SFist: Valencia Voting

johnny0

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:56:35 -0800

Long lines and people screaming at each other this morning at the St. Luke's/Monteagle polling station on Valencia and Cesar Chavez. It's usually a pretty organized station, didn't have time to figure out what was up. Dropping of your mail-in ballot is the way to go. The only line I'm standing in this week is for Mission Street Food at Lung Shan on Thursday.

Akit

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:46:56 -0800

At least this is more efficient than experiencing the DMV.

iris

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:40:29 -0800

Long lines seem a decent price to pay for better government (knocking on wood) It's nice to see people giving a damn.

alva

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:27:37 -0800

hey, that's my polling station. know why the line was so long? because they only had six voting booths. very efficient, at least the poll workers were nice.

Akit

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:22:40 -0800

Don't forget, Starbucks is giving out free coffee if you tell them you voted. SFSU's Cafe Rosso is also giving out free coffee too as part of their tradition. But if the polling places don't have their stickers (budget cuts?), bring your stubs.

RinconHillSF

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:14:07 -0800

No sticker ... but I think we could make our own. It can say ... ALready voted ... enjoy the line!

Leanne

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:13:33 -0800

withak -- you can get a sticker if you turn your ballot in at the polls, like I did. You can bypass the line and put your signed/sealed envelope directly into the red box, right where the guy with the stickers is. And I'm with Akit, it took me a good while to fill out my ballot at home as well. I always feel super under pressure at the polls and end up messing the ballot up.

RinconHillSF

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:13:18 -0800

That's what I'm talking about ... passing the buck on about 21 of the 22 San Francisco ballot measures ... you need time to go through the bologna on these things the BOS (mostly, save 1 or 2) passed off to us. Why do we pay them $100,000 or whatever a year to do?

Akit

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:59:01 -0800

This year's ballot is so damn long. I live in district one and you have to fill-out four ballot cards. It's a shorter ballot if you don't live in a precinct that is not voting for a supervisor. Although I did absentee, it took me a good hour.

withak

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:41:29 -0800

Do you still get a sticker if you vote by mail?

murphstahoe

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:37:52 -0800

Ya know, I just like the whole stand in line with everyone experience, as long as the line isn't hours long. In that spirit I showed up at 6:50 in the Castro, my vote was cast at 7:20. The line was longer when I left, but should be less than an hour. I think it's less of an issue with the numerous neighborhood precincts in SF, where I grew up the whole zip code showed up at the high school and in an election like this the line would be quite long.

RinconHillSF

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:37:51 -0800

http://www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/elections/VoterServices/Perm_AV_App_EN.pdf There's the link to the english version of the Permanent Vote By Mail Voter application for you to print out in a few weeks and send in to the election department after they've had a chance to catch their breaths. :) Vote by mail is the way to go ... especially when you have a bunch of cowards on the Board of Supervisors who pass the buck on complex legislative items to the people instead of making cuts to public health (basically, the only part of the budget that isn't set aside and can be used when additional revenue isn't really an option) in order to fund their affordable housing or whatever set asides they've dreamt up with no plan for how to pay.

Leanne

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:25:05 -0800

I'm with mariconsoy. I always do absentee and then end up turning it in at the polls. Just now, I bypassed the huge line at my poll and was sure I felt much envy from all the other suckers.

mariconsoy

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:13:58 -0800

btw, what used to be called, "permanent absentee" is now just called, "vote by mail"

mariconsoy

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:08:48 -0800

why aren't people signing up to vote by mail? you send in the request ONCE and forever more never have to stand on a line again. ANYONE can request perm vote by mail- no reason such as health needed.

izzyizzy

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:00:03 -0800

my friend had a pizza delivered to the early voting line at city hall yesterday. in case you get hungry--there's the option.

manys

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:47:37 -0800

Just like the bread lines in home country!

MT

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:41:40 -0800

Please don't get discouraged by the long lines! It's worth it!

Ginger

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:36:24 -0800

Hayes Valley: both Inside (the furniture place) and the Fire Station had lines 50 people long at 7:45 am. Maybe the lines will encourage more to register as permanent absentee!

perlerorneq

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:17:13 -0800

I got to my polling place on Page btwn Central and Lyon at 7 and waited a half hour in line. Better than showing up early at city hall last weekend and waiting an hour more than that.