I voted!

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

I voted! Ok, enough about me. I just wanted to let everyone know that if there are any physical obstructions to your polling place, speak up to the police officer(s) assigned to your polling place. For example, there was a huge construction truck and trailer blocking 3/4 of the road leading up to the Ward 7 Precinct 1 polling place. We spoke up and the police officer got the truck moved. Just in time -- because as I was driving up, people were pulling aggravated u-turns and not voting.

If your polling place is inaccessible -- SAY SOMETHING.<sup>1

1</sup>Said with full realization that most polling places are already inaccessible in a number of ways. For example, blind voters who would like to cast secret ballots as is guaranteed by law but not provided for in reality.

Edited to add: The Disability Law Center is encouraging folks having problems accessing the polls/voting to call them today, so they can help put the smack down. They are open (today only) from 7 am until 8 pm. Call (800) 872-9992 (voice) or (800) 381-0577 (TTY). -- Thanks to tikva for the info. Remember, you need not be disabled to report a lack of accessibility at your polling place!

Comments

[ruxxell.livejournal.com]

heyyyy should i be concerned that i was like the 8th guy to vote at my polling place and the machine was ALREADY JAMMED, causing some lady to take down who voted what on a fucking pad of paper?
whos to stop this lady from just jotting down a bunch of extra lines for (insert candidate i hate here)?

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

Yes, you should be. You can call the Elections Hotline Number: (617) 625-6600 ext. 4200

Also, all polling places *are* equipped with 2-way radios so they can call in any emergencies.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

The votes are retabulated anyway, and if she does that it carries serious jail time.

Not to say it doesn't happen, just that there are redundancies and punishments in place.

[ron_newman]

Which polling place is this?

[ruxxell.livejournal.com]

dilboy near the dominos pizza

[ifotismeni]

crap @_@

[teko.livejournal.com]

I voted at Dilboy at around 9am and everything was running smoothly and the volunteers were all smiles. They have a staffed station for disabled voters and lots of I VOTED stickers!

[ruxxell.livejournal.com]

good to know they cleared that jam, then!

That damn Karl

[jokabri.livejournal.com]

That friggin' Karl Rove is everywhere! His minions are at all the polling places. Especially here in Somerville where we're so evenly split between Demos and GOP'ers!

ohhh....wait... my tinfoil hat is getting wet. Need to re-adjust.

[lac.livejournal.com]

Mine wasn't so much inaccessible (although it kind of is) as there was a huge honking puddle I had to jump over to get in there and since there are stairs, lucky I didn't take a tumble (kind of a klutz).

The writing votes down thing sounds hinky to me as well.

[ron_newman]

If the only way into the polling place involves stairs, it's not accessible. Which polling place is this?

[lac.livejournal.com]

The Brown School...you go in around the back, in the yard. There's a door and when you open it, a few cement stairs down into it. Since it's a school...I am not sure if they have another accessible way in.

[cutieperson]

they do have another door, but it's not labeled clearly and a bitch to find someone to open it. last time i voted there they had no accessible booths and made me cast a provisional ballot.

supposedly all the polling places have been updated in the past year, but who knows.

[ron_newman]

Made you cast a provisional ballot? That sounds very, very wrong. I hope you complained to the Election Department and the Disabilities Commission. Let us know what happens when you vote there today.

[lac.livejournal.com]

They had an accessible booth today, or at least one marked as such and it was much lower than the other booths. It's the first time I remember seeing on there and I've been voting there for years.

[cutieperson]

yeah, Robert Trane said the polling places got updated within the past year, so it's not surprising it was the first time you saw it.

[cutieperson]

it was very, very wrong. but i kind of had other things more central to my life at that point (like recovering enough from major surgery that i could get myself from the couch to the bathroom without help) to do anything other than become even more disenfranchised with the system.
it's all well and good for non-disabled people to say "complain, complain, complain", but those who need to complain are often not in a position to do so.

i moved out of that ward years ago, so no more voting there.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

Just to be clear -- I was (and am) advocating for EVERYONE to complain about accessibility issues regardless of whether one personally experiences one. For instance, I reported that there was no low voting booth at my polling place even though I don't personally need one.

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

They do have a booth labeled "disabled voters" in really big letters today. I don't know what makes it special (I only saw the outside), though it looked lower and wider than the others. Dunno if that's adequately helpful.

I always use the accessible door (pushing a baby stroller) and I didn't have any trouble finding it, but it's also pretty much along the route I walk to get to the Brown School -- I wouldn't be at all surprised if there aren't signs on other sides of the school (and if I didn't have good-vision-with-glasses, the sign on the door would be hard to see).

Much less important, but

[lbmango.livejournal.com]

is anyone else disappointed that they don't give out "I voted" stickers anymore?

Re: Much less important, but

[georgy.livejournal.com]

I got one. I voted at the firehouse on Broadway in Winter Hill.

I love my sticker :-D

Re: Much less important, but

[somertricky.livejournal.com]

I voted in Ward Six, and I'm disappointed they weren't giving out "I voted for Ron Newman stickers". :(

Re: Much less important, but

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

They did at my polling place! But I've lived in five different ward/precinct areas and this is the first one that did, so I understand your disappointment. This was the first year I ever got a sticker!

Re: Much less important, but

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

I got one, I voted in Ward 7.

Re: Much less important, but

[ceo]

I got one (5-2, Brown School). The gentleman on my shoulders did too.

Re: Much less important, but

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

*g* I vote there too. My baby ends up with *several* stickers -- she gets to vote twice! (Once with me, once with daddy...) And they say the youth vote isnt' powerful.

Re: Much less important, but

[miraclaire.livejournal.com]

I got one (ward 5). They were also giving them to the little kids who came with their parents, which I thought was nice and will hopefully give them warm-fuzzy feelings about voting.

Re: Much less important, but

[nora-rocket.livejournal.com]

I got one! (7-2, firehouse in Teele)

Re: Much less important, but

[jspazzer.livejournal.com]

I got an "I voted for Mitt" sticker. Well, I wrote in the "for Mitt" part with a magic marker, but I did a damn good job of it. About time we got another Masshole in the White House, and Mitt puts the shole in Masshole.

Re: Much less important, but

[lbmango.livejournal.com]

Dang... I voted 7-3 and no sticker. They looked at me like I had an extra head when I even asked for one!

Re: Much less important, but

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

I got one; I voted at the Dilboy.

Re: Much less important, but

[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

I think it would be cooler if they gave out ashes - like on ash wednesday

[ron_newman]

And if you vote at the Teele Square fire station, say hi to surrealestate who is working the polls there.

[gruene.livejournal.com]

I'm also working there. On my lunch break now though.

[tikva.livejournal.com]

The Disability Law Center is encouraging folks having problems accessing the polls/voting to call them today, so they can help put the smack down. They are open (today only) from 7 am until 8 pm. Call (800) 872-9992 (voice) or (800) 381-0577 (TTY).

[pearlythebunny.livejournal.com]

I voted today a little before 11. Ward 6-2. I didn't get a sticker (boo hoo), but I was quite surprised at how crowded the place was. There was only one open voting station, which I took.

Got a sticker in Ward 4 and

[winterhill.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting the Elections Hotline number. I hope few people have to use it but it's there if they do.

Re: Got a sticker in Ward 4 and

[tolchocky.livejournal.com]

Seconded. Thanks for doing this.

[rethcir.livejournal.com]

What time are the polls open until? And is it the same time statewide? (I'm currently registered in Medford)

[ron_newman]

8 pm, everywhere, and please read yesterday's post.

[ron_newman]

Regarding disability access: Even though Dilboy Post and the Teele Square Fire Station have accessible entrances, it is not at all obvious where they are located. The sign at the front of Dilboy does not point to the accessible back entrance. The sign at Teele Square is on the (closed) accessible door, but has arrows pointing right and left, which make no sense to me.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

blind voters who would like to cast secret ballots as is guaranteed by law but not provided for in reality

It has been established in case law (with, I think, at least one Supreme Court decision) that having to communicate one's voting intention to a poll worker (or to a friend/family member/health care worker in the case of an absentee ballot) is not a violation of one's right to privacy in voting.

[gruene.livejournal.com]

Another accessibility problem is the low booth designed for wheelchair users (or anyone else who can't reach the normal booths) is very wobbly and basically unusable, or at least this is the case in 7-2. The was one old woman who tried to use it, only to nearly knock it over trying to use it to support her weight.

[tt02144.livejournal.com]

I think that Somerville has done a very good job of insuring that polling places are accessible. Each polling place should have a low table labeled 'disabled voters'. It is provided by the city just like the voting booths. Unfortunately, because it must be moved for each election, it is a folding table, and probably not the sturdiest one in the world. But I don't see how much could be done to fix that problem. Each polling place is also provided with a sign alerting voters to the accessible entrance. This should be displayed prominently. As far as blind voters goes, it's unfortunate, but I'm not sure what else the city could provide for them. I can tell you that it's perfectly legal to bring someone with you to help you vote. Anyone can do this. So a blind voter could arrive with a spouse, relative, friend, etc., who could mark their ballot. There is also a different sort of absentee voting. You can go to city hall and vote there prior to election day, if it's more convenient for you. But overall I think that voting has been made extremely accessible, and of course, violations or problems should still always be reported.

[ron_newman]

The "sign alerting voters to the accessible entrance" needs to be usefully placed and crystal clear. It wasn't at either Diiboy Post or Teele Square fire station.

[etana.livejournal.com]

You are special. I'm not sure how that can be fixed, I think it's just.....part of life.