AM and the parking lot at the church was filled. I parked in an empty field. I waited in line 45 minutes to vote. While waiting in line, I thought I'd call Daughter No. 1 in St. Louis and warn her about the lines - she was already in line at 6 AM and was still waiting to get in to vote when I called Daughter No. 2 to prod her along at 6:50. At least they learned some things from me.

In my adult life I do not remember waiting in line that long ever to vote for anything! (Of course, I don't remember what I did for lunch yesterday!) Keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer. I was just reminded that the Democratic Watch Party in Chicago tonight is in the same park where demonstrators were beaten in 1968.

And now I am planted in front of my television set waiting to see how the rest of Missouri voted. From what Tim and Carla reported, the numbers will be huge!

GOBAMA!