Early Voting

Like a lot of people my age and with my medical problems, I have signed up for early voting by mail. I love it; I can sit in the comfort of my home, however dusty and messed it may be with two teenagers running around and vote my heart out.

When the opportunity arose, I had not been yet aware of this wonderful concept, as usual I would trek to the local school to stand in line, have my identity questioned and step into the booth while my fellow Americans would patiently wait their turn. That was always an interesting concept to me, I do not do lines, nor for that matter, crowded places.

I only had two problems after Viet Nam, other than the possibility of alcoholism, which my Father in his strict Irish way nipped in the bud by informing me I would be out of the house on my butt if I did not stop. Waking on the sofa clutching an empty bottle of Jack Daniels does not fit well into the scheme of a strict Irish Catholic home. I could not tolerate crowds, even worse someone invading my personal space and I hated lines, just as most veterans’ complain of today.

The crowds were a real problem for me when I joined the other male members of my family and became a Police Office. It is difficult for crowd control if you are unable to deal with their very existence. I worked and overcame that problem somewhat, but not entirely. As far as too many people standing next to me and in my space, that is a problem to this day, I will walk out of the room to avoid going off the deep end. Even someone I love, my wife, friends who I trust my very existence with, if they are too close and there is more than one I tend to have problems.

Therefore, when I became aware of voting by mail I jumped at the chance, filling out the necessary papers and waiting for my ballot. I have learned the hard way that this can be a frustrating experience. Early voting tabulation, or early polls, who the heck knows, but they drive me nuts.

I recently sent in my ballot and that night was watching the news telling me the local issues that were going to pass and fail. This really made me feel good, as usual, the media can ruin a perfectly good day. I have no idea where they get their data, early tabulation, calling homes, or a crystal ball, but they need to shut the hell up until every voter has cast their vote and the polls are closes. Sitting in your easy chair and trying to vote on an issue that is important to you and hearing on the news that it will fail makes me want to wake up with the bottle of Jack again!

The media has caught heat before for calling winners before the polls have closed; now they are doing it even before the polls have opened! In addition, they wonder why there is little voter turnout, why should people get out of their house if the winners are already announced.