Voting Irregularity Hilarity

This experience was reported to me last night. A good friend, well educated and very productive, but young voted for the first time last week.

Here in Franklin County we vote on a electronic machine with mechanical push buttons overlaid with the text of the candidate and ballot choices. The choices flash with small red lights until one is pressed and the light turns solid for that choice. You are welcome to press a different selection at any time.

Full instructions here.

So my friend, we'll just refer to him as G, found himself with the curtain closed and he only wanted to vote for three issues and the President. He found a pencil hanging by a cord inside the booth, he picked it up and began pressing his selection for President (Bush I hope).

Now he was ready to make his issue selections, but the pencil would not reach those issues, the cord wasn't long enough.

LOL!!!! Use your finger G!

I could not stop laughing when he told me this story. The pencil is for write in votes only.

I guess this is the kind of thinking that got senior citizens in trouble in Florida. If only G could use old age as an excuse, he's under 25.

Wow, I hope nobody else experience this sort of voter disenfranchisement. :)

I did notice a tremendous number of new voters who were anxious about how to use the voting equipment. Hopefully everyone will understand how it works when they vote in the Spring or next Fall. Oh, wait, they won't show up again for 4 to 40 years. We will be lucky to see 40% turnout for any election in the next 4 years.